In Taylor, Redskins Had It Covered
Gibbs Liked What He Heard From Others
By Nunyo Demasio
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, April 27, 2004; Page D01
At February's NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis, Washington Redskins Coach Joe Gibbs interviewed University of Miami defensive tackle Vince Wilfork. Gibbs asked Wilfork to tell him about some teammates.
"He just volunteered, 'Sean Taylor,' " Gibbs recalled. "That made an impression on me."
In early April, Gibbs finished watching videotape of Taylor and turned his attention to a top tight end, believed to be Ben Troupe of the University of Florida. In the first clip, Troupe made a 15-yard reception when Gibbs noticed a defensive back honing in like a "blur." It was Taylor walloping Troupe and sending the tight end topsy-turvy with one of his highlight-reel hits.
At Redskins Park several days before last weekend's NFL draft, Pro Bowl tailback Clinton Portis, a former Hurricane, provided Gibbs with unsolicited advice. "Sean Taylor -- that's all he kept saying," Gibbs said.
Just as so many hapless receivers experienced against Miami, Gibbs found the 6-foot-2, 231-pound free safety extremely difficult to shake. And yesterday, Sean Michael Taylor was introduced to the local media after being selected fifth overall by the Redskins.
"When I came for a visit, I loved it here," said Taylor, who attended the news conference with his father, Pedro, the chief of police in Florida City, Fla. "It's a great situation with a great coach, someone who has three Super Bowls and is trying to get another one. And there are a lot of great players here and it's a great community. I can't wait to get started."
The safety appears tailor-made for Gregg Williams, the Redskins' assistant head coach for defense. Williams is considered one of the best defensive minds in the NFL.
Despite the size of a linebacker -- which brings punch to his tackles -- Taylor is fast and athletic, giving him a unique set of attributes for a safety.
"He's the same size as me, and he's playing safety, and can play corner and can run," said 6-3, 253-pound linebacker LaVar Arrington, who attended Taylor's news conference. "He's a ball hawk. I'm excited. I'm starting to sweat."
Because of his versatility, Taylor should immediately help the Redskins in two areas of weakness last season: pressuring the quarterback and stopping the run.
Taylor is special enough to play a much more expanded role than being the defense's last line. The Redskins frequently plan to use Taylor to blitz the quarterback and have him defend some tight ends and wide receivers in one-on-one coverage. Taylor has the blend of size, speed and strength to occasionally match up against the likes of New York Giants tight end Jeremy Shockey (6-5, 253 pounds) and new Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Terrell Owens (6-3, 226 pounds).
"We think he matches up very well against the people we play in this division," Gibbs said of the NFC East.
Some scouts believe that Taylor has the coverage skills to convert to cornerback in the NFL. But Williams said: "We would not want him to make a living doing that, because that's not how we see him fitting into our defense. But he gives us versatility when you have to do that."
Taylor's cover skills should give Washington's cornerbacks more freedom to play more aggressively while allowing extra defenders, particularly the strong safety, to play closer to the line of scrimmage. It's one way the Redskins think they can improve in stopping the run. Last season, the Redskins were ranked 24th in the NFL in that category.
"Sean really fits in with his athletic ability," Gibbs said. "The fact that he can cover the field back there really gives you freedom up front."
Despite the kudos garnered by Taylor, the first-team all-American comes across as reserved -- the opposite of his friend and advocate, Portis.
"Meek," Pedro Taylor said of his son's personality.
When Taylor was asked of his role next season, he said: "We have a lot of veterans. I'm a young guy trying to come in here to earn my stripes. Hopefully I'll contribute and help us win some games. I'll help out any way I can."
Taylor appears likely to allow Matt Bowen to switch to his natural position of strong safety. Before becoming a free safety in Washington last season, Bowen played strong safety at Iowa and with the Green Bay Packers the previous two seasons.
But the Redskins coaches have promised Ifeayni Ohalete, last year's starter at strong safety, an open competition. "He's going to start. He's the number five pick," Ohalete said of Taylor. "I have to look at it as I have to find somewhere to play. I believe in the coaches that whoever plays the best is going to play."
Taylor became the highest safety selected in the draft since the Cleveland Browns picked Eric Turner No. 2 in 1991. One reason that safeties aren't chosen so high is teams don't want to allocate so much money to the position, according to St. Louis Rams General Manager Charley Armey. "You have to be careful because of the salary cap," Armey said last week.
Taylor's agent, Drew Rosenhaus, would argue that Taylor isn't the typical safety. Last year, the Dallas Cowboys picked cornerback Terence Newman No. 5 overall before signing him to a five-year, $18 million deal, which included a $13 million signing bonus.
Gibbs dismissed the notion that the Redskins chose Taylor over Kellen Winslow Jr. partly because the tight end was represented by Carl and Kevin Poston. They also represent Arrington, who has filed a grievance against the Redskins, claiming he was shortchanged $6.5 million in a contract extension he signed last December.
Like the Postons, Rosenhaus is known as a tough negotiator -- he recently threatened to hold out Miami Dolphins defensive end Adewale Ogunleye -- yet he has worked well with Redskins owner Daniel Snyder.
"I don't have a crystal ball. There's no way for me to know," Rosenhaus said of contract negotiations for Taylor. "But I'm very optimistic because the Redskins are a great organization to deal with. They are very professional and they get deals done."
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