Redskins Late Sean Taylor, New Years and Sweating the Small Stuff

I’m not going to go on about New Year’s resolutions. There’s enough of that all over the Internet, in books and on TV. However, I’m unequivocally stating – with the World Wide Web as my witness – that I resolve to pay more attention to the details of my life, whatever shape those details take. I’m going to remove the words, “in a minute” from my vocabulary. No more leaving my jacket on the back of the couch until the next time I walk by, no more leaving things in the car until the next time I go somewhere, no more mail left unopened. The little things will not go unattended.

I can thank the Washington Redskins late - and in my humble opinion, great - Sean Taylor for this.

When the anniversary of Taylor’s 2007 passing came around again this year, I realized I still had not accomplished a task I have wanted to undertake for some time. I needed to move some recordings I had made of the tributes and memorial service for him (and a pregame show) from my DVR to a DVD for my dad. Not only did I need to buy some additional cables (S Video and an RCA jack, though that’s not important) for the recording to work properly, there was always something else that required my attention.

I decided after Christmas, while I still had some time off from work, that I was going to get it done. I went to Radio Shack, bought what I needed and got it going.

Because of the way that our HDTV components are configured, the recorded shows had to be playing on the TV while I was copying them to the DVD recorder. I had planned to do some other things around the house while the programs recorded but, seeing the images surrounding this young man’s passing again on the screen captured my attention immediately.

As I sat and watched, I was amazed at depth of the emotion that came over me so long after the event. I was lucky enough to meet Taylor twice and, I am not going to lie… I adored him. But I am also a die-hard Washington Redskins fan and, like any other burgundy & gold bleeder; I was simply mesmerized by the safety’s talent and ability.

Especially moving to me was a pregame show I’d recorded; aired before the Redskins played the Buffalo Bills that year that Taylor was killed... watching it brought back so many memories.

I went to that game with my husband and it was a surreal experience. As we sat in the stands preparing to watch the game, it just did not seem possible that the Washington Redskins defense was going to take the field without Number 21, not because he was injured, but because he was gone. I was still in shock from the news and emotions of the previous week and that first defensive 10-man formation play took my breath away with the statement it made. I watched a lot of the fans around me and it was obvious that I wasn’t alone in how I felt.

The video tribute to Taylor had the entire stadium’s attention. The quiet in that huge place, other than the sound of the video, was extraordinary; the collective pain of 80,000+ fans palatable. I remember clearly the way the fans in the stadium reacted to the video tribute during a clip when Taylor was asked what his favorite thing was about playing at FedExField.

“My favorite thing,” Taylor had said, “is when we [have] home games… the fans are cheering and you got that 12th man... and everybody's excited. I like playing at home. That's my favorite part about being a Redskin..."

The stadium erupted in cheers and applause.

There was also a lot of cheering and #21 towels being waved during the clips of Sean’s big hits. This was in no way fans just being rowdy but rather an expression of affection – a way to honor Taylor’s athleticism, commitment to the game and the joy he was to watch. During the video of Taylor’s teammates, coaches and fans talking to and about him, people all around me were openly emotional. Men, women, old, young, black, white…. It didn’t matter because Sean Taylor had touched all Redskins fans. It was a situation such as I have never experienced and watching the coverage again brought it all back.

Taylor’s good friend and Redskins teammate Clinton Portis said during an NFL Network interview that the last time he saw Taylor was in the locker room on the Saturday before the November 25th Tampa Bay Buccaneers game. The running back said that he and receiver Santana Moss were discussing the fact that Moss was unhappy about his stats for that year. Portis described Taylor, joining in the conversation, bringing his new, upbeat attitude with him and pointing out that his friends were focusing on the wrong thing. Portis said that he and Moss felt much better about things after the dialog. He also said that, as Taylor left the room and walked through those locker room doors, he never considered that it would be the last time he saw his friend.

I sat and watched the highlights of some of the hits that the immensely talented safety had made in his career and it occurred to me again that Taylor’s athleticism really was amazing. While some of it was undoubtedly natural ability, much of it has to be because he worked hard at taking care of himself, practicing his craft and committing himself to the game he loved so much.

Once Taylor grew up and out of his immaturity, his friends said Taylor seemed to key in on his daughter, fiancée and family; and that he was extremely and openly happy. He was paying attention to what was important in life. And he did it with such intensity that people noticed. What is worth mentioning is that friends of his wanted to emulate him in his attitude and outlook in life, even as young as he was and how recently he had changed.

I have been blessed in life to not have had to live through a huge amount of sorrow. What happened to Sean Taylor was one of the most tragic things I have ever endured, however, and I was not even a close friend or family member. Many fans were affected deeply by the young man’s passing.

In caring about Taylor, I thank God that he had the time he did to come to truly appreciate those important things in life – which made him very happy - before he died. Sean Taylor did sweat the small stuff and revisiting his life showed me that I need to do this as well.

Thank you Sean, for showing me how to do it right.

Clinton Portis interview begins at around 1:15.

This is the Video Tribute shown at FedexField during the Buffalo Game, 12/2/2007.