On- and off-field greatness cut short

Grant Paulsen column

Date published: 12/2/2007

IT'S APRIL 24, 2004, and I'm sitting at Madi- son Square Garden watching the NFL Draft unfold. The Washington Redskins are on the clock and then NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue is strolling across the stage. As he nears the podium a chant breaks out among the Redskins fans in attendance.

"Tay-lor, Tay-lor!" They were screaming as if their words would change the name on the card in Tagliabue's hand. "With the fifth pick in the 2004 NFL Draft, the Washington Redskins select Sean Taylor," Tagliabue announced. Before he had even finished Taylor's first name, the burgundy-and-gold faithful inside the Garden went bananas.

It's been 1,377 days since Washington sent its fan base into a frenzy with the selection of Taylor, who was an All-American safety at the University of Miami. It wasn't long after being drafted to the Redskins that Taylor, one of the more athletically gifted players to ever step onto an NFL field, was bringing fans to their feet as a member of the burgundy-and-gold on game day.

Taylor's uncanny combination of size and speed made him one of the league's most revered talents. At 6-2 and 215 pounds, the Miami native was built like a linebacker. It was Taylor's speed, though, that made him special. He ran with the quickness and gracefulness of a cover cornerback, and that, coupled with his size, made him Superman without the cape.

The plan was that Taylor--along with 2007 first-round draft pick Laron Landry--would be in the Redskins' defensive backfield for years. That he'd be giving opposing wide receivers goose bumps for the next decade-plus. And if not for the tragic events of this past week, there is no doubting that he would have been.

But after being shot and killed by an intruder in a senseless act of violence earlier this week, the 24-year-old murder victim will never get that opportunity.

Like the rest of the folks who have the privilege of covering the Redskins, I'll never get to know who Sean Taylor really was. The Pro Bowl safety wasn't trusting of the media, and because of this wasn't trusting of me.

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Date published: 12/2/2007