Fred Taylor

By LAMAR THAMES

Fred Taylor is no longer a Jacksonville Jaguar and my wife and I have decided not to renew the season tickets we have held since the very first year. One thing doesn’t have anything to do with another, however. We were not going to renew our season tickets regardless of what occurred during the off-season. The two events are just coincidental.

I will miss seeing Taylor in a Jaguar uniform. He is as good an open-field runner as there has ever been in the NFL. I am not saying he’s the best back, just as good as anyone in the open field. As good as Emmitt Smith, LaDainian Tomlinson, Walter Payton, Jim Brown whomever. Even Gale Sayers. Fred’s 4.6 yards per carry over an 11-season career is testament to his running ability. I’ll never forget the big 200-yard plus day he had against the Steelers and all the other big games he had. You knew that once he got past the line of scrimmage that he was going to go for a few yards. And if he ever got into the secondary, look out; he was TD bound. Fred’s raw speed was awe-inspiring.

Fred’s two big drawbacks were that he couldn’t catch the ball as well as some of the other top backs in the league and he wasn’t a big power back, meaning he wasn’t the one you wanted to go to on third- or fourth-and-one situations. Jack Del Rio got a lot of criticism for not using Fred in some of those downs, but it was the right call. Fred might bowl over a 250-pound linebacker in the open field, but he just didn’t get the short yardage as often as he should have, considering his size. In big-game situations where a team needed a long run to pick them up or perhaps score a touchdown, I would take Fred over almost anyone. He has been that good. 

I would have loved to see Fred retire as a Jaguar but the reality of the NFL today is that probably wasn’t going to happen. The Jaguars have moved on in many ways and this is just another one of them. Like NFL writer and sports talk radio show host Pete Prisco, I disagree with the decision. The Jaguars desperately need someone like Fred to be a clubhouse leader, and as a reliable backup to Maurice Drew Jones. As Fred has aged, he has changed from a nervous, tentative individual who was painful to watch during interviews. Whether it was marriage, children or just maturity, he is now someone I can listen to for hours. He is insightful, funny and he never has anything bad to say about another person, teammates or Jaguar coaches. I guarantee you’ll never hear him bad-mouthing Del Rio or owner Wayne Weaver over this latest move either.

Will Fred Taylor be elected into the Hall of Fame? There are too many variables at this time to say with any assurances. If he signs with a team that can give him some quality carries in the next few years and he climbs the ladder of NFL rushing leaders, then that is a definite possibility. Especially if he gets into and wins a Super Bowl. Those things are missing from his resume. Fred has shown in the last two years that he can still carry the ball. I thought I saw him slow down a couple of years ago but maybe his off-season training regimen in Miami has rejuvenated his old (for a running back) body. There were times this year and last that he looked as fast as he ever has.

Fred is a class guy who will be sorely missed by the fans. He’s probably my all-time favorite Jaguar player, over Mark Brunell, Tony Boselli and Jimmy Smith. And not just because he is a Florida Gator. I am proud of Fred as a representative of the team that has been my favorite since their inception.

I know Fred wanted to end his career as a Jaguar. Like Fred, I wish my connection with the Jaguars was continuing. But it is not to be. Good-bye Fred. Good-bye Jags, I’ll miss you all.