It’s a business, I get that. Bill Parcells obviously has a plan in mind that does not include the greatest defensive player in the history of the franchise. Fine. It happens and Tuna gets paid an exorbitant amount of money to make these decisions and he has a pretty darn good track record of being correct in these personnel matters. Fine. I happen to think JT still has football left in him and would be a tremendous asset to our young defense but I’m not there and they obviously know a hell of a lot more than I do. Fine. Whether I like it or not I can accept that but I refuse to believe there is any way we are going to fill our DE unit with 4 or 5 guys better than JT. No way. Regardless, the Dolphins moving on without Taylor was collective decision that the organization obviously felt was for the betterment of the team now and into the future. Fine.
The fact that our very own 2007 Defensive Player of the Year will not be wearing the orange and aqua that he’ll be enshrined in Canton with this season but rather the very shade of green that he and all Dolfans alike can’t even stomach. My issue is not the move, it’s the way it was handled.
The number 99 is a lock to not only be forever etched onto our Ring of Honor but he’s also a Hall of Famer and with that he’s earned at the very least the common courtesy to be publicly let go respectfully and with dignity. For whatever reason that was not the case. As the story goes Dolphins brass wouldn’t even return his phone calls. That is classless and quite frankly an embarrassment to the organization. Taylor himself would have understood the teams decision to simply go in a direction that did not include his services had they returned his phone calls and said so. He has absolutely earned that much. Hell, he shouldn’t even had to have make those phone calls in the first place. Jeff Ireland, Tony Sporano or Parcells himself should have had the decency to contact Taylor once they knew the direction they intended to move in giving him ample time to discuss with his family the possibility of being uprooted to any city that boasts an NFL franchise.
I’m disappointed in the lack of respect public displayed by the organization for an all-time Dolphins great. 
How much do you want to bet that Chad Henne and Jake Long wish he was still a teammate on September 26th and December 12th when they face “Gang Green” and number 99 destroys our offense? Talk about motivation, especially with Rex Ryan at the helm. I loathe “them” but I think Rex brings great things to any team including moxie, swagger, attitude, aggressiveness, fire and confidence. It’s easy to hate him but that’s only because he’s not on our team. Taylor will love playing for that guy and there is no doubt in my mind Ryan will put him in position to be extremely successful all season let alone the two game against Miami.
Thank you JT for the memories. I assure you the fans respect you and will always hold you in the highest regards. Here’s to you having the best season of your career on an 0-16 team.
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