Jason Taylor Traded To Washington Redskins
by Bodog Sportsbook | Jul 21 2008
The ongoing drama in South Florida is finally over. The Miami Dolphins have traded Pro Bowl linebacker/defensive end Jason Taylor to the Washington Redskins. On the surface, this should be a win-win-win situation for the Redskins, Dolphins and Taylor. A closer look, however, reveals that there might only be one winner in all of this… Bill Parcells.
ShowdownWhen Bill Parcells took over as VP of football operations for the Dolphins last season, everyone knew there would be some major changes in the offseason, and the changes came fast. Pro Bowl linebacker Zach Thomas was released and through free agency and the draft the roster was remade in Parcells’ image. Then Jason Taylor went head-to-head against Parcells. First they disagreed about Taylor spending all his time on
Dancing With the Stars instead of working out with his teammates. Then Parcells, the manipulator that he is, was accused of ignoring Taylor when he came to visit the training facility. Everything came to a head when Taylor went out and publicly stated that he would only play one more year, diminishing his trade value.
Parcells had said that Taylor would play for the Dolphins or retire. Most insiders understood that to mean that Parcells was trying to manipulate the owners into creating a market. Basically, he was saying to teams: Make us an offer, but we’re not going to let him leave for nothing. There was some trade interest during the draft but reportedly nothing more than a third rounder was offered. Parcells stood pat and everyone in the Dolphins camp refused to say anything other than that Taylor was under contract with the Miami Dolphins and was expected to play for them next season.
Sellers MarketThen on the weekend, Washington Redskins defensive end Philip Daniels may have ended his season when he leapt over a teammate and came down funny on his leg. So funny, in fact, that he is believed to have injured his ACL. Redskins VP Vinny Cerrato called up Bill Parcells after that practice and was “able to work something out.” That something was a second-round pick in 2009 and a sixth-round pick in 2010.
The Redskins rode the emotional wave after the tragic death of Sean Taylor last season, but with a first-time head coach in Jim Zorn, a tough NFC East division and unsteady quarterback play, they will have to put everything together in a hurry to avoid missing the playoffs. This might not have been the best move for a young and improving team that was legitimately looking towards a real run in 2010. Likewise, while Taylor wanted out of Miami, he also wanted a shot at winning a Super Bowl. He’s not going to get that in Washington, but hey… at least they aren’t in full-blown rebuilding mode like the Dolphins, who cannot possibly be better in the short term without Jason Taylor.
Tuna Still Cowboys/Giants FanBill Parcells has the best chance to out as the only real winner in this scenario, because he did not back down or give in to a player’s demands. He didn’t do it with Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor in New York, so why would anyone think that he would do it for JT in Miami. Parcells got the second-round pick he wanted, and you can bet this year that Parcells will be rooting against the Redskins in every game, just so that they can squeeze even more value out of this trade and once again look like he has so many times before - like a master of manipulation.
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