Showing posts with label sean taylor's death. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sean taylor's death. Show all posts
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
Monday, December 03, 2007
A Long Rant About the Redskins
You Gotta Play With Emotion
The talk leading up to this game centered on what would happen to the Redskins, and there were only 2 choices: a) they channel the emotion and win, b) they wear out from all the emotion and lose. As it turned out, the results could indicate that both happened (the Redskins had a big lead and blew it), but the truth is, neither happened. First of all, how overly simplistic is it to expect 53 men to react to tragedy in exactly the same way. The thought that every single one of them could be so empowered by Taylor's death that they would play above their usual abilities is preposterous. Some probably played better through their grief, perhaps others were hindered by it. Or maybe during the game they put it out of their minds and played as they do every other Sunday. That's what it looked like to me, as the Redskins blew another game they should have won thanks to bad coaching and the inability to make the one game-clinching play.
Childhood Illustions Shattered
When I was growing up Coach Gibbs was a hero. A larger than life authority figure who coached with an iron fist and a gentle heart. He was tough but he had a soft spot and a deeply religios side. And he won. He won 3 Super Bowls with 3 different quarterbacks, at the time no one had done it with 2 (technically Parcells had 2 different QBs in the Super Bowl, but Simms played most of the second Super Bowl season). And at the time they were 3 of the worst Super Bowl winning quarterbacks. Gibbs then left the team in the incapable hands of Richie Petibon leading to more than a decade of terrible teams. Gibbs left to dominate NASCAR but in 2004 decided to come back. At the time I viewed it as a great return to past glory, good old Coach Gibbs would restore Redskins pride and bring us back where we need to be. In the fourth season of Gibbs Part Deux, it has been an absolute disaster. Other than a playoff appearance in 2005 (after a 5-6 start the Skins won 5 in a row to make the playoffs, even winning the first game), his teams are 6-10, 5-11 and 5-7 so far this year. He clearly hasn't adjusted his game plan to the new NFL which involves more passing and less of his 3 yards and a cloud of dust offense which worked when you could build a great offensive line like the Hogs. Also new in the NFL, calling timeouts right as an opponent tries to kick a field goal. Which brings us to...
The Stupidest Coaching Decision Of Gibbs's Career
With the Redskins leading 16-14 Bills kicker Rian Lindell was lining up for a game-winning field goal from 51 yards away. Gibbs called timeout just as Lindell was about to kick. Lindell made that kick but he would have to try again. As he was about to, Gibbs called timeout again. You can't do that and Gibbs got a 15 yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct. That moved Lindell up, to a much easier field goal, which he made, to stick another dagger through the Redskins already pained hearts.
Personal Responsibility
"There's nobody to blame but myself. I should have known the rule." -- Joe Gibbs.
Another Questionable Decision by Gibbs
This one I agreed with at the time, but having access to the results, I now see the logic of going the other way. With 11 minutes left and the Redskins winning 16-8, the Bills were facing 3rd and goal from the 24. They gained 18 yards on the play but also committed a penalty. Gibbs elected to give the Bills a short field goal rather than put them at 3rd and goal from the 34 and risk a penalty for a first down. The Bills probably would have tried a safe running play to get a few yards back and the result would have been the same, but the field goal did come back to haunt the Skins.
Jason Campbell, Not Getting it Done
Campbell had a great first quarter, hitting every receiver but once again he failed in the redzone. The Redskins had 1st and 10 at the 14, 1st and goal at the 3, and 1st and 10 at the 15, and ended up with 3 field goals. Also for the fourth straight game, he couldn't make a play to put the game away.
Tribute to Taylor
The Redskins played their first defensive play of the game with only 10 players, in tribute to Taylor. The Bills gained 22 yards on the play, proving how much Taylor will be missed.
The talk leading up to this game centered on what would happen to the Redskins, and there were only 2 choices: a) they channel the emotion and win, b) they wear out from all the emotion and lose. As it turned out, the results could indicate that both happened (the Redskins had a big lead and blew it), but the truth is, neither happened. First of all, how overly simplistic is it to expect 53 men to react to tragedy in exactly the same way. The thought that every single one of them could be so empowered by Taylor's death that they would play above their usual abilities is preposterous. Some probably played better through their grief, perhaps others were hindered by it. Or maybe during the game they put it out of their minds and played as they do every other Sunday. That's what it looked like to me, as the Redskins blew another game they should have won thanks to bad coaching and the inability to make the one game-clinching play.
Childhood Illustions Shattered
When I was growing up Coach Gibbs was a hero. A larger than life authority figure who coached with an iron fist and a gentle heart. He was tough but he had a soft spot and a deeply religios side. And he won. He won 3 Super Bowls with 3 different quarterbacks, at the time no one had done it with 2 (technically Parcells had 2 different QBs in the Super Bowl, but Simms played most of the second Super Bowl season). And at the time they were 3 of the worst Super Bowl winning quarterbacks. Gibbs then left the team in the incapable hands of Richie Petibon leading to more than a decade of terrible teams. Gibbs left to dominate NASCAR but in 2004 decided to come back. At the time I viewed it as a great return to past glory, good old Coach Gibbs would restore Redskins pride and bring us back where we need to be. In the fourth season of Gibbs Part Deux, it has been an absolute disaster. Other than a playoff appearance in 2005 (after a 5-6 start the Skins won 5 in a row to make the playoffs, even winning the first game), his teams are 6-10, 5-11 and 5-7 so far this year. He clearly hasn't adjusted his game plan to the new NFL which involves more passing and less of his 3 yards and a cloud of dust offense which worked when you could build a great offensive line like the Hogs. Also new in the NFL, calling timeouts right as an opponent tries to kick a field goal. Which brings us to...
The Stupidest Coaching Decision Of Gibbs's Career
With the Redskins leading 16-14 Bills kicker Rian Lindell was lining up for a game-winning field goal from 51 yards away. Gibbs called timeout just as Lindell was about to kick. Lindell made that kick but he would have to try again. As he was about to, Gibbs called timeout again. You can't do that and Gibbs got a 15 yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct. That moved Lindell up, to a much easier field goal, which he made, to stick another dagger through the Redskins already pained hearts.
Personal Responsibility
"There's nobody to blame but myself. I should have known the rule." -- Joe Gibbs.
Another Questionable Decision by Gibbs
This one I agreed with at the time, but having access to the results, I now see the logic of going the other way. With 11 minutes left and the Redskins winning 16-8, the Bills were facing 3rd and goal from the 24. They gained 18 yards on the play but also committed a penalty. Gibbs elected to give the Bills a short field goal rather than put them at 3rd and goal from the 34 and risk a penalty for a first down. The Bills probably would have tried a safe running play to get a few yards back and the result would have been the same, but the field goal did come back to haunt the Skins.
Jason Campbell, Not Getting it Done
Campbell had a great first quarter, hitting every receiver but once again he failed in the redzone. The Redskins had 1st and 10 at the 14, 1st and goal at the 3, and 1st and 10 at the 15, and ended up with 3 field goals. Also for the fourth straight game, he couldn't make a play to put the game away.
Tribute to Taylor
The Redskins played their first defensive play of the game with only 10 players, in tribute to Taylor. The Bills gained 22 yards on the play, proving how much Taylor will be missed.
Saturday, December 01, 2007
Robbery Angle Emerges in Sean Taylor's Killing
The Washington Post lays out the scenario by which the murder of Sean Taylor was actually a botched robbery attempt.
Police arrested four people in connection with the case and they will all likely be charged with murder. Police tracked down the individuals thanks to citizens' tips. Police say they have at least one confession.
The crooks broke into the home to burglarize it, not expecting anyone to be home.
The four men are Charles Kendrick Lee Wardlow, 18; Eric Rivera Jr., 17; Jason Scott Mitchell, 19; and Venjah K. Hunte, 20.
Charles Wardlow's uncle, Christopher Wardlow, who is only 21, is dating Sasha Johnson, Taylor's stepsister.
Sasha Johnson, her brother Jamal Johnson and Donna Junor, Taylor's mother were the primary residents of this house.
Sasha threw a birthday party for herself at the house over Thanksgiving weekend while Taylor was in Washington. Jason Mitchell attended that party, and Mitchell also reportedly was paid to mow the lawn at the house.
From this information it seems the men were familiar with the house, knew how nice it was, how many plasma TVs it had, and decided to rob it. They thought they knew well enough who would or would not be there at the time. They evidently thought on a Sunday night Taylor would be with the Redskins and not at home. But Taylor was injured so he was there that night, and when the burglars heard him, they panicked and fired. Maybe they thought a shot to the leg would injure but not kill Taylor, giving them enough time to escape. But they were wrong.
All four men have criminal histories, according to public records. Rivera was charged in August with felony possession of a firearm and removing a serial number from a firearm and in October with felony cocaine and amphetamines trafficking. Wardlow was arrested three times in 2005-06, twice on drug charges and once for felony grand theft. Mitchell was charged with disturbing the peace in 2004. Hunte was arrested on drug possession and trespassing charges in August.
Taylor's former attorney Richard Sharpstein has been the public spokesman for the family during this time and this is what he had to say about the latest developments: "People always said Sean's life led him to this, saying he was violent. But if anything here his openness and generosity led to this crime, which is shocking and horrific. I said all along it was a burglary and it was planned. There are 17-, 19-, 21-year-old pathetic criminal wannabes and they carry a gun like every other dime-a-dozen jerk in the streets, and they happen to come upon someone they don't expect to be there and they fire the gun and run like cowards. This is a shame, but it's not over and this will be of no solace to the family. If anything it will only make it harder to swallow."
Police arrested four people in connection with the case and they will all likely be charged with murder. Police tracked down the individuals thanks to citizens' tips. Police say they have at least one confession.
The crooks broke into the home to burglarize it, not expecting anyone to be home.
The four men are Charles Kendrick Lee Wardlow, 18; Eric Rivera Jr., 17; Jason Scott Mitchell, 19; and Venjah K. Hunte, 20.
Charles Wardlow's uncle, Christopher Wardlow, who is only 21, is dating Sasha Johnson, Taylor's stepsister.
Sasha Johnson, her brother Jamal Johnson and Donna Junor, Taylor's mother were the primary residents of this house.
Sasha threw a birthday party for herself at the house over Thanksgiving weekend while Taylor was in Washington. Jason Mitchell attended that party, and Mitchell also reportedly was paid to mow the lawn at the house.
From this information it seems the men were familiar with the house, knew how nice it was, how many plasma TVs it had, and decided to rob it. They thought they knew well enough who would or would not be there at the time. They evidently thought on a Sunday night Taylor would be with the Redskins and not at home. But Taylor was injured so he was there that night, and when the burglars heard him, they panicked and fired. Maybe they thought a shot to the leg would injure but not kill Taylor, giving them enough time to escape. But they were wrong.
All four men have criminal histories, according to public records. Rivera was charged in August with felony possession of a firearm and removing a serial number from a firearm and in October with felony cocaine and amphetamines trafficking. Wardlow was arrested three times in 2005-06, twice on drug charges and once for felony grand theft. Mitchell was charged with disturbing the peace in 2004. Hunte was arrested on drug possession and trespassing charges in August.
Taylor's former attorney Richard Sharpstein has been the public spokesman for the family during this time and this is what he had to say about the latest developments: "People always said Sean's life led him to this, saying he was violent. But if anything here his openness and generosity led to this crime, which is shocking and horrific. I said all along it was a burglary and it was planned. There are 17-, 19-, 21-year-old pathetic criminal wannabes and they carry a gun like every other dime-a-dozen jerk in the streets, and they happen to come upon someone they don't expect to be there and they fire the gun and run like cowards. This is a shame, but it's not over and this will be of no solace to the family. If anything it will only make it harder to swallow."
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Sean Taylor 1983-2007
Sean Taylor was asleep in his bed with his girlfriend Jackie Garcia and his 18-month old daughter, also named Jackie, in her crib nearby, shortly before 2am on November 26th. They woke up when they heard a noise in the living room. Taylor grabbed a machete that he keeps under the bed for protection, but the intruder (or intruders) burst into the room (kicking down the door which Taylor had locked) and fired two shots. One hit Taylor in the leg, the other missed and hit the wall. The intruder fled and Garcia, who had been cowering under the covers holding her daughter, tried to call 911. But something was wrong with their phone (the line was cut, possibly) so she had to use her cell phone to dial 911.
Taylor was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami where doctors did 7 hours of surgery to repair the damage done when the bullet hit his femoral artery. Doctors haven't provided all the details yet, but it is believed that Taylor's femoral artery was shredded by the bullet. Had it been completely severed it's more likely that he would have survived. But because the bullet shredded the artery, blood kept flowing there and Taylor was bleeding internally. It is estimated that Taylor lost about 2 quarts of blood, about 30% of all the blood in his body. Once the damage was repaired, it was too late, he had lost too much blood and his vital organs had been without blood for too long.
*****
Police will begin investigating this crime but at these early stages the question is: was Taylor targeted? Or was this a home invasion robbery that went wrong?
Many people are ruling out robbery because the killer came into the bedroom firing, then left without taking anything.
On November 17th, Taylor's home was burglarized at a time when no one was home. An intruder pried open the window, rifled through some drawers and left. Not much, if anything was taken but what they left is most interesting. A kitchen knife was left on the bed. Was it a message?
*****
Sean Taylor had been in trouble before. In 2005 there was an incident in which two ATVs were stolen from Taylor. There was a fight in which Taylor punched the guy he thought stole his ATVs. Taylor says the other guy later fired shots at his car, the other guy says Taylor shot at him. The charges against Taylor in this case were dropped when he agreed to do community service (speak to school children) and donate $10,000 to local schools. But it's not clear if the charges were dropped because they didn't have a case against Taylor or because the case had been mishandled by the prosecutors. The prosecutor was using his position on the case to advertise for his DJ business.
Some have speculated that this incident, or perhaps other violent incidents in the past led to Taylor being a marked man. There is no evidence to support that at this time.
People want to speculate that Taylor was the stereotypical young black man who grew up without a father and ran with gangs and eventually couldn't escape his violent past.
Sean Taylor's father is the police chief in nearby Florida City, Florida and from all accounts has always been a strong part of Sean's life.
*****
On the field Taylor was the textbook strong safety. He was a big hitter, he stuffed the run, he forced turnovers but he was a little susceptible to the deep pass.
Taylor was known for playing on the edge and frequently followed big plays with stupid penalties. This was best typified by the playoff game against the Buccaneers in 2006. Taylor returned a fumble for a touchdown, but later got penalized 15 yards for spitting on Michael Pittman.
Taylor even brought his intensity to the Pro Bowl where he delivered this hit on Bills punter Brian Morman.
*****
So now Jackie Garcia (who by the way is related to Andy Garcia) will begin raising her little girl as a single mother.
By all accounts, Taylor had grown up a lot since Jackie was born 18 months ago. He left behind his past and became a good father, a good boyfriend and a better, more mature man. Remember, he was only 24, a young age to have all this money and responsibility.
A woman lost a love, a girl lost a father, a father lost a son and a lot of fans lost a hero.
Someday Chase will grow up to become a Redskins fan (hopefully) but he'll never get the chance to see Sean Taylor play. For the next ten years I had hoped he would be in the Redskins secondary, and I could watch him with Chase, and maybe #21 would have been his first Redskins jersey.
How is his father going to explain to 5-year-old Andrew Duncan what happened to the guy whose name is on the back of his jersey?
When Sean Taylor gets to heaven I bet he sees a wide receiver running open over the middle.
Taylor was taken to Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami where doctors did 7 hours of surgery to repair the damage done when the bullet hit his femoral artery. Doctors haven't provided all the details yet, but it is believed that Taylor's femoral artery was shredded by the bullet. Had it been completely severed it's more likely that he would have survived. But because the bullet shredded the artery, blood kept flowing there and Taylor was bleeding internally. It is estimated that Taylor lost about 2 quarts of blood, about 30% of all the blood in his body. Once the damage was repaired, it was too late, he had lost too much blood and his vital organs had been without blood for too long.
*****
Police will begin investigating this crime but at these early stages the question is: was Taylor targeted? Or was this a home invasion robbery that went wrong?
Many people are ruling out robbery because the killer came into the bedroom firing, then left without taking anything.
On November 17th, Taylor's home was burglarized at a time when no one was home. An intruder pried open the window, rifled through some drawers and left. Not much, if anything was taken but what they left is most interesting. A kitchen knife was left on the bed. Was it a message?
*****
Sean Taylor had been in trouble before. In 2005 there was an incident in which two ATVs were stolen from Taylor. There was a fight in which Taylor punched the guy he thought stole his ATVs. Taylor says the other guy later fired shots at his car, the other guy says Taylor shot at him. The charges against Taylor in this case were dropped when he agreed to do community service (speak to school children) and donate $10,000 to local schools. But it's not clear if the charges were dropped because they didn't have a case against Taylor or because the case had been mishandled by the prosecutors. The prosecutor was using his position on the case to advertise for his DJ business.
Some have speculated that this incident, or perhaps other violent incidents in the past led to Taylor being a marked man. There is no evidence to support that at this time.
People want to speculate that Taylor was the stereotypical young black man who grew up without a father and ran with gangs and eventually couldn't escape his violent past.
Sean Taylor's father is the police chief in nearby Florida City, Florida and from all accounts has always been a strong part of Sean's life.
*****
On the field Taylor was the textbook strong safety. He was a big hitter, he stuffed the run, he forced turnovers but he was a little susceptible to the deep pass.
Taylor was known for playing on the edge and frequently followed big plays with stupid penalties. This was best typified by the playoff game against the Buccaneers in 2006. Taylor returned a fumble for a touchdown, but later got penalized 15 yards for spitting on Michael Pittman.
Taylor even brought his intensity to the Pro Bowl where he delivered this hit on Bills punter Brian Morman.
*****
So now Jackie Garcia (who by the way is related to Andy Garcia) will begin raising her little girl as a single mother.
By all accounts, Taylor had grown up a lot since Jackie was born 18 months ago. He left behind his past and became a good father, a good boyfriend and a better, more mature man. Remember, he was only 24, a young age to have all this money and responsibility.
A woman lost a love, a girl lost a father, a father lost a son and a lot of fans lost a hero.
Someday Chase will grow up to become a Redskins fan (hopefully) but he'll never get the chance to see Sean Taylor play. For the next ten years I had hoped he would be in the Redskins secondary, and I could watch him with Chase, and maybe #21 would have been his first Redskins jersey.
How is his father going to explain to 5-year-old Andrew Duncan what happened to the guy whose name is on the back of his jersey?
When Sean Taylor gets to heaven I bet he sees a wide receiver running open over the middle.
Oh No!
Redskins safety Sean Taylor died after being shot during a home invasion. I don't even know what to say right now. I'm shocked and saddened.
Monday, November 26, 2007
Sean Taylor Got Shot
Redskins safety Sean Taylor was shot and wounded early Monday by an intruder in his home on Old Cutler road in South Miami Dade.
Taylor was airlifted to the Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital. He was reported to be in critical condition. About 20 family members and friends gathered at ryder trauma on monday morning. They cried, made phone calls, talked amongst themselves and refused to speak with reporters.
Details were sketchy about the shooting.
According to police, Miami-Dade patrol officers received a call about 1:45 a.m. Monday that a homeowner had been shot in the leg. The homeowners told police they heard intruders at the rear door of the house, trying to pry it open.
The male homeowner went to investigate and a woman in the house then heard a shot. Paramedics responded and found Taylor with a gunshot wound to the groin.
The shooting happened at 18050 Old Cutler Rd. County property records list it as the address for Taylor. It is a four-bath, four-bedroom house with a taxable value of $704,297.
Lt. Nancy Perez, a spokeswoman with the Miami-Dade police department, said police have been unable to talk to him. They want to find out who shot him and why. They have no further information.
His family has asked that no information about his condition be released at this point, said Lorraine Nelson, a hospital spokeswoman.
Taylor was airlifted to the Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital. He was reported to be in critical condition. About 20 family members and friends gathered at ryder trauma on monday morning. They cried, made phone calls, talked amongst themselves and refused to speak with reporters.
Details were sketchy about the shooting.
According to police, Miami-Dade patrol officers received a call about 1:45 a.m. Monday that a homeowner had been shot in the leg. The homeowners told police they heard intruders at the rear door of the house, trying to pry it open.
The male homeowner went to investigate and a woman in the house then heard a shot. Paramedics responded and found Taylor with a gunshot wound to the groin.
The shooting happened at 18050 Old Cutler Rd. County property records list it as the address for Taylor. It is a four-bath, four-bedroom house with a taxable value of $704,297.
Lt. Nancy Perez, a spokeswoman with the Miami-Dade police department, said police have been unable to talk to him. They want to find out who shot him and why. They have no further information.
His family has asked that no information about his condition be released at this point, said Lorraine Nelson, a hospital spokeswoman.
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