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News | Washington Commanders - Commanders.com

Jason Taylor Introductory Press Conference

Redskins Head Coach Jim Zorn

On the acquisition of Jason Taylor:
"The tragedy that happened on the first day of training camp has turned out to make for a very special day today. Unfortunately we lost two fine football players in defensive ends Phillip Daniels and Alex Buzbee, and I was stuck thinking about what I should say after my first day of training camp. As the late afternoon and early evening wore on, we got a hold of the Miami Dolphins and earned the opportunity to have the right to have Jason Taylor. It is due to Vinny Cerrato and Daniel Snyder taking the risks and once again being aggressive. The same type of aggressiveness that was shown during the draft also took place yesterday afternoon. To have four days until the start of training camp and thinking that he would still be with the Miami Dolphins, and then to have a whirlwind change in his life and have the opportunity to be a player on this team that will help us win in 2008 is something I or anyone else could have never expected. We are very excited to have All-Pro defensive end Jason Taylor on our team."

Redskins Defensive End Jason Taylor

On playing for the Washington Redskins:
"I am very excited to be a Washington Redskin. It has been a whirlwind the last 24 hours. Between getting the phone call and my family being in Dallas and having to come back to Miami before I flew here it has been tiring. We are happy to be here and I am very happy about the prospect of playing for the Washington Redskins. The Redskins are a good football team that have been in the playoffs two of the last three years. I am looking forward to doing whatever I can to help this team win. The injury to Phillip Daniels yesterday was very unfortunate. My heart breaks for a guy that works so hard to get ready to go. In talking to people at Redskins Park, I have heard about how excited he was for the new season and his prospects for playing this year. His injury is very unfortunate, but it was the event that catapulted my opportunity to come here and play. I am very excited to be a part of the team, meet my teammates and coaches and figure out what football is like in Washington, D.C. It would be great to help this organization win another Lombardi Trophy."

On how many years he plans to play:
"I made a statement in June that I planned to play one more year and take it from there, but I have told Dan Snyder, Vinny Cerrato and Coach Zorn that I am on board and will play out my contract. I will be here for more than one year. I am here to play football as well as I can."

On whether there was animosity between the Miami Dolphins and him:
"From my point of view, there was no animosity, hard feelings or negativity between the Miami Dolphins and myself. Miami has been great to me for 11 years. I owe so much of what I am today to the city of Miami, to the organization and Wayne Huizenga. I love them to death and Miami is where my family makes our home. There are a lot of new guys on the team that I did not get a chance to know, but the guys I played with last year and knew in the organization I have grown to love. A piece of my heart will always belong to Miami, but now I am a Redskin and very happy to be here."

On whether he had any resignations about playing with the Miami Dolphins this season:
"I was ready to play football in Miami. I was not disgusted to go and play football for the Miami Dolphins. I was ready to go. We had five more days, so I was not quite ready to jump into training camp, but everything accelerated in the last 24 hours, which is fine."

On the speculation that a rift was forming between Bill Parcells and him:
"That is what speculation does sometimes. People start talking about a certain situation, and when neither party addresses it, people start coming up with their own theories as to what is happening. I was in Los Angeles, and Bill Parcells was in Miami and wanted to do things a bit different. That train got rolling, gained some steam, and got a little out of control. When we both addressed the situation we said there was no problem and I was being very honest."

On whether he was exploring any entertainment options:
"The organization and I have not talked about anything besides football. It is football season, so there is no entertainment business going on right now. There is no dancing, except for celebrating big plays."

On playing at the left end position:
"I have been on the left side in years past. I was born and bred in this league as a right end, up until three or four years ago when Nick Saban came to Miami and started moving me around. While it will be different than what I have done for the majority of my career, I have done plenty of it, and had success. I will have to adjust my game, and we will find a way to do it, but it will take some work.

On what he likes about the Redskins defense and offense:
"There are a lot of good players here. Unfortunately Phillip Daniels got hurt and is out, but the secondary has Shawn Springs and Fred Smoot and London Fletcher is just a ball player. I saw him twice a year when he was in Buffalo, so I know what kind of player he is and the type of energy he brings. I like what I see on the defense. On the offensive side of the ball, we have a good young quarterback in Jason Campbell, Clinton Portis' play speaks for itself and the offensive line is good."

On whether he will be able to play at the same level this coming season as he has in the past:
"My game has not changed at all over the past 11 years. I have been very blessed to have great teammates around me that have made me a better player and make some plays. Hopefully my game will take a step up from last year because it is difficult to play when you are fighting from behind all of the time, not playing with leads and not being able to get after quarterbacks. What I love to do is get after quarterbacks, chasing them, making them nervous and making them do dumb things, which is what I look forward to doing."

On whether he feels playing for the Washington Redskins gives him a better chance to win this year:
"You never know what is going to happen in this league. Yesterday was a difficult day for the Redskins organization. I wish Miami the best, and they could turn around to be the New Orleans Saints of 2006. I know this is a good football team, they had success last year and there is no reason to believe why we can't have it this year. As an athlete you want to win. There are a lot of motivations for playing this game. Some people do it for money or fame, which are all great, but the reason I play is to win. The Redskins organization gives me a great chance to win this year."

On how effective he is against the run:
"I stand here and might not look real big or tough, but I like to mix it up. I will play the run as well as I can for my size. People always want to categorize defensive ends as pass rushers or run stoppers, but I am just a playmaker. I like to make plays whether the opposing offense is running or throwing it."

On playing against Zach Thomas as part of the Redskins Cowboys rivalry:
"I have not talked to Zach, but I will see him in a different way now. We were teammates for 11 years. I owe so much to Zack for making me a better player. He is such a professional in the way he approaches and plays the game, but he is with the Cowboys, and those aren't good words around here."

On which were the best defensive ends he has ever played with:
"I have had a lot of great teammates. Adewale Ogunleye was a good one, but the one I learned the most from and had the most success playing with was Trace Armstrong. I came into the league at a great time when he was a veteran and was still playing at a high level and he taught me a lot."

On whether he is prepared for training camp from a conditioning aspect:
"My conditioning needs to improve, but I am like everyone else on the field right now. You can get in shape running on the field in t-shirts and shorts, and then there is playing shape. We all need to get into playing shape, and I will get there."

On how difficult it is to play with one team throughout one's entire career:
"It is increasingly difficult to play with one organization with free agency and trades. In certain places you get to the age where teams want to begin to send you out. There are different philosophies in different cities. A lot of the past greats have had to make moves. Emmitt Smith, Reggie White, and others have had to do it. There are some that have played their whole careers with one team like Dan Marino, but sometimes things have to change."

On whether he is worried about how playing for another team will affect the public's perception of him:
"You always worry about perception because sometimes it can become reality, particularly when the media paints a picture a certain way, and you are not able to address it. You have to look at the body of work and the type of guy he is. If he continues to show you that he plays at a high level week-in and week-out, year-in and year-out, people have to begin to give you the benefit of the doubt."

On whether people are upset at the lack of animosity shown between the Miami Dolphins and him:
"I think people are disappointed that there is not any strife or bickering. I told the media that there was never any animosity between Bill Parcells, Jeff Ireland, or the Miami Dolphins and me. In the game of football, the Washington Redskins and Miami Dolphins are bigger than any one guy. I am one of the young guys that respects the league and the people that came before us. I know this lasts for only a certain amount of time, and that it is a privilege and honor to play this game, so in no way would I ever put myself above the league or any organization."

On whether he has any Hollywood aspirations:
"Right now the only thing I am thinking about is practice tomorrow and getting ready to play football. I am proud and happy to be a Washington Redskin. All of those things will fall into place. You can't start thinking about the future to much. There may be things down the road that come up, and when they do, I am sure we will talk about it."

On whether his situation leaving Miami was similar to that of Dan Marino's:
"I talked to Dan Marino about his situation, and while our situations are similar, there are also a lot of differences. He had a longer tenure before it came to the point where he was asked to make a decision. He gave me advice about what he thought would be the best thing for me and the Miami Dolphins. He has been a big influence on my entire career."


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