Time moves quickly, too quickly and the older you get the faster it goes. I’ve had this blog live for almost 5 years, but haven’t exploited it nearly as much as i should have. Like most things i start, i don’t always finish them well. I get distracted and i get excited about something else in the moment…but i always have a desire to write and share my own stories along with whatever new items i’ve picked up for my favorite hobby and of my favorite team.
As some of you may know, today November 27, 2017 marks the 10 year anniversary of the very sad passing of Sean Taylor. Now, as many have noted time and time again, he was not saint…but he was a young man that was beginning to reach his greatest potential, not just as a football player, but as a man and a father. Something that i’ve struggled with at times. Sean’s greatness on the field was unmatched. His willingness to lay out a receiver that came across the middle was a clear warning that he would always approach the game with a physical mentality…I loved it and was more than excited to have him as a Redskin.
Through his very brief career, i was able to see him live and in person at three different times. Once in Dallas and twice in Seattle.
The Dallas game was a significant one for multiple reasons, it was the Monday Night game when Santana Moss hauled in two 4th quarter bombs from Mark Brunell to win the game 14-13! The Redskins has zero hope of winning that game and then those two bombs…holy shit…holy fucking shit!!! The game started on September 19th 2005 and by the time Moss had caught the two passes, the clock flipped over to the next day and i had turned 30…Moss caught both of those passes for me on my 30th birthday…yup. This was also the game that i got to see Sean Taylor live and in Person…he was everywhere, i did my best t follow him on defense, but man…he was all over the place dominating and it was only his second season in the NFL.
The next game i saw Sean play was later that season in October against Seattle in Seattle. Just a short drive up from Portland…well, at least much shorter than a flight back home to Texas. I “won” the tickets at an office raffle…truth is, everybody knows i’m a Redskins fan so i had a ticket procured and three other people won. Aside from spending the game with three co-workers that couldn’t care less about football, much less the Redskins, i had an amazing time and got to see Sean Taylor in action again…less than a month later.
The final time i saw him play live was the 2006 playoff game against Seattle, again in Seattle. This matchup was completely unexpected during the season…the Redskins were 5-6 and going nowhere in Joe Gibbs’ second year of his second stint with the Redskins…but somehow they managed to win out and finish the season10-6 to make the playoffs, along with the series of Clinton Portis’ characters…my favorite of which was Coach Janky Spanky…and Sheriff Gonna Getcha. They won the last game in Philly with Sean picking up a fumble and crossing the end zone to make it 31-20…sealing the victory. The following week, they played a talented Tampa Bay team in Tampa and Sean had another huge fumble recovery for a touchdown to get things going…unfortunately, this was the game he also spit in Michael Pittman’s face…again, he wasn’t a saint, but damn if could play football. The Redskins ended up losing the Seattle playoff game, but Sean’s impact was enormous on that 2005 season and playoff run…and i was incredibly lucky to see him three times that season.
I also attended the Seattle playoff game in the 2007 season after his death. The season again seemed lost until the Redskins went on another unexpected playoff run to win the wild card, but Seattle was Super Bowl bound that season and my team wasn’t going to win…the hard part was seeing the 21’s all over a stadium that prides itself on the 12th man. Sadly ironic, the Redskins ended up losing 35-14…they lost by 21.
Even though these cards are tons of fun and incredibly exciting to collect and write about, life is short. Enjoy your time with your family and every moment you can…time moves quickly.
*****oh yeah, check out that new Evidence song…it’s dope!*****
