Taylor honor was the right thing to do, players say

Redskins coach Joe Gibbs said his team appreciated the respect shown for the All-Pro safety, who was murdered in Miami.

By MARK CRAIG , Star Tribune

Last update: December 19, 2007 - 10:49 PM

The Vikings quarterbacks, receivers and tight ends huddled near the end of last week to discuss their Pro Bowl selections.

In the end, it was agreed they should pick Washington's Sean Taylor posthumously as the NFC's starting free safety. The Vikings weren't the only ones thinking that way since Taylor, who died a day after being shot in his home in Miami on Nov. 26, was named the starter on Tuesday.

"It was the right thing to do, and not only because of the tragedy," Vikings backup quarterback Kelly Holcomb said. "The guy was a good football player who was leading the league in interceptions [five] before he passed away. This is just one more chance to honor his memory."

Redskins coach Joe Gibbs said, "It meant a lot to everybody around here" that so many opposing coaches and players helped Taylor earn his second Pro Bowl selection. Players and coaches can't vote for members of their own team.

After losing to the Bills six days after Taylor's death, the Redskins (7-7) have won consecutive games against the Bears only four days after Taylor's funeral and at the Giants on Sunday. They now visit the Metrodome on Sunday to play the Vikings (8-6) in a game Washington must win to stay in the playoff picture.

Redskins quarterback Todd Collins said some of his teammates "had a hard time even suiting up" for the Buffalo game. But as time has passed, he said the players are "trying to make what we can of it and try to play with the type of passion that [Taylor] played with on every Sunday."

Gibbs said it's "hard to say" how many players are motivated to play harder in memory of Taylor. But he made it clear that Taylor had been a leader physically and emotionally on and off the field the past four seasons.

"I think certainly our players had great respect for Sean, and I think he meant a lot to our football team," Gibbs said. "He's a great football player, but I also felt the last four years of his life, he made great strides as a person.

"He just had a baby girl, and people saw him playing down at the mall with his baby girl. For the last two years, he attended every chapel service, and our chaplains said he had made a decision to accept Christ as his Lord and personal savior. At that point, I think he changed everything about how he looked at people."

Gibbs said similar transformations have occurred on the team since Taylor's death.

"I think a lot of people in the organization, not only our players, Sean's death caused a lot of them to think about where they are going to spend eternity, and their personal relationship with the Lord, also. So Sean's had a huge impact on us. And I think it's still going on because our chaplains have been going non-stop with people wanting to talk to them."