Dolphins LB Taylor learning to lose—but hates it

DAVIE, Fla. (AP)—An hour after the Miami Dolphins’ most recent defeat, Jason Taylor(notes) was the last player in the locker room, his glum demeanor summing up the outcome more succinctly than a scoreboard.

The next day he stood at his stall grinning in anticipation of this week’s game.

“Jets week, baby!” he shouted. “Jets week!”

Taylor’s improved mood didn’t come easily.

“I hate losing more than I like winning,” he said Thursday. “I’ll always be that way. It eats me up all night. That’s a good sign—there are guys I’ve seen over the years who don’t really care.

“I struggle to let it go during the week and move forward, but I’ve learned you need to do that sooner rather than later.”

He has had a lot of practice lately. Taylor and the Dolphins went 1-15 in 2007. Then he was exiled by the Bill Parcells regime to Washington and endured an injury-abbreviated year for the disappointing Redskins, who went 8-8.

Now he’s back with the Dolphins, who are last in the AFC East at 2-4.

To make the sequence even more galling, last year the Dolphins—playing without Taylor for the first time since 1996—made the postseason for the first time in seven years.

“I’ve heard about the Jason Taylor jinx,” he said. “It’s just the way it has happened.”

He’s not giving up on this season, and he’s fired up about Sunday’s road game against the archrival Jets, but he knows time is running out. Taylor, 35, is the Dolphins’ oldest player.

That made Sunday’s 46-34 loss to New Orleans even more difficult to stomach. The Dolphins blew a 21-point lead and were outscored 22-0 in the fourth quarter.

“The window is definitely closing,” Taylor said. “You realize you only have so many games left. You understand the end of the road is coming. You hate to see chances go by, especially monumental games that can leave a lasting impression. Things like that are tough to take.”

Don’t blame Taylor. He had two sacks against the Saints—his 30th game with multiple sacks—and each forced a fumble. With a team-leading 5 1/2 sacks, he’s on pace for his seventh season of double-figure sacks, and he leads all active players with 126.

He’s not looking for any pats on the back. He just wants to play in a Super Bowl, something he has never done.

“We’re 2-4. I’m trying to win more games,” Taylor said. “The personal stuff—I’m sorry, I don’t share the enthusiasm.

“But I’m not surprised. I’m 35 and everyone thinks I kicked the bucket already, but I know I can still play.”

Taylor has been productive while still adjusting to his new position as an outside linebacker in the Dolphins’ 3-4 scheme. He made the Pro Bowl six times as a defensive end.

“He’s getting better and better every game,” coach Tony Sparano said. “He’s using his hands better. He’s more involved in the pass rush. He’s doing some better things in coverage. He’s starting to look like a linebacker.”

Lining up on the strong side, he has upgraded the pass rush for the Dolphins, who are tied for sixth in the NFL with 17 sacks.

“It’s a new position for him,” defensive coordinator Paul Pasqualoni said. “But rushing the passer, whether you rush from a two-point stance or three-point stance, at the end of the day it’s kind of the same.”

Unlike last year, when a calf injury limited Taylor to eight starts, he has stayed healthy despite the physical toll that comes with often taking on the tight end at the point of attack. He’s part of a run defense that ranks second in the league.

“I know everyone thought I’d get blown off the ball and couldn’t hold up against the run,” he said. “My confidence never wavered. Regardless of what my birth certificate says, I know I can still play.”

This could be Taylor’s last season—he has talked of retirement as far back as 2006, when he was NFL defensive player of the year. More likely, he’ll keep chasing a Super Bowl ring for the Dolphins as long as they let him.

“He cares a lot about this team, this franchise, and he wears it on his sleeve,” Sparano said. “Nothing wrong with that.”