Reports have surfaced today that the New England Patriots have reached out to Jason Taylor again about joining the team. While we agree with Michael Lombardi that a pass rusher is about all the Pats are missing for another Super Bowl run, we're just not sold on Taylor being the answer.
Yes, he's three years removed from being the Defensive Player of the Year. Well, Mike Vrabel is just two years removed from having 12.5 sacks and he brought far more versatility than Taylor would. Vrabel could've brought more to the table in 2009 than Taylor can.
As Lombardi points out, even if they got Taylor they'd still pursue another pass rusher (Julius Peppers? I don't know who else is available and better than whoat New England already has), so if that's the case why even pursue Taylor at all? Could he be anything more than a 3rd down pass rusher? Sure, he still might be able to get after the quarterback, and the pass rush was non-existent after Adalius Thomas went down last year, but wouldn't that money be better spent going after a player like Peppers?
After two months of flirtation, it's probably a safe bet to assume that Taylor will be on the Pats in 2009. His options at this point look like New England or Dancing With The Stars again. And it's probably an equally safe bet that Peppers will not be on the Patriots.
Whether that sets up a scenario of Pierre Woods on first and second down at OLB, then Taylor coming on to bring the heat on 3rd down will be determined in training camp, but ultimately we just don't know how much Taylor has left in the tank, or what he can contribute to a defense he's never played in.
Of course Belichick will put him in position to contribute, but how much he can contribute is still very much in question.
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Keywords: Bill Belichick, Jason Taylor, Mike Vrabel, New England Patriots, Patrick Chung
