Not So Taylor-Made

After finally getting the respect he deserves by making his first Pro Bowl appearance in his 10th year in the league in 2007, Fred Taylor was cut by the Jacksonville Jaguars on Monday, February 16th just little over a year later. It was hard for both player and team as the Jaguars saw their franchise player of 11 seasons walk out the door to begin a new chapter in his life.

“This was a difficult decision to come to, but a decision that had to be made despite how we all feel about Fred.” These words came from general manager Gene Smith, who having two very talented running backs decided to move forward and give the load to one, Maurice Jones-Drew.

Jones-Drew and Taylor shared the load together which kept each other fresh. The two combined to lead a prominent Jaguars rushing attack that finished in the top three in total rushing yards twice over the last three seasons since Jones-Drew entered the league. Now the career rushing leader of the Jaguars franchise with 11,271 yards (16th on the all-time list) is looking for a new home.

Over the past couple of seasons, teams that have had two running backs have done statistically better than those that have only one primary back. The Giants, Panthers, Vikings, and Titans ranked one, three, five, and seven respectively in total rushing yards this past season. All four of those teams had two (or in the Giants case three) ball carriers that were capable of handling a heavy workload. More importantly, the Giants and Panthers were one and two in the NFL in yards per attempt at 5.0 and 4.8. The Vikings and Titans weren’t too far behind—both in the top 10. The point I’m getting at is that many teams in the NFL need to improve their running game. Fred Taylor, even at the age of 33, can help a team in need of another guy to take pressure off of one primary back.

So although Taylor will be wearing a different uniform next season for the first time since college, he can still make a significant impact on a team looking for a tough spark-plug. Taylor can fill that role and more if a team is willing to pick him up.