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| No. 21 New England Patriots | |
| Running back | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Date of birth: January 27, 1976 | |
| Place of birth: Pahokee, Florida | |
| Height: 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | Weight: 228 lb (103 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College: Florida | |
| NFL Draft: 1998 / Round: 1 / Pick: 9 | |
| Debuted in 1998 for the Jacksonville Jaguars | |
| Career history | |
As player:
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| Roster status: Active | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Career NFL statistics as of 2009 | |
| Rushing yards | 11,472 |
| Rushing average | 4.6 |
| Rushing TDs | 64 |
| Stats at NFL.com | |
| Stats at pro-football-reference.com | |
Frederick Antwon Taylor (born January 27, 1976, in Pahokee, Florida) is an American football running back for the New England Patriots of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars ninth overall in the 1998 NFL Draft and continued with the team until his release in 2009. He played college football at Florida.
Contents |
Professional career
Jacksonville Jaguars
Taylor was drafted ninth overall in the 1998 NFL draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars with the first of two picks they acquired in a trade with the Buffalo Bills in exchange for quarterback Rob Johnson. He developed into one of the NFL’s top backs in his rookie season and has since become arguably the most accomplished player in the history of the Jaguars. As of December 7, 2008, Fred Taylor has passed O.J. Simpson and Corey Dillon for the 16th place on the NFL's Top Rushers list.
Taylor fell on hard times early in his professional career as a rash of injuries caused him to miss 23 out of a potential 48 games from 1999 to 2001. Fans and media were highly critical of Taylor's tendency to get injured, questioning his toughness and donning him the moniker "Fragile Fred", which deeply upset him, as he would later admit.[1] Fans grew especially frustrated with Taylor in 2001 after his season ended in week 2 with a torn groin muscle. Despite knowing that Taylor's season was over, Jaguars coach Tom Coughlin listed him on the injury report as "questionable" every game for the remainder of the season, further fueling the doubts of Taylor's toughness in the minds of fans.[1] He still has not completely rid himself of the stigma and the nickname.[2]
That year, Taylor's woes transcended his physical problems and quickly became personal and financial. It was alleged following the 2001 season that Taylor's agent William "Tank" Black had stolen between $12 million and $14 million from players he had represented, the majority of whom were University of Florida alumni, and that Black had laundered nearly all of Taylor's $5 million signing bonus, the only guaranteed money in his rookie contract.[3] [4] [5] [6] In an interview with Vic Ketchman of Jaguars.com in November 2007, Taylor admitted he seriously considered retiring from football early in his career, because of the difficulties he experienced with injuries and Tank Black.
Taylor recovered from the difficulties that mired his early career to play the entire 2002 and 2003 seasons and miss only the final 2 games of the 2004 season, rushing for over 1200 yards each year.
Despite his talent and accomplishments, Taylor had long been ignored nationally and maligned in Jacksonville for his frequency of injuries. However, in the 2007 season, Taylor captured much of the fame that had eluded his entire career. Much of the recognition came once he broke 10,000 career rushing yards against the Titans. It continued the remainder of the year as he concluded the season with a string of impressive performances. Taylor rushed for 100-plus yards in five consecutive games to close out the regular season, the only player to record five games in succession of 100 yards or more in 2007. It was the second-longest such series in his career, behind only that of his 2000 season. Taylor finished the 2007 season ranked fifth in the AFC in rushing with 1,202 yards on 223 carries and led the AFC with a 5.4 average yards per rush. He tied for first in the NFL with four rushes of 50-plus yards and finished with two of the four longest rushes in the NFL that season. He ranked fourth in the NFL with 36 rushes of 10-plus yards.
Taylor won AFC Offensive Player of the Month honors for his accomplishments in December. On January 31, 2008 he was named the 2008 FEDEX Ground Player of the Year.
Fred Taylor participated in the 2008 Pro Bowl after being selected as the first alternate at running back for the second consecutive year. He replaced Willie Parker of the Pittsburgh Steelers. It marked Taylor’s first Pro Bowl appearance in his 10-year career. He was the first Jaguars offensive player to make the Pro Bowl since Jimmy Smith was named a starter in 2001.
In week 14 against the Chicago Bears, Taylor tore ligaments in his left thumb, ending his season.[7] That game may have been his last with the Jaguars. When asked about his future with the team, Taylor said, "All of that still has to handle itself. I don't know how it's going to play out." Taylor has said that it was clear to him that the organization was headed in "another direction" as a result of his reduced role with the team and the rise in his salary that he is due to receive if he remains on the roster.[7] Throughout the season, Taylor and third-year running back Maurice Jones-Drew had shared carries. Prior to the game in which Taylor was injured, each had 130 rushing attempts on the year. The previous season, Taylor's carries (223) were roughly a third more than Drew's (167).
Taylor finished the season with 143 carries, 556 yards rushing, and a 3.9 yards per carry average behind an injury-plagued offensive line. Each was the fewest of his career except for his performances in the 2001 season in which he only played two games. Jones-Drew's 4.2 yards per carry this season was also a career worst.
On February 16, 2009, Taylor was released by the Jaguars. The team cited his $6 million cap figure and a desire to get younger as reasons for his release.
In 2009, after Fred signed with the Patriots; Jacksonville hosted a going away party for him as a "Thanks" for all he has done and all he has given to Jacksonville.
New England Patriots
Taylor was signed to a two-year contract by the New England Patriots on October 4, 2009. He hurt his ankle during a week four game against the Baltimore Ravens and is expected to miss 4-6 weeks for surgery.[8]
Records and accomplishments
Despite injury problems, Taylor has enjoyed an illustrious career as one of the NFL's most venerated running backs. On November 11, 2007, against the Tennessee Titans, Taylor became the 21st player in NFL history to rush for 10,000 yards in a career. He finished the 2008 season 16th in career rushing yards. Taylor has indicated that he intends to continue playing until he rushes for as many yards as Jim Brown did in his career. [9] Taylor remains 1041 yards from reaching Brown's career achievement.
Taylor is the only 1,000-yard rusher in Jaguars history (1998, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006 and 2007). As a rookie in 1998 he set 29 team records and now holds over 30 team records including: career rushing yards (11,271), yards from scrimmage (12,978), total touchdowns (70), and rushing touchdowns (62); single-season rushing yards (1,572 in 2003), yards from scrimmage (2,942 in 2003), and touchdowns (17 in 1998); and single-game yards rushing (294).
Taylor's 12,271 career rushing yards are the 16th-most all-time. [10]. Taylor is 5th all-time in rushes of 10 yards or more. [11]
Taylor's 80.5 yards rushing per game is also 16th-most all-time. [12] He averages 95.6 rushing yards in 36 career December games with a 5.3 average per rush. [11]
Taylor's 4.6 yards per carry average is 5th-best all-time behind only Jim Brown (5.2), Barry Sanders (5.0), O.J. Simpson (4.7) and Tiki Barber (4.7). [11]
In 1999 Taylor set the NFL postseason record for the longest touchdown run (90 yards). The following year Taylor recorded nine consecutive 100-yard games to end the season, the third-longest streak ever, only behind Barry Sanders' and Marcus Allen's respective series of 14 and 11 games. He led the league that year in yards rushing per game (107.6).
As a rookie in 1998, Taylor had 14 rushing touchdowns, which ranks third all-time in NFL history among rookie running backs. His 17 total touchdowns that year also qualifies for third-most by a rookie, tied with Randy Moss' output in 1998. Taylor received the second-most votes for AP Offensive Rookie of the Year that season, behind Moss.
On November 12, 2000, Taylor accumulated the most yards in a single game of his career against the Pittsburgh Steelers, rushing for 234 yards and 4 touchdowns on 30 carries. At the time it was the 12th-most yards run in a single game in NFL history, and it remains the most ever at Three Rivers Stadium. Coincidentally, Taylor also set the record for most rushing yards for an opposing running back (147) at Heinz Field in a win over the Steelers on December 16, 2007.
Career statistics
| Year | Rushing | Receiving | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Att | Yds | Avg | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | |||
| 1998 | 264 | 1,223 | 4.6 | 14 | 44 | 421 | 9.6 | 3 | ||
| 1999 | 159 | 732 | 4.6 | 6 | 10 | 83 | 8.3 | 0 | ||
| 2000 | 292 | 1,399 | 4.8 | 12 | 36 | 240 | 6.7 | 2 | ||
| 2001 | 30 | 116 | 3.9 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 6.5 | 0 | ||
| 2002 | 287 | 1,314 | 4.6 | 8 | 49 | 408 | 8.3 | 0 | ||
| 2003 | 345 | 1,572 | 4.6 | 6 | 48 | 370 | 7.7 | 1 | ||
| 2004 | 260 | 1,224 | 4.7 | 2 | 36 | 345 | 9.6 | 1 | ||
| 2005 | 194 | 787 | 4.1 | 3 | 13 | 83 | 6.4 | 0 | ||
| 2006 | 231 | 1,146 | 5.0 | 5 | 23 | 242 | 10.5 | 1 | ||
| 2007 | 223 | 1,202 | 5.4 | 5 | 9 | 58 | 6.4 | 0 | ||
| 2008 | 143 | 556 | 3.9 | 1 | 16 | 98 | 6.1 | 0 | ||
| Total | 2,428 | 11,271 | 4.6 | 62 | 286 | 2,361 | 8.3 | 8 | ||
Personal
Taylor is a first cousin of Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Santonio Holmes. Both scored a touchdown in the 2007 AFC wildcard game in which the Jaguars defeated the Steelers 31-29.[13] He has also made a series of personal interviews from his home for his official website that explore his hobbies, family life, and views on football.[14]
References
- ^ a b Fred Taylor Interview at 10,000 Yards
- ^ Fragile Fred sidelined again
- ^ Suit filed against former agent claims millions in losses
- ^ Fred Taylor: Agent Black 'robbed everybody blind'
- ^ Taylor, others lost up to $14 million
- ^ Sports agent Tank Black convicted of defrauding NFL players
- ^ a b "Thumb injury ends Taylor's season; are his Jags days done, too?". http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=09000d5d80d389aa&template=with-video-with-comments&confirm=true.
- ^ Taylor to sign with New England
- ^ End in sight for Taylor: Wants to pass Jim Brown
- ^ PFR Leaders: Career Rushing Yards
- ^ a b c Jaguars.com: Facts on Fred
- ^ PFR Leaders: Rushing Yards per Game
- ^ Santonio Holmes Bio at NFLPLAYERS.com
- ^ [1]
External links
- Official Website
- Jacksonville Jaguars bio
- New England Patriots bio
- Fred Taylor (American football) at the Internet Movie Database
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by James Stewart |
Jacksonville Jaguars starting running backs 1998–2008 |
Succeeded by Maurice Jones-Drew |
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