Tony Taylor Featured on AF.com

AF.com has a feature story up on Tony Taylor today. J. Michael Moore talks to Tony and his coaches about his progression in the NFL.

Apparently Tony has been running with the first team at times this off season. The common opinion is that Curtis Lofton is going to take over at middle linebacker with Brooking moving to his natural weak position...I mean weak-side position. I don't necessarily think Taylor will start this year. But, I do think he'll play a lot more defense this year, whereas he played mostly on special teams last season.

There's some quotes I want to grab from the article. This was a funny one from Tony...

"I was trying to trim my baby fat off and, at the same time, build muscle," he [Taylor] said. "I feel like I'm a step further than I was at this time last year. It's hard not to eat Zaxby's all the time but every once in a while you've got to leave that to the side."

Come on Tony. Zaxby's? Guthrie's is where it's at.

Then there was a trend from the coaches...

"I think he's a guy that's very sharp mentally," linebackers coach Glenn Pires said. "That's what's allowing him to continue to grow. He understands the game and is a very good instinct guy. (With) those instincts he keeps getting better and making good decisions."

"Tony has done a nice job," [Head Coach Mike] Smith said. "He's a very intelligent football player and has played extremely well for us. Tony doesn't necessarily have all the measurables you look for but there are a lot of guys that have been successful in this league that don't have those measurables. Tony has done a really good job; he's a good communicator and gets us lined up."

It's nice to see these comments made about a black player for once. If you watch the NFL draft, it's amazing how all of the black players have raw talent and natural ability. On the other hand, white players are often described as being intelligent and maximizing their potential. It's refreshing to hear coaches not following the stereotypes that the so-called experts always seem to go by.