Sean Taylor, hard hitting defensive back for my Eagles nemesis Washington Redskins, has passed away.  As an Eagles fan, Taylor was one of those guys that you just loved to hate.  We hated him because....he was damn fine at what he did.  I don't think that it's much of a stretch to say that Sean Taylor was going to be one of the premier defensive secondary guys in the NFC East...and the entire NFL as a whole.  And he was going to be around to give you a headache for many years to come.

Dearest readers....we have lost one of the good ones.

A rather famous sports entertainment guy by the name of Ric Flair had a saying that he always used in his promos...."If you want to be the man, you gotta beat the man."  Well, Sean Taylor was the man you had to beat to be the man.  The Eagles/Redskins rivalry was made infinately more interesting because of him.  You knew going into the game that Sean Taylor was going to make some big plays.  You also knew that he was gonna hand someone their hat...emphatically.  Man that guy could hit.

Now, I don't know that much about the kind of person Sean Taylor was.  But I do know that he was loved by his teammates, and respected by his opponents.  He was a football player's football player.  And that's good enough for me.  Really, what more do you need to know?

My heartfelt condolences go out to Sean's family, friends, teammates, and fans.  Redskins Nation...please know that there is at least one Eagles fan who has shed some tears with you today.  I'm sure Jerome and Reggie are happy to have him in the locker room.

To the law enforcement folks who are investigating his death....do your job well.  Quickly find those responsible for this terrible act.  Make your case airtight.  Put the sonofa#### who pulled the trigger behind bars for the rest of his/her days.  Justice NEEDS to be served.

Goodbye Sean Taylor.  I'll miss seeing you two Sunday afternoons each season.  Rest In Peace.