crawfish
08-07-2007, 12:30 PM
Here a great article on Taylor by RANDY ROSETTA of the BR Advocate. Taylor is also a class guy who goes out and makes an impact upon the Baton Rouge community. He's always available to help out in hospitals and Boys and Girls Club's in Louisiana. Nice that ole Miles is able to continue to just reload!
Baton Rouge - Two years is a long time in the life of a college athlete, especially one sitting behind a player considered one of the best in the country at his position. So to say Curtis Taylor eagerly awaits getting on the field is a major understatement. Taylor is ready for his chance, no matter how daunting the task: Taking over for All-American LaRon Landry at free safety for a defense again projected to be one of the best in the country.
No matter how big Landry’s shoes might be to fill, Taylor is confident and ready because he didn’t waste the two years he spent as LaRon Landry’s backup. “I’ve been waiting for this chance for two years, so I’ve had a lot of time to watch and learn,” said Taylor, a 6-foot-3, 205-pound junior. “I’ve learned how to evaluate how our defense works and seen what I need to do to be effective.” Where and how Taylor will be effective might be different than where and how Landry made his mark. Landry was considered one of the hardest hitters in college football and was a perfect fit in defensive coordinator Bo Pelini’s aggressive, blitzing scheme. Paired with Jessie Daniels for three years, Landry made offensive coordinators rethink how they attacked the Tigers.
http://www.nmnathletics.com.edgesuite.net/pics20/400/OB/OBJUCHHJLOGYMGG.20061208213948.jpg
Taylor will line up next to senior Craig Steltz — the nickel back and the player who took over for Daniels when he was hurt — and give LSU a different look. “Curtis is a very good football player and I’m not sure a lot of people know it yet,” Pelini said. “He may be a little faster and have a little better range than LaRon. He’s not as physical or as experienced as LaRon was, but he has a lot of tools. We wouldn’t have blinked to put him in a game last year, but LaRon was so durable that it was almost impossible to get Curtis much playing time. “Now he gets his chance, and I think he’s really going to be a big part of our success this year.” Taylor’s ambiguity is understandable. Although he’s played in 23 of 26 games the last two seasons, he has recorded only 15 tackles. But the players in the secondary who toiled with Taylor every day at practice aren’t surprised that he snatched the starting free safety job once Landry left. “He’s shown me a lot the last three years,” Steltz said. “The work ethic he has and the way he’s come along, there’s not going to be a lot of dropoff. Curtis covers a lot of ground and he loves to hit, and now that he’s a little older he has a much better feel for the defense. I have as much faith in Curtis playing next to me as I did with LaRon and that’s saying a lot.”
For all the projections of Taylor’s impact now that he’ll be on the field, he might be hard-pressed to top the contributions he’s made to LSU’s future, at least on an unofficial level. Taylor’s two younger brothers, Jhyryn, 18, Brandon, 17, and have both committed to the Tigers and are expected to sign national letters of intent in February. Jhyryn is a 6-foot, 172-pound receiver who grabbed 40 receptions for 650 yards and seven touchdowns as a junior for Franklinton last year. He was clocked in the 40 at 4.28. Brandon is a 5-11, 172-pound athlete who accounted for 769 yards of offense and 10 TDs and also recorded 46 tackles and three interceptions as a junior. Keep reading the article (http://www.2theadvocate.com/sports/8958557.html?index=18&c=y)
Baton Rouge - Two years is a long time in the life of a college athlete, especially one sitting behind a player considered one of the best in the country at his position. So to say Curtis Taylor eagerly awaits getting on the field is a major understatement. Taylor is ready for his chance, no matter how daunting the task: Taking over for All-American LaRon Landry at free safety for a defense again projected to be one of the best in the country.
No matter how big Landry’s shoes might be to fill, Taylor is confident and ready because he didn’t waste the two years he spent as LaRon Landry’s backup. “I’ve been waiting for this chance for two years, so I’ve had a lot of time to watch and learn,” said Taylor, a 6-foot-3, 205-pound junior. “I’ve learned how to evaluate how our defense works and seen what I need to do to be effective.” Where and how Taylor will be effective might be different than where and how Landry made his mark. Landry was considered one of the hardest hitters in college football and was a perfect fit in defensive coordinator Bo Pelini’s aggressive, blitzing scheme. Paired with Jessie Daniels for three years, Landry made offensive coordinators rethink how they attacked the Tigers.
http://www.nmnathletics.com.edgesuite.net/pics20/400/OB/OBJUCHHJLOGYMGG.20061208213948.jpg
Taylor will line up next to senior Craig Steltz — the nickel back and the player who took over for Daniels when he was hurt — and give LSU a different look. “Curtis is a very good football player and I’m not sure a lot of people know it yet,” Pelini said. “He may be a little faster and have a little better range than LaRon. He’s not as physical or as experienced as LaRon was, but he has a lot of tools. We wouldn’t have blinked to put him in a game last year, but LaRon was so durable that it was almost impossible to get Curtis much playing time. “Now he gets his chance, and I think he’s really going to be a big part of our success this year.” Taylor’s ambiguity is understandable. Although he’s played in 23 of 26 games the last two seasons, he has recorded only 15 tackles. But the players in the secondary who toiled with Taylor every day at practice aren’t surprised that he snatched the starting free safety job once Landry left. “He’s shown me a lot the last three years,” Steltz said. “The work ethic he has and the way he’s come along, there’s not going to be a lot of dropoff. Curtis covers a lot of ground and he loves to hit, and now that he’s a little older he has a much better feel for the defense. I have as much faith in Curtis playing next to me as I did with LaRon and that’s saying a lot.”
For all the projections of Taylor’s impact now that he’ll be on the field, he might be hard-pressed to top the contributions he’s made to LSU’s future, at least on an unofficial level. Taylor’s two younger brothers, Jhyryn, 18, Brandon, 17, and have both committed to the Tigers and are expected to sign national letters of intent in February. Jhyryn is a 6-foot, 172-pound receiver who grabbed 40 receptions for 650 yards and seven touchdowns as a junior for Franklinton last year. He was clocked in the 40 at 4.28. Brandon is a 5-11, 172-pound athlete who accounted for 769 yards of offense and 10 TDs and also recorded 46 tackles and three interceptions as a junior. Keep reading the article (http://www.2theadvocate.com/sports/8958557.html?index=18&c=y)