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Jammal Brown and Sean Taylor didn't know each other well. They played for different colleges -- Brown for Oklahoma and Taylor for Miami -- and on different sides of the ball -- Brown at left offensive tackle and Taylor at free safety. In fact, Brown and Taylor were teammates -- for the NFC in the Pro Bowl in February 2007 -- as often as they were opponents -- when Brown's NFC South champion New Orleans Saints were upset by Taylor and the visiting Washington Redskins on Dec. 17, 2006.
However, as was the case for all NFL players, Brown's world was somewhat shaken when Taylor was shot and killed in November 2007. The big man with the big grin empathized with the grieving Redskins and marveled as they rallied to win four of their final five games and earn a wild card berth in the playoffs.
Over the next two-plus years, Taylor's locker remained at Redskins Park with the contents he left there when he headed home to Miami for Thanksgiving weekend with an injured knee as his teammates prepared to fly to Tampa to face the Buccaneers. A framed photo of the smiling 24-year-old Taylor and his 18-month-old daughter Jackie sat on the top shelf next to his shoulder pads which hung upside down in tribute. Taylor's No. 21 jersey -- still perhaps the most worn by Redskins fans -- and his shoes were also arranged neatly behind the same plexiglass.
Taylor's presence was a reminder and a comfort to such longtime friends as running back Clinton Portis and receiver Santana Moss, fellow Miami products whose lockers were on the same row.
But after a major organizational housecleaning this offseason, Redskins owner Dan Snyder had Taylor's locker moved to the club level of FedEx Field so the fans, at least the high-paying ones, could see it and the team could work without such a constant reminder of the tragedy. That left a hole in the locker room, one that has been filled by Brown, who now dresses in the same space that Taylor did for three-plus years. Informed of this by yours truly, Brown took in the news for a moment and then smiled and said, "I guess I have an extra angel watching out for me."
Brown, like so many of the 2010 Redskins, didn't spend hours in the locker room with Taylor, but he'll fit in just fine.
Jammal Brown Surmises Spirit Hasn't Left Redskins Park
Aug 24, 2010 – 11:42 AM
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