Former Dolphins defensive end Jason Taylor entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame this weekend with a boost from an old nemesis.
Taylor may have sacked Tom Brady 12 1/2 times in 20 meetings with the Patriots in his 15-year career, but Brady really got to him with the letter TB12 wrote to Hall voters in support of Taylor's Hall of Fame candidacy.
Taylor, interviewed on NBC's broadcast of the Hall of Fame Game between the Cowboys and Cardinals on Saturday night in Canton, Ohio, said he was "floored" by Brady's letter, and “that meant more to me than anything."
NBC 6 in Miami posted the letter in a tweet in February:
“One of the greatest opponents I have ever faced” is how Brady described Taylor in the letter.
Brady wrote:
New England Patriots
The games against Jason are some of my most (well, maybe least) memorable. He is one of the greatest players I’ve ever faced, having had the 'pleasure' of looking across the line and seeing him on the opposite side of the ball, not once, but twice each season for a decade. While I entered the league with a healthy respect for Jason and the Miami defense he led, my admiration for him as a player and a person only grew with each play, each game, each season.
He added: "Coach Belichick and the rest of the staff have a reputation for game planning against a team’s strengths. Perhaps the biggest compliment I can pay Jason is the amount of hours we spent watching game film over the years and going over what we needed to neutralize him. I can’t say we ever came up with a great answer."
Can't wait to read Taylor's letter backing Brady's HOF credentials, but it probably won't be necessary.