If you know anything at all about me it’s pretty clear, I’m strictly an opinion editorial type and generally have little interest in the outcome of the event as opposed to the story behind it. No real concern about the box scores as much as how it all came down and who’s going to prosper, and the importance of all that and then some as well.
It’s that approach that has captured both my interest and imagination in the Jonathan Taylor odyssey (kind word for it) and led me to offering a solution for an extremely talented football player who definitely lacks the business acumen that’s clearly necessary in dealing with those who make personnel decisions today for NFL franchises.
A good place to begin this analysis is looking at what the Colts have done to date with Taylor’s request to be granted a lucrative contractual extension.
His employer had every intention of increasing his net worth substantially if he would’ve simply shown he was healthy and could perform as he once did so brilliantly before his serious ankle injury occurred.
Rather than doing that, he implied an ill-advised strategy through an inexperienced agent and requested the money through a second-tier social media campaign that in essence incensed the Colts brass in to forcing their hand, leaving Taylor unable show a healthy ankle and landing him on the physically unable to perform list for the first four games of the season with full contractual compensation.
Fresh off the month of September which featured some spirited and competitive play by the home team who split their first four games, Taylor who is now eligible for an immediate transition to the active roster has declared himself healthy and ready to roll in practice to prepare for the upcoming game against the Tennessee Titans.
He’s confident he can be the highly coveted player that he was in 2021, but the Colts are taking the lets see it first approach before we authorize a hefty direct deposit in to your account.
Through it all I’ve claimed Taylor still controls his own destiny and can claim his gold without any further mining by simply performing well in practice and getting back in the lineup and demonstrating his talent.
Quit sulking and show the Colts that you’re still a premier running back and you’ll get paid in a commensurate manner quickly.
If you can’t do that, you simply don’t deserve an extension and, in all likelihood, your zip code will probably change by Halloween.
To a degree, the Colts too are culpable to some extent and must quickly give a healthy Taylor the immediate chance to once again distinguish himself.
Here’s the advice of an old curmudgeon Jonathan, just prove them all fricking wrong.
Blast between the tackles like you once did and turn what looks to be a short gain in to a twenty yard pickup. Take a screen pass and explode for another thirty while your at it. Even a chip block that saves your new quarterback from a full-scale blitz is in order when you haven’t played in quite some time. In addition to that, be a leader in practice, on game day, and certainly in the locker room.
You’ve got to earn that cash young man and l think you’re without question fully capable of doing such, but the time to shut people up and get paid is right now. There’s a reason your image is on the side of Lucas Oil Stadium, and you must remind people of how it got there.
Work hard, stay healthy, and be a great teammate. That’s the simple blueprint to a better contract, but far more importantly, announcing you’re back and you mean business.
Danny Bridges, who thinks Jonathan Taylor can still be a force if he gets both his ankle and his head in order, can be reached at (317) 370-8447 or at bridgeshd@aol.com.
