It’s difficult to look at Jason Taylor in his suit and think that he is one of the premier defensive ends in the NFL. He’s thin, almost slight looking. But he’s got the numbers that say looks are deceiving. Taylor’s football suit makes him look and play quite differently.

Taylor met the media at Redskin Park, along with a number of team employees, yesterday, and he is totally polished, extremely bright and quite well spoken.

Things did not end quite as he had hoped in Miami. Depending on what you believe, there was or wasn’t friction between Taylor, who blew off the Dolphins off-season program, and Bill Parcells, who now runs the Dolphins.

Taylor maintained the split was amicable, and the Dolphins did let him go quickly and for less than an exorbitant price. They could have made Taylor’s departure much more difficult.

Taylor had something very interesting to say about the way athletes and entertainers, the two are almost synonymous now, are covered these days.

“You always worry about perceptions, particularly when the media starts to paint a picture a certain way and you’re not there to address it. There are so many blog and writers that you can’t address everything. Sometimes that perception can become so big that it becomes reality to people, and that disappoints you. I think you’ve got to look more at the body of work and say, look, the guy has done this so long and this is the kind of guy he is and he has continued to show you that week in and week out , year in and year out, and I think at a certain point, people have to give you the benefit of the doubt. The media has changed since I’ve been in the league for 11 years. Everybody has a blog. Everybody has a microphone and can say whaterver they want. That might not always be true, but you can’t please everyone.“

Obviously, Taylor was hurt by somethings that were said and written in Miami. Should he have been? Should he, who has so much going for him, have paid attention to all that was said?

These questions always fascinate me. How about you?