Tracking the Preaux Career of Ike Taylor

[Turbine]

_ He's now gotten burned TWICE early in the first half. _

Too bad, because when Ike has his Swagger the coaches can recruit with Swagger.

[J-Town Cajun]

_ Looks to me like Ike "Swaggin" Taylor needs to do a little less "swaggin" and a little more defending! He's now gotten burned TWICE early in the first half. _

Taylor did not get burned. On both TD's the safeyt #27 who ran his mouth all week was supposed to pick up Moss over the top and in the middle and got sucked up looking in the backfield.

Overall Taylor did not play bad. Covering Moss is difficult. I just wish he would represent UL. The Steelers are often on TV and being a shut down corner he could represent the school and give us much needed exposure. As much as I hate when he says swaggin, I still pull for him.

[Red Dog]

I undoubtly will get some backlash from this but i will write it anyway. I have been coming to this site for a while now since about the time Ike was drafted and i have read several poster bash him and several ppl praise him but it has gotten to the point that i had to reply.

I started at UL or USL at the same time that Ike did and he was a friend. With that being said i have first had knowledge off some of the things you guys speak of.

First off i listen to ppl say how he should speak of the school and support them but most of you problably only know what you read in the newspaper after he was drafted and when they played in the superbowl. On this very site i read where a few ppl were trying to find out who this Ivan Taylor was that was drafted from UL. Yet these are the same ppl that say how they have supported him and helped him to get where he is. That is absolutelly not true.

Ike came to this university and walk-on and was on the practice squad as a running back when he qualified academically. He did that for two years before he was actually on the field his junior year as a running back (im sure the are ppl that didnt know that either) and then because the team was lacking in cornerbacks they switched him over to that position where he started for a year. In between this time he went home EVERY summer and worked with the legendary Tom Shaw who when it came draft time he personally vouched for him and his work ethic and talked him up to several teams. When you have a man that has coached and trained numerous first round draft picks including Deion Sanders his word is very influential.

With that being said Bustle, this university nor anyone on this board got Ike to the league he made his own way. It did give him an avenue to showcase his talent and for that he gave his all everyday in practice and games until his time here was up. That is your major difference between Ike and all the others you name in the pros ( Jake, Brandon, Tillman ..etc) they were FULL scholarship players and given every opportunity to shine because the university had scholarship money invested in them. Although it would be nice if he said the name of the university on tv sometimes but he is a grown man who has left this university and this city and moved on and its his choice what he says. Besides any coach on the staff, alumni or fair weather fan can walk in any living room in america and say Ike Taylor played at University of Louisiana at Lafayette (i know thats going to get me in trouble) and no matter what he says or does that wont change. We should still root for him because the better he does the more FREE publicity the school will recieve whether he acknowledges it or not.

And his website is maintained by a marketing company so he may respond to some of the emails himself but if it is someone else its probably not his "posse" as someone wanted to say.

And on a side note D'Anthony Bastiste who plays for the Atlanta Falcons is a friend of Ike's that played here as well and we should get to know his story so we can say we have been supporting him as well because he has been starting the last few games.

[rhineaux]

On this very site i read where a few ppl were trying to find out who this Ivan Taylor was that was drafted from UL. Yet these are the same ppl that say how they have supported him and got him to where he is. That is absolutelly not true.

So why does he not mention his university when he goes on TV? Why does he go out of his way to say swaggin? does he feel like he was slighted or something when he was here?

[Red Dog]

So why does he not mention his university when he goes on TV? Why does he go out of his way to say swaggin? does he feel like he was slighted or something when he was here?

I cant say that he feels slighted he just may feel as though he made is own way despite the support that other ppl got. That me against the world motto got him to where he is and if you look at the motto for the steelers superbowl year it was an us against the world motto that guided them to the superbowl.

I dont really know what he means by "swaggin' but i can i only assume that it has a meaning to him and possible somebody else out there in tvland.

To my knowledge Ike has never said anything negative about the university or the community so as long as he does not disrespect the university or talk down on it he isnt doing us or the university an injustice.

[Turbine]

. . . any coach on the staff, alumni or fair weather fan can walk in any living room in america and say Ike Taylor played at University of Louisiana at Lafayette (i know thats going to get me in trouble) and no matter what he says or does that wont change. We should still root for him because the better he does the more FREE publicity the school will recieve whether he acknowledges it or not.

Thanks Red Dog, that is my view as well.

I have an audio clip on the meaning of "swaggin" for Ike, it goes back to when he was a young kid and growing up when nothing was given to him, he had to earn it. In order for him to "earn it" he had to have "swagger." His use of swaggin has roots that go back long before he attended UL.

I have no problem with Ike and his friendship with UL, why just last spring (2007) Ike Taylor was one of the celebrity coaches for the Vermilion & White Spring Game.

ps thanks for giving us a broader perspective.

[AstroCajun]

I undoubtly will get some backlash from this but i will write it anyway. I have been coming to this site for a while now since about the time Ike was drafted and i have read several poster bash him and several ppl praise him but it has gotten to the point that i had to reply.

I started at UL or USL at the same time that Ike did and he was a friend. With that being said i have first had knowledge off some of the things you guys speak of.

First off i listen to ppl say how he should speak of the school and support them but most of you problably only know what you read in the newspaper after he was drafted and when they played in the superbowl. On this very site i read where a few ppl were trying to find out who this Ivan Taylor was that was drafted from UL. Yet these are the same ppl that say how they have supported him and helped him to get where he is. That is absolutelly not true.

Ike came to this university and walk-on and was on the practice squad as a running back when he qualified academically. He did that for two years before he was actually on the field his junior year as a running back (im sure the are ppl that didnt know that either) and then because the team was lacking in cornerbacks they switched him over to that position where he started for a year. In between this time he went home EVERY summer and worked with the legendary Tom Shaw who when it came draft time he personally vouched for him and his work ethic and talked him up to several teams. When you have a man that has coached and trained numerous first round draft picks including Deion Sanders his word is very influential.

With that being said Bustle, this university nor anyone on this board got Ike to the league he made his own way. It did give him an avenue to showcase his talent and for that he gave his all everyday in practice and games until his time here was up. That is your major difference between Ike and all the others you name in the pros ( Jake, Brandon, Tillman ..etc) they were FULL scholarship players and given every opportunity to shine because the university had scholarship money invested in them. Although it would be nice if he said the name of the university on tv sometimes but he is a grown man who has left this university and this city and moved on and its his choice what he says. Besides any coach on the staff, alumni or fair weather fan can walk in any living room in america and say Ike Taylor played at University of Louisiana at Lafayette (i know thats going to get me in trouble) and no matter what he says or does that wont change. We should still root for him because the better he does the more FREE publicity the school will recieve whether he acknowledges it or not.

And his website is maintained by a marketing company so he may respond to some of the emails himself but if it is someone else its probably not his "posse" as someone wanted to say.

And on a side note D'Anthony Bastiste who plays for the Atlanta Falcons is a friend of Ike's that played here as well and we should get to know his story so we can say we have been supporting him as well because he has been starting the last few games.

Thanks for saying that.

Personally, I'm grateful for anyone who CHOOSES to wear the Ragin Cajun uniform. You go out on Saturdays and place your bodies on the line for our entertainment. We should be thanking you.

[MakoMaker]

I agree with what the young man has to say, Taylor is bound by nothing to promote anything. He is not slandering us, the fan base or the university. Just b/c he does not stand up and say,

'Hi...I'm Ike. BTW I played at THE University of Louisiana....'

people shouldn't hold a grudge. Geeeeeesh.

[DestinCajun]

_ Thanks for saying that.

Personally, I'm grateful for anyone who CHOOSES to wear the Ragin Cajun uniform. You go out on Saturdays and place your bodies on the line for our entertainment. We should be thanking you. _

I agree 100%. Thanks to all who come to UL and play for us. Signed someone who is there watching them.


I will disagree that Ike Taylor (or anyone for that matter) gets places solely on his or her own. Because of others he got an opportunity here. To his credit and through his own hard word and dedication, he took full advantage. I think that is the way it's supposed to work.

[NewsCopy]

The Steelers remain the top-rated defense in the NFL -- No. 2 against the pass, No. 2 against the run. This despite Tom Brady's 399 yards passing and four touchdowns. The handful of defensive mistakes against a New England offense that at one point called 34 consecutive pass plays were costly but correctable. The same can't be said about the Steelers' free-falling offense -- No. 3 and steady on the ground, but No. 24 and stagnant through the air. Yet the performance of the Steelers' defense, particularly the play of the secondary, continues to be debated, analyzed and scrutinized -- ad nauseam. Cornerback Ike Taylor, who has emerged as the Steelers' most indispensable defensive player this season -- indispensable because Steelers cornerbacks are asked to do so much, more than most NFL cornerbacks -- bears the brunt of the responsibility as well as the scorn. "He's good, but it's hard to rate him because he's in a different type of defense," Cincinnati Bengals receiver Chad Johnson said of Taylor, his chief nemesis among cornerbacks. "A lot of corners that are rated are those that take chances, that take those opportunities to gamble outside of what their system tells them to do. He's a very disciplined corner within the system that he's in." In a surprise move, Taylor was matched one-on-one against New England's Randy Moss for much of the game, following him from one side of the field to the other. Moss caught seven passes for 135 yards and two touchdowns. Was Moss' big game Taylor's fault? Well, Taylor was assigned to guard Moss. But in the Steelers' defense, Taylor is responsible for playing the run first. Unfortunately, free safety Anthony Smith also played the run on Moss' 63-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter. The rest of the story By John Harris TRIBUNE-REVIEW