Hall Of Famer Jason Taylor Expects To Cry Watching Son Mason’s NFL Debut

Jason Taylor played in 233 NFL games during a 15-year career, then was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He also spent one eventful summer in 2008 as a contestant on Dancing With The Stars (not his forte, but he did it anyway) on national TV. 

So a lot of emotions, nerves and even fears followed Taylor for years and years. 

But this … this thing that’s going to happen Sunday when he watches his son Mason Taylor making his NFL regular-season debut for the New York Jets against the Pittsburgh Steelers will be different. 

Jason Taylor Proud Of Son Mason

It’ll be stirring. Evocative. Emotional. And, yes, tear-jerking.

As in full on crying. 

“Of course,” Taylor says when I ask if he expects to weep. “That’s nothing for me to think about. Of course. And I’ll be somewhere sitting in my office watching the film of the Bethune game and getting ready for South Florida. And I’ll have a TV on and the game on, and of course, I’ll shed a lot of tears, I’m sure. 

“And I’ll do it with a lot of pride.”

Taylor is the defensive ends coach at the University of Miami, which makes sense that he’s teaching Hurricanes edge rushers to chase quarterbacks because he collected 139.5 sacks in his career. The No. 5-ranked Hurricanes play Bethune-Cookman on Saturday, so on Sunday Taylor will be busy breaking down tape and preparing for the next game.

Mason Taylor Debut Against The Steelers 

But at 1 p.m. he’ll turn on the television to watch Mason. And suddenly, the man who’s been around football all his life will be a nervous wreck watching somebody else playing the game.

“The last thing that comes in your mind when your kid is born and for however long after, be it months and years of their life, is what they’re going to be doing and where they’re going to end up one day,” Taylor says. “You’re praying and hoping for health and happiness and for that kid to be able to develop and mature and do all the things he’s supposed to do. 

“The last thing you start thinking about is a profession. Now, as an athlete, people always make comments at the beginning. They say, ‘Oh, you think he’s going to play football?’ Every boy, they think he’s going to be a football player. And if it’s a girl, oh, she’s going to be an actress. 

“That’s natural, but you never really think about it. Me? Whatever it is they want to do in life, I just wanted them to be happy with it and have a passion for it and be the fricken’ best at it.”

Taylor: No Mediocrity Allowed

And here it comes. You’re about to hear the ethos that made Taylor a problem for opposing quarterbacks.

“We’re not a mediocre family and I don’t like mediocrity, and you just hope that if they want to be a piano player, they go and be Beethoven or whatever they want to do, go be the best,” Taylor says. “So when they picked sports, well then, we’re going to be 10 toes down and go after it.”

Jason believes Mason is about to go after it.

“He’s always been that self-starter kind of guy and just intrinsically motivated,” Taylor says. “He grew up around it and seen it for a long time, and now it’s his turn.

“Mason is a football guy. He has a very high football intellect. He understands the game. He knows and applies things that are more meeting-and-paper side of football than the sheer athleticism side of the game. Athletic traits all show in the NFL. Everybody has them. 

“It’s the ones that approach the game mentally in a different way that stand out. I think he has that.” 

Mason Taylor Must Be Where His Feet Are

Mason is Taylor’s oldest. Isaiah Taylor is a senior defensive back at Miami. And Zoe Taylor, the only girl, is a freshman beach volleyball player at Arizona State. She is 5-foot-11.

The kids spent a lot of time around the Miami Dolphins because dad played in South Florida for 13 years. But there was also that one year with the Jets when the family got fully immersed in that franchise, too.

And now Mason, a 6-foot-5, 250-pound tight end, is expected to get plenty of snaps for that team against the Steelers and throughout this season.

So what has Jason told Mason about what to expect in that professional debut?

“It’s the same thing as your first Pop Warner game or first college game, first high school game, it’s the same. It’s football,” Taylor said. “At the end of the day it’s blocking, tackling, running and catching. I’ve told him not to get too high in the moment, or too low in the moment.

“And one of the things we always talk about with Mason and with all of my kids is be where your feet are. Enjoy the moment. Enjoy the journey although you’re not enjoying the destination because this isn’t necessarily your final destination.”

That sounds philosophical. So, allow Taylor to break down his message in more Earthy terms.

“It’s football, bro,” he says. “It’s all the same shit. It’s just a different uniform and a different level. But you know who you are, now go do what you do.”

This is a proud dad talking. 

He happens to be a Hall of Famer, but he’s a father first.  And that is obvious when he talks about Mason on this phone call or with random people on the street.

“Am I more apt to tell people about Mason being in the NFL than me being in the Hall of Fame? Damn right,” Taylor says. “I never talk about being in the Hall of Fame. I stay out of the way and keep my head down and do my thing. I would rather let the light shine on other players and coaches. But when it comes to Mason and my kids, I’ll be your billboard.”

A couple of weeks ago, Jason happened to spot a couple  wearing LSU Tigers gear. And upon seeing them representing the school where Mason played collegiately, he made sure to walk by and say, “Geaux Tigers.”

Jason Taylor The Billboard For His Kids

The couple asked if Taylor is a Tigers fan, and that was his cue.

“Oh, my son, Mason Taylor, used to play there,” Taylor told them. 

Then he proceeded to tell them Mason’s now in the NFL, and they should watch him play on Sept. 7.

Taylor knows what Mason will feel on Sunday. He’s been there. So he understands.

“It’s his first game,” Taylor says. “I’m sure he’s going to have nerves. I had them in my last one and I played [233 games] whatever it was. It’s the ultimate team game, and obviously, the other 10 guys on the field wearing the same color determine a lot of how the game flows and what you see individually.

“But he will be prepared. He’ll be confident. I’m sure he’ll be nervous, but he will be all there, and that’s the important part.”