The always honest and entertaining Ike Taylor was guest Tuesday on The Jim Rome Show and while several of the same topics were discussed that were discussed in his interview last week on The David Baumann Show, the Pittsburgh Steelers veteran cornerback talked quite a bit about his offseason workout obsession and routine.
Taylor, who in the past has described himself as an OCD workout warrior during the offseason, was asked by Rome what he likes to do when he wants to blow off steam being as he is always working out all off the time.
“I work out again,” said Taylor, who still insist that he can play four or five more years in the league. “It\’s crazy, but that\’s how I blow steam off. Like if I got something on my mind, I\’m going to workout and it really don\’t matter what time of the day it is. If I feel like I didn\’t get better that day and if I feel like somebody else is getting better, as soon as wake up, I\’m going to work out.
“You can ask Will Gay, you can ask Cortez Allen, you can ask James Farrior – them three guys, they stay with me in the offseason, so they know how I move, they know how I run. Any time that I want to blow off steam, that\’s what I\’m going to do. I\’m going to workout. Of course I like taking trips and relaxing, but even when I do take trips, I still workout.”
Taylor, who has forever worked out under the watchful eye of renown trainer Tom Shaw down in Florida at the Wide World of Sports complex, was asked by Rome to talk about working out in the sand pit down in Florida every offseason.
“Man, its a workout that will have people sore for at least two or three days,” said Taylor. “And what people have to understand is when you\’re working out in sand, it\’s something that your body isn\’t used to like the stability on the track or the grass. Everything is uneven, so you\’re working out muscles that you don\’t even know or really don\’t never use.
“So down there with Coach Shaw, that\’s how we warm up. Like I do my DB drills in the sand pit. Like all the DB\’s or whatever, receivers, offensive-defensive lineman, we do our drills in the sand pit and it helps. It strengthens us. It stabilizes everything, because everything is so unbalanced.”
Taylor was asked if it was a hope or a plan that he plays four or five more years in the league and his answer to that question was quite a lengthy one.
“It\’s not a hope, its not a plan, its a fact,” said Taylor, who is entering his eleventh season in the league with the Steelers. “The reason why it\’s a fact, if you just look at my past three and half, four years, I\’ve been playing real good football. I\’ve been probably playing one of the best cornerback you can look at.
“So I\’m not just talking because I want to say this, I\’m talking because of my body and the way it feels. I\’m talking because of the way I take care of myself. I\’m talking because the goal that I have. I\’m talking because I workout all of the time.
“So I\’m not going into training camp trying to get into football shape, I\’m already in shape going into training camp. And what people got to understand is, I\’m a late bloomer, meaning I only played one year of college football.
“So a lot of guys who have done played three and a half or four years of college football, you got to add those years onto them. So when I\’m saying three or four or five years extra, I really mean that.”
It\’s a shame that Taylor had his consecutive game streak broken last season after fracturing his ankle early on in the Week 13 game against the Baltimore Ravens. Had that not happened, you would have to think that the Steelers would have had a much better chance at beating either the San Diego Chargers or the Dallas Cowboys down the stretch to secure a playoff spot. Injuries are part of the game, however, and the Steelers couldn\’t overcome them.
While it is yet to be seen if Taylor can continue his strong play in 2013, it certainly won\’t be because he is out of shape if he cant. He is as disciplined as they come in the offseason, and fellow Steelers cornerbacks William Gay and Cortez Allen have been smart to follow his lead.
Taylor really wants to win a third Super Bowl and get himself voted to the Pro Bowl once prior to hanging up his cleats forever and it sure would be nice if he was able to accomplish both of those goals in 2013. While it is unlikely that he will be able to play four or five more years in the league, I wouldn\’t bet my house just yet that that he won\’t. he is a great role model for any young player in the league to look up to.
