ASHBURN, Va. (AP) -Jason Taylor and Chris Horton never were Sean Taylor's teammates with the Washington Redskins. Never practiced alongside him. Never slapped him on the helmet after one of those jarring tackles he delivered.
Jim Zorn never coached Sean Taylor. Never got the chance to appreciate the Pro Bowl safety's play or his personality up close. Never got the chance to know him.
And so it is a measure of the lasting effect Sean Taylor - and his sudden death - had on his team that even those who are new to the Redskins this season share in the sense of loss.
It was one year ago Wednesday that the 24-year-old football player was shot at his Miami-area home during a botched robbery; he died of massive blood loss a day later.
"A year ago," Redskins running back Clinton Portis said, "this dark cloud came over our heads."
Yet thanks to Portis, wideout Santana Moss and plenty of others, Sean Taylor lives on. He lives on, principally, in his old pals' hearts, but also in their words.
"They always talk about him. All the time. There was a lot of guys he meant a lot to," said defensive end Jason Taylor, traded from the Dolphins to the Redskins on the first day of this season's training camp. "I've heard a ton of stories. Everyone's told me how much I would have liked him, how much I would have loved playing with him, the kind of guy he was."
He also lives on in game films.
Horton, a rookie, has learned plenty about Sean Taylor the safety. Horton, after all, now starts at that position for the Redskins.
Even though Horton has seen his predecessor show up on video quite a bit while studying for future opponents, there is still a chill that arrives each time.
"We see film from early last year," Horton said, "and he pops up, and you're like, 'Man. God. He just laid that guy out.' He would go from here to there so fast."
In those images, Horton said, "He's definitely around. He's part of everyone's lives."
He lives on, too, in the various tangible tributes to him.
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