Hall of Fame thanks

He credits teammates for his success

Jason Taylor says teammates helped make career possible.

DAVIE — Jason Taylor was confident he’d eventually get into the Pro Football Hall of Fame because of his accomplished 15-year career as an NFL pass rusher, but he didn’t think he’d be selected as a firstballot inductee.

Taylor was so certain he wouldn’t get the 80 percent vote needed for induction Saturday that he didn’t plan to attend the Super Bowl the next day.

“My youngest son, Mason, kept saying, ‘Dad, if you don’t believe it, you can’t achieve it.’ ” Taylor said Thursday during a news conference at the Dolphins’ facility. “It’s funny he said that because it’s [something] that I say to the teams that I coach, and the kids that I coach.”

Taylor will be be inducted into the Canton, Ohio, shrine Aug. 5. He’s the 10th defensive lineman elected in his first year of eligibility, joining Joe Greene, Deacon Jones, Bob Lilly, Gino Marchetti, Merlin Olsen, Warren Sapp, Bruce Smith, Randy White and Reggie White.

He’ll become the second Dolphins defensive player in the Hall of Fame, joining linebacker

“Jason was a gamechanger on defense, and every time I watched him play he would do something that truly amazed me.” Dan Marino, on Jason Taylor

Nick Buoniconti. But Taylor said he doesn’t plan to go alone.

“My bust is going to be in Canton, but Sam Madison, Dan Marino, Patrick Surtain, Zach Thomas, Richmond Webb, they're all a piece of that bust as well,” Taylor said.

Taylor said Marino set the standard for what he wanted his career to become. He followed Marino’s blueprint to become a South Florida icon.

“Jason was a gamechanger on defense, and every time I watched him play he would do something that truly amazed me,” Marino said.

Players like Webb, whom Taylor lined up against at practice for the four seasons they were teammates, taught Taylor the finer points of pass rushing and helped him perfect his craft.

Tim Bowens, Daryl Gardner, Keith Traylor and other defensive tackles ate up blockers, freeing Taylor up to feast on quarterbacks.

Madison and Surtain were the best cornerback duo in the NFL for a couple years, especially early into Taylor’s career.

“With Sam Madison and Pat Surtain playing defense — playing man-to-man defense on the outside — I could teach anybody in this room how to get to the quarterback,” Taylor said. “When you get eight or nine seconds to get there to make plays, it makes it so much easier.”

And Thomas, his brother-in-law and teammate for 11 years, helped Taylor sustain a disruptive Dolphins defense during the Jimmy Johnson and Dave Wannstedt years.

Taylor said Thomas should also be going into the Hall of Fame. A seven-time Pro Bowl linebacker, Thomas didn’t make it to the semifinalist list in his third year of eligibility.

“To me, is he a Hall of Famer? Absolutely,” Taylor said of Thomas. “Without Zach, there is no way in the world I’m standing here right now.”

It’s possible that Taylor will consider Thomas as his Hall of Fame presenter, but he said he hasn’t given that much though yet. Truth is, he hasn’t had much time to give anything much thought because of all the demands since his election.

“It’s the pinnacle of what we do in professional football,” said Taylor, who tallied 139.5 career sacks, which ranks his sixth alltime. “I can’t be more elated to be in the Hall of Fame with the other nine Miami Dolphins who are there.”

Taylor said one of the players he mentored might be the Dolphins’ next Hall of Fame candidate.

Cameron Wake has amassed 81.5 sacks in his eight NFL seasons, and if his two dominant years in the CFL (39 sacks), are factored in, his resume looks pretty strong.

“I think he’s been trending in that direction. Hopefully he can play as long as he can and keep being as productive as he’s been,” Taylor said of Wake, who was named to his fifth Pro Bowl this past season after finishing with 29 tackles, 11.5 sacks and five forced fumbles. “Cam Wake is a better football player and a better pass rusher than I ever was, and hopefully he can keep doing it for a while.”

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MIKE STOCKER/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Jason Taylor reflected on his career as he talked to the media about his Pro Football Hall of Fame selection last Saturday.