Saturday, July 6th / 2002

WR Travis Taylor, Ravens

Height: 6-1  
Weight: 200  
Born: March 30, 1979, Fernandina, FL  
College: Florida

Career Statistics:    

Chris Smith’s Thoughts:  

There has been much discussion over the years in regards to the "3rd-Year Receiver Breakout Theory" which is when receivers break out in their third seasons after having little production during their first two campaigns.  There have been many excellent receivers such as Eric Moulds and Rod Smith who have more than doubled their production in year three after two seasons in which they were non-factors.  The true "3rd-Year Breakout" is the player that the casual fan doesn't see emerging as a legitimate receiving threat until it has already happened.  I saw many discussions last season that went along these lines:

"Who do you think is the better option for a breakout season in year three?  David Boston or Torry Holt."

Since both had over 1100 yards receiving that year, is it possible that both of those players had already been discovered in year two.  The above example is not what the theory is all about.  It is the players who haven't done much in their first two years but who you can look at after the third season and exclaim, "How could I have missed that?"

Travis Taylor is now entering his third season as a Raven.  While he has had some moments as a receiving so far in the NFL, his statistics the past two seasons were nothing special.  What was encouraging about last season though was he looked more comfortable on the field and did have 549 yards receiving despite being the third option on an offense that had Qadry Ismail and Shannon Sharpe.  With those two now gone from the offense, that is 1800 yards and 9 touchdowns removed from the offense.  Those totals will be made up somewhere and Taylor is easily the top option at receiver this season.

Another reason, Taylor will have a good season is a result of the complete dismantling of the once proud defense of the Ravens.  With a terrifying 8 starters off to greener pastures, the Ravens defense that once dominated football games will be at best a mediocre unit.  The opposing teams will not be kept off the scoreboard and it will force the Ravens to play from behind.  Head Coach Brian Billick shelved his past pension for big offensive plays because the defense had the ability to win the game on their own.  However the defense can no longer do that and Billick will likely take advantage of the rebuilding year by trying to stretch the field on offense.

Taylor is a fast receiver who has good size.  He has improved each of his two seasons as a pro and he's ready to make the leap into the top twenty receivers in the game.  The Ravens team will be amongst the worst in the NFL this year but that will force them to pass a lot and Taylor will end the year in the top twenty.

90 receptions for 1200 receiving yards and 7 touchdowns for a total of 162 fantasy points

Quotes from the P.O.D. Thread in the forum: (make sure you click on the link that takes you to the thread.  There are many fantastic thoughts that I wasn't able to fit into this article).

Link to the thread: Click Here  

Positive Responses:

footballman_696969:

Travis Taylor might not have the best qb throwing him the ball but he will be the number 1 target for Chris Redman. He is definitely the most talented WR on the team.

Packing Feet:

I am a big fan of Travis Taylor. I thought that he would have a big year last year, particularly with his speed and Grbac's arm, but I was disappointed. Now that he is clearly the #1 target of the Ravens, he should be able to capitalize.

Gatorman:

I like Travis Taylor a bunch, and I think if any year is to be the year, this is this one. The Missile is gone, and it's put up or shut up time.

Lung Nugget:

All in all Taylor looks like a prime option in Billick's Offense. If the D won't allow Lewis to run clock off then Billick will at least try to give the fans a show that will feature the offensive skill he was hired from the Vikings for.

Leisure Suit Larry:

Let's spread those 320 receptions and 3600 yards around:

Heap (45-450)
Lewis (55-400)
Stokely (60-725)
Ajanbadajo (30-250)

Sharpe, Ismail, Brookins and Allen are all gone. Last year Sharpe and Ismail combined for 147 receptions and 1870 yards. There just isn't any other offensive skill player who looks to play a major role in the receiving area at this point.

That leaves 130 receptions and 1775 yards. Perhaps Baltimore will only have 280 receptions and 3000 yards with a young new QB like Redmond. That still leaves 90 receptions and 1175 yards for Taylor. I think that is very realistic. He is unquestionably the only good receiver on the team.

Negative Responses:

Cremrock:

I'm not so sure about Travis Taylor. In every game I've seen him play in, he usually drops a couple balls, and the ones he has caught, hasn't flashed the kind of big-play ability possessed by many of the other top receivers.

deaccat:

I would like to say that he will have a huge breakout year, but I just don't see it. With a first year QB (starter) and no prior reasons to see him becoming a breakout player it seems like he will be a somewhat solid third reciever on your fantasy team

bruno:

If the Ravens can get decent production out of Redman and if Lewis returns to form, I think Taylor will have a respectable year. If Redman is not the answer and they start playing musical QBs, then Taylor's numbers will take a hit.

Bird:

The Ravens don't have the offensive firepower to yield a 1000 yard receiver this year. Taylor is not the only scoring option on that squad.

Footballguy Projections:

Chris Smith's Projections:  

P.O.D. average projections