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New Coach Tries To Turn Things Around

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By BOB BELLONE

The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 29, 2008

Joe Taylor considers coaching his ministry. He might need a miracle to restore football glory overnight at Florida A&M.

If anyone can revive the Rattlers, it is Taylor. He arrived in Tallahassee last winter after posting 23 winning seasons and eight league championships in a quarter-century on the sideline. Taylor spent the past 16 years molding rival Hampton University into a perennial contender in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

Meanwhile, Florida A&M has been reeling since the NCAA stripped its 2000 and 2001 league titles as partial punishment for nearly 200 rules violations throughout the athletics department.

"We say all the time, we hope we've got at least one resurrection left," Taylor said.

He began his new job by preaching to his players about hard work.

"My first message to them was that I'm here, but I don't have any magic with me," Taylor said. "There are no magic pills you can swallow to be successful. There's no magic dust I can sprinkle on you. But there is a blueprint, and it simply says that by the end of the day somebody's got to be willing to perspire, and I really see their work ethic has improved since coming in."

The Rattlers lost six of their final seven games in 2007 to finish 3-8. They rank sixth among nine teams in a preseason poll of MEAC head coaches and sports information directors.

Taylor inherits eight returning starters on offense. The centerpiece is tailback Philip Sylvester, who led the conference in all-purpose yardage and placed fourth in kickoff returns en route to league rookie of the year honors last season.

"He's something special," Taylor said. "He just expects himself to do well, and I think that's a large part of his success."

Fellow sophomore Eddie Battle gained valuable experience at quarterback in a limited role. His best performance in six appearances helped produce a 24-21 victory against North Carolina A&T, in which he passed for 259 yards and two touchdowns.

Battle must compete for the starting job with former Kentucky quarterback Curtis Pulley, who was cleared to join the team Aug. 21. The versatile transfer completed 60 percent of his passes and averaged nearly four yards a carry in two seasons with the Wildcats.

The defense will be led by middle linebacker Vernon Wilder, a preseason first-team All-MEAC selection who led the Rattlers with 87 tackles and five sacks last year.

Taylor knows he has work to do, but he thinks things can start turning around.

"I'm optimistic," he said. "I think these kids have shown that they really want to win and they're better than they showed last year."

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