Michael Taaffe Is our Standard

[Professor Chesney 548]

This thread could very well be about how, despite several buffoons on this board loudly complaining otherwise, this former walk-on safety has been the best player on the field for short stretches despite playing on one of the most talented Texas defenses in recent memory.  Or for the Blake Gideon and Dylan Haines jokes. Frankly it’s unbelievable this thread title is said without irony or sarcasm.

But I also wanted to highlight and memorialize Taaffe’s postgame remarks in response to that heinous game day sign, because the remarks demonstrate remarkable character and why he is an exemplary representative of this program.

For the uninformed, some red ass “blue collar salt of the earth” ag inexplicably brought a sign to College Gameday making fun of deceased Texas walk on Jake Ehlinger, who tragically passed away in a fentanyl-related accident.  Obviously this behavior doesn’t represent the entire Texas A&M fanbase. Most alumni would condemn this once understanding the context, and many already have (although I am sure everyone here has met exceptions and can debate in another thread).  But unlike most game day signs and taunts, this one actually provokes a reaction.  Austin is now a big city but it is still a small community in a lot of ways. The Ehlingers live and work here. If you’ve met this family and know what they have been through in the past, that gameday sign gets even more odious.

So in the postgame press conference Michael Taaffe somehow trumps his cathartic performance on the field with remarks far better than anything I could have come up with:

“I want to say I feel sorry for the person that posted that sign. I feel sorry for him because I don't know what he's going through, how much he's dealing with in life. To think that that was a good idea, to think that was OK, to think that was appropriate for anything, no matter what rivalry. I just wanted to make that clear."

The national media and our fanbase will quickly move on from this win because at the end of the day we just beat a middling 8-4 SEC team.  But I felt that Michael Taaffe’s maturity and passion deserves special recognition and it shouldn’t get buried in a game thread. Proud he’s a Longhorn.

[Lhorn 5020]

He’s a great story.  For so long he was considered a liability and it was said that a sign of Texas being good is when guys like him never see the field. But he kept playing hard and getting better and turned himself into a really good player and a guy who reliably makes tough stops.  He’s earned respect.  

[Steamboat1874 4150]

Damn got dusty in here watching that.

[Nuge 1998]

He's a great example that perseverance and hard work will pay off. 

He's a great Longhorn and representative of the team. 

We are so fortunate that he loved this team so much that he believed in himself enough to walk on and earn a scholarship vs. play elsewhere.

[Dahobbs 17796]

1 hour ago, Professor Chesney said:

This thread could very well be about how, despite several buffoons on this board loudly complaining otherwise, this former walk-on safety has been the best player on the field for short stretches despite playing on one of the most talented Texas defenses in recent memory.  Or for the Blake Gideon and Dylan Haines jokes. Frankly it’s unbelievable this thread title is said without irony or sarcasm.

But I also wanted to highlight and memorialize Taaffe’s postgame remarks in response to that heinous game day sign, because the remarks demonstrate remarkable character and why he is an exemplary representative of this program.

For the uninformed, some red ass “blue collar salt of the earth” ag inexplicably brought a sign to College Gameday making fun of deceased Texas walk on Jake Ehlinger, who tragically passed away in a fentanyl-related accident.  Obviously this behavior doesn’t represent the entire Texas A&M fanbase. Most alumni would condemn this once understanding the context, and many already have (although I am sure everyone here has met exceptions and can debate in another thread).  But unlike most game day signs and taunts, this one actually provokes a reaction.  Austin is now a big city but it is still a small community in a lot of ways. The Ehlingers live and work here. If you’ve met this family and know what they have been through in the past, that gameday sign gets even more odious.

So in the postgame press conference Michael Taaffe somehow trumps his cathartic performance on the field with remarks far better than anything I could have come up with:

“I want to say I feel sorry for the person that posted that sign. I feel sorry for him because I don't know what he's going through, how much he's dealing with in life. To think that that was a good idea, to think that was OK, to think that was appropriate for anything, no matter what rivalry. I just wanted to make that clear."

The national media and our fanbase will quickly move on from this win because at the end of the day we just beat a middling 8-4 SEC team.  But I felt that Michael Taaffe’s maturity and passion deserves special recognition and it shouldn’t get buried in a game thread. Proud he’s a Longhorn.

Dude is one classy mother fucking bad ass. I'm so glad a guy like that walked on and earned his spot on this team. He may have even played himself into the NFL at this point. 

[bigcigar 1206]

Fuck yes he is

[4th and 5 4926]

Taaffe is a baller and great kid. Wish him the best. 

[dec3169 515]

I'm still surprised ESPiN allowed that sign into the GameDay area.

[Bender Bending Rodriguez 1694]

No chance they saw it and allowed it to make air. Whoever held the sign was able to sneak it through and get it on TV. 

[Zeus 6438]

Hell yeah

[Bender Bending Rodriguez 1694]

Dp

Edited 2 hours ago by Bender Bending Rodriguez

[smoothlonghorn 85]

Reps to you Professor Chesney—worth our attention and summary thoughts put together better than I ever could.

[ztejas 43737]

Love the Taaffe.