Old nemesis Taylor turns Jets fans' boos to cheers

To say former Jets hater Jason Taylor was a little leery about making his public debut in green and white today at New Meadowlands Stadium would be putting it mildly. As the Jets walked through the tunnel for their first public workout on their new home field, the former Miami linebacker turned to new teammate Bryan Thomas and made a prediction.

"Here come the boos," Taylor told Thomas. "Watch."

Jets fans didn't disappoint him. "Sure enough they came," Taylor said of the boos. "But it was fun. It makes you smile. At least, they know who you are, and they're looking for you."

But a funny thing happened over the course of the Jets' two-hour workout. Most of the estimated 12,000 fans showed they are willing to embrace Taylor. He might be 35 years old, but he's the leading active pass rusher in the NFL with 127.5 career sacks.

During one lull for the defensive linemen, nose tackle Kris Jenkins walked over to talk and joke with a nearby section of fans. He returned to his teammates laughing, and in a minute a fan chant broke out: "Ja-son Tay-lor! Ja-son Taylor!"

Taylor then made his way over with his "bodyguard" Jenkins in tow and signed a couple autographs to more cheers. When the practice ended, no one was in more demand for autographs than Taylor, who walked along the wall from one end of the field to the other signing for close to half an hour.

Asked if that was the start of a grassroots campaign to win the fans over, Taylor said, "You've got to campaign a little bit for votes and cheers. This is my new fan base. I can appreciate it. You can appreciate the boos, and you can really appreciate the cheers."

When someone mentioned how the fans chanted his name, Taylor smiled and said, "Well, they've been saying my name up here for 12 years. It's what they say after the name that I'm working on changing. It was a nice reception, and when they were cheering, they were smiling this time. In the past, it wasn't always smiles."

As a member of the AFC East rival Dolphins, Taylor once gave a radio interview in which he compared Jets fans unfavorably to Giants fans, saying, "Jets fans take the 'c-l' out of 'class.' " After the Dolphins' victory over the Jets last season at Giants Stadium, Taylor remarked on what a pleasure it was to win on his last visit to that "hellhole."

So, you understand why he might have concerns about retaliation on his foray to the bleachers. "I was worried they were going to draw me over there and somebody was going to throw a beer on me or something," Taylor said. "But it was great to be received like that. Don't get me wrong. The first 45 minutes out here weren't all easy. As it went on, it got a little better."

Taylor acknowledged that he was pleasantly taken aback by the number of fans clamoring for his autograph. "You never want to go to the wall to sign autographs and nobody wants it or they throw it back," he said. "They've been fine. They know I'm here to play for them now and do what I've done for the last 13 years and do it for them."

Ultimately, Taylor said the best way to win the fans over is by "making plays in September." Since signing a two-year deal with the Jets in April, Taylor really hasn't practiced enough to get a feel for his role in coach Rex Ryan's No. 1-ranked defense from last season.

But Ryan has predicted a double-figures sack total for Taylor, who likely will be used as a situational pass rusher at outside linebacker. "It's still premature to put your finger on what the role will be, but there's a lot we can do," Taylor said. "The defense isn't really that complicated. It's the variations that are pretty amazing."

The presence of veteran cornerbacks Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie frees the pass rushers to tee off, Taylor said. He also expressed his appreciation for the welcome he has received from all his new teammates.

Inside linebacker Bart Scott, in particular, has made it clear he expects Jets fans to welcome Taylor, too. "Bart won't put up with it," Taylor said. "He already said, 'I don't want to hear anybody booing. You're one of us now.' "

LT, Cromartie enjoy scene

Two former Chargers, running back LaDainian Tomlinson and cornerback Antonio Cromartie, also made their Jets debuts. Cromartie was cheered when he made an interception.

"It's been real great,'' Cromartie said. "I'm having fun, and I'm definitely looking forward to when the stadium is filled with Jets fans and we hear 'J-E-T-S, Jets! Jets! Jets!' That's going to be really exciting.''

Tomlinson, who rushed for fewer than 1,000 yards for the first time in his career last season, welcomed the change of scenery eagerly. As he spoke to the media, fans were chanting, "LT! LT!''

Asked about the transition, Tomlinson said, "This is so awesome to be here for the first time in this stadium. I feel like I've been a Jet forever, especially the way these fans have accepted me. It's not hard at all starting over.''

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