FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- At times last season Tony Taylor was too fast for his own good.
The second-year player out of Georgia admitted earlier this week he needed to slow down to move forward in the NFL. Now in his first full offseason the linebacker is making some progress on the team's depth chart.
"I had to slow down to make the game slow down for me," Taylor said during Falcons organized team activities. "I was in such a rush to play fast I didn't get it as much as I could have. Watching (veterans Keith) Brooking and (Michael) Boley helped me slow down a little bit. Things are starting to make a lot more sense to me."
Taylor made the Falcons 53-man roster last season to continue a solid career. He started 35 games at Georgia, notching 272 tackles. He was a second-team All-SEC selection in 2006 (96 tackles, seven interceptions). He made an impression on then-linebackers coach Brian VanGorder and finished second on the team with eight special teams tackles. He also recorded four tackles on defense in a season-ending win over Seattle.
VanGorder is now the Falcons defensive coordinator and Taylor knows it's possible to work too hard to make an impression. He said he often "over-emphasized" certain parts of his game.
Turns out what Taylor impresses with the most is the one thing that's nearly impossible to teach.
"I think he's a guy that's very sharp mentally," linebackers coach Glenn Pires said. "That's what's allowing him to continue to grow. He understands the game and is a very good instinct guy. (With) those instincts he keeps getting better and making good decisions."
With Brooking spending more time at weak-side linebacker and second-round pick Curtis Lofton learning the defense, Taylor has spent time this offseason as the team's No. 1 middle linebacker.
Pires said the position suits Taylor, but the team will wait until preseason games and contact drills before making any decisions about starting jobs.
"When we get in pads and start playing games you can zero in on that, but right now he's going the right direction," the coach said. "When the physical part starts to come then you can see where guys start to fit in... A guy as smart as he is with instincts, he's going to have a chance."
Head Coach Mike Smith said Taylor's presence will create a "competitive situation" at linebacker as the team marches toward Training Camp.
"Tony has done a nice job," Smith said. "He's a very intelligent football player and has played extremely well for us. Tony doesn't necessarily have all the measurables you look for but there are a lot of guys that have been successful in this league that don't have those measurables. Tony has done a really good job; he's a good communicator and gets us lined up."
Taylor, who stands 6-feet tall and weighs in at 235 pound, spent some extra time in the weight room earlier this year to bulk up.
"I was trying to trim my baby fat off and, at the same time, build muscle," he said. "I feel like I'm a step further than I was at this time last year. It's hard not to eat Zaxby's all the time but every once in a while you've got to leave that to the side."
In that precise, steady fashion Taylor finds himself closer to the fast track for success.
Slowing down isn't all that bad.
"I'm trying to gain everyone's trust across the organization," Taylor said. "I'm trying to show them I can go out there, do my job, communicate like I'm supposed to and get the right things done so, when the fall comes, they have trust in me to put me in the game."
