ASHBURN, Va. — Many of the 2,000 fans at Redskins Park shouted Jason Taylor's name as soon as their newest defensive end stepped onto the practice field recently.
A local sports-talk radio host, Jason Bishop, had no qualms about declaring on his morning show that Taylor is a "damn good-looking guy."
And a Washington Post columnist wrote that Taylor is his "new man-crush."
From Capitol Hill to Virginia Beach, the former Dolphins star has supplanted Obama vs. McCain as the topic of the day.
"It's a fan base almost like college football. The people really are that crazy about their team," said offensive tackle Todd Wade, who played with Taylor in Miami from 2000 through '03. "Jason was such a big guy in South Florida, but it's going to be multiplied up here. He has no idea."
Taylor, 33, said he wanted to play for a Super Bowl contender after 11 title-less seasons in Miami. Taylor, who was traded Sunday for two draft picks, said he was happy to go to Washington. He believes the Skins are, at minimum, a solid playoff team.
Washington has reached the playoffs in two of the past three seasons. But Taylor, a six-time Pro Bowler who is two seasons removed from being named NFL Defensive Player of the Year, won't automatically transform the Redskins from a wild-card team to a Super Bowl contender.
The Redskins went 9-7 last year and were blown out in the first round of the playoffs against Seattle. And Washington plays in the NFC East, which might be the toughest division in the NFL with the Super Bowl-champion Giants, the 13-3 Dallas Cowboys and an 8-8 Philadelphia Eagles team that finished last year on a three-game winning streak.
On top of all that, quarterback Jason Campbell has to bounce back from a knee injury while learning the West Coast offense installed by new coach Jim Zorn.
"Jason Taylor is an upgrade, but it's going to depend on how well Jason Campbell adjusts to a new offense," said Joe Theismann, a former Redskins quarterback who still attends training camp practices almost every day. "The quarterback position is going to be the determining factor as to where the Redskins wind up finishing."
Still, Taylor is optimistic that the team can at least return to the playoffs, something Taylor hasn't experienced since January 2002.
"This team can contend for the division," Taylor said. "It's a tough division, but this is great to be in this position, where you know that every week is crucial."
Taylor's arrival should jump-start a stagnant pass-rush. Among 2007 playoff teams, only Indianapolis had fewer sacks than Washington's 33. Taylor had 11 of his team's 30 sacks last season, and has the most sacks in the NFL this decade (100.5). Some observers believe the trade will reinvigorate Taylor, who had four games last season with fewer than two tackles.
"Historically, when you make a trade like this, the player usually performs better than he had the previous season," said Gil Brandt, the longtime personnel executive with Tom Landry's Cowboys who now writes for NFL.com. "Especially if they were coming from a team that didn't have a good record."
When Taylor went through his first practice with Washington on Tuesday, he wore his new No. 55 jersey — defensive end Andre Carter wear's Taylor's old No. 99 — and quickly impressed coaches watching one-on-one drills. He lined up at left end and exhibited the quickness that made him a superstar in Miami.
"We tried to pinch him today, and he went inside on us in the blink of an eye," offensive line coach Joe Bugel said. "He's a slippery hombre."
Defensive coordinator Greg Blache hopes Taylor's presence will open up the field for Carter (10.5 sacks) and defensive tackle Cornelius Griffin.
And the Redskins hope that their offensive line will improve after facing Taylor in practice every week, especially right tackle Jon Jansen.
"I told him this morning, 'I'm glad you're here,'" Bugel said. "We spent enough time preparing for you.'"
Ben Volin writes for The Palm Beach Post. E-mail: ben UNDERSCORE volin AT pbpost.com.