Was Sean Taylor targeted for death?

Friends say yes, police say no.

Contrary to initial reports in the Miami Herald, the phone lines at Taylor's posh Palmetto Bay home were not cut, and the alarm system was not disabled.

Childhood friends like Antrel Rolle insist that Taylor's decision to slow his personal life down and become a family man created enemies.

Police counter with evidence that this might have just been a botched robbery.

Currently, 3 people are being detained in Ft. Myers, across Alligator Alley from Miami, for questioning about Taylor's death.

So the real question is - was the house the target? Or was Sean Taylor a marked man?

On one hand, Taylor definitely had enemies. Before the birth of his daughter, Jackie, his temper was somewhat notorious (yep, he was a hot-head). However, he wasn't supposed to be home the weekend he was shot, and had he been in Washington, D.C., his fiancee and daughter would not have been in the house - it would have been empty, just as it was when it was broken into 8 days earlier. Could he have surprised would-be burglars, who shot him out of sheer nerves?

Of only slightly less importance is the chilling reminder that to date, no one has been charged in the execution-style murder of Bryan Pata.

Either way, whether in death we canonize Taylor or revile him for his faults, we must remember one very important thing - when push came to shove, he did his best to protect his family. He had his fiancee and daughter hide while he confronted the intruder(s). He put his family's safety above his own.

So really, doesn't that tell us a lot of what we really need to know about Sean Taylor's character and priorities?

Yes. It does.

Random side note - did you know that Sean Taylor's fiancee is the niece of Andy Garcia? Or that once again, the Miami Curse is rearing its oh-so-trite head?

A UM fan posted this on CaneSport yesterday afternoon - it's a sweet tribute to a young man who died too young to ever fulfill his potential as a father, husband and athlete.