When former Concordia Stinger defensive backs coach Mike White decided not to return for the 2013 season, one fifth year player was approached to replace him, Nathan Taylor. Back then, Nathan Taylor passionately endorsed Mike White, labelling him as "one of the best coaches" he has ever had. Now with Nathan Taylor as the head of the backfield, he possesses the ability to get first-year CIS players to believe in themselves and their opportunity to build a defensive that is known to shut down any opposing offense they face. He doesn't do it with embellishment. He's not a sugar coater. He does it by being relatable and caring of his players' well being on and off the field. With the Vanier Cup highlighting the end of the 2013 football season, I had a chance to sit down with coach Taylor to speak all things football and what his perspective is launching into the off-season with the Concordia Stingers that finished 0-9.

TH: What is your football philosophy?

NT: You have got to be able to play without fear and with reckless abandon. At the same time, you also need to be under control. A lot of people try to play to recklessly and without reason.You have to play kind of like a skud missile, you are ready to do damage and ready to make a play but at the same time you are controlled. All your focus and your tenacity and your intensity is pointed in one direction and you are very focused in that one goal. 

On a gray and rainy day, the Concordia Stingers fell to Sherbrooke's Vert et Or 28-21 wrapping up their 2013 winless season and a final confirmation that the team will not be present in the post-season championship run. It had been a long and hard season for the entire Concordia Stingers community, but defensive backs coach Nathan Taylor made sure to congratulate his line on fighting until the very end, holding Sherbooke to only 228 passing yards. For his players, this day marked the beginning of an off-season lined with uncertainty. For coach Taylor, this day presented opportunity for growth and the beginning of the recruitment process.

Nathan Taylor struggled as a bench warmer for the local Lasalle Warriors during his early years of playing football to winning Most Valuable Player for the Concordia Stingers during his final year of playing CIS (Canadian Interuniversity Sport). Signed as a free agent to the Montreal Alouettes, he was released during preseason. To keep his head in the game, he accepted Concordia's offer to enlist him as the defensive backs coach of the Stingers. At the age of 25, he wants to share as much as he can with the younger generation of athletes, which is why he is focusing in on recruiting the school's next defensive talent.

"I have never ignored or dismissed an inbox or conversation from a young football player. I have to give back any way possible, no point in learning all of this and not passing even a bit of it on to the next generation."