Taylor, Jackson eager for Slaughter's opener

"I talk to Tony quite a bit. He's living the life; he's got a lot of money, nice looking girlfriend."

There's no sense of "Why not me?" in his voice when J.R. Taylor talks about his former college teammate Tony Romo.

While Romo's road has led him from Eastern Illinois University to NFL stardom with the Dallas Cowboys, Taylor has no regrets with the far less glamorous path that took him from Charleston to the Continental Indoor Football League.

"When I was in Green Bay, I realized that (being in the NFL) was not something I wanted," said Taylor, a running back who signed with the Packers as a free agent in 2003. "You don't have any freedom. When you go out, everybody knows who you are."

Not a major problem with his current football employer - well, at least not yet.

At the Chicago Slaughter's preseason meet-and-greet last weekend for season-ticket holders, Taylor and his teammates wore "HELLO, my name is …" stickers.

Fans can see the players' names on the back of their jerseys Friday at 7:30 p.m. as the Slaughter open their 12-game regular season against the Kalamazoo Xplosion.

"Not winning it all last year was a little bit of a disappointment," Taylor said of the Slaughter's 10-4 season. "We came back this year and that's our focus, make sure we get that championship ring for Chicago."

While Taylor pursues his MBA and has no thoughts of calling the NFL his home, teammate Dontrell Jackson, a former quarterback at Ohio University, hopes the Sears Centre is just his temporary football residence.

"I've been a quarterback my whole life and I've had everyone tell me I've been too small to play quarterback on the next level," said the 5-foot-10 wide receiver. "No (pro teams) gave me an opportunity to play DB or receiver, but that's just how it goes. I'm not going to cry about it; I just have to work harder."

A physical education teacher at Whittier Elementary in Harvey during the day, Jackson keeps his gridiron dreams alive at night by practicing twice a week with the Slaughter.

The 26-year-old Thornton High School grad also whets his NFL appetite by staying in contact with former prep teammates and current pros Antwaan Randle El (WR, Washington Redskins) and Napoleon Harris (LB, Kansas City Chiefs).

"I'm happy for them, but at the same time, I want to be where they're at," Jackson said.

One who has is former Bears wide receiver Dennis McKinnon. After joining Slaughter head coach Steve McMichael's staff last month as receivers coach, McKinnon has made it clear that he's not there to just help his former teammate gain name recognition for the second-year franchise.

He's there to coach.

"(The players) know they can't pull a fast one on me, I see everything," McKinnon said. "I tell them, 'It doesn't matter how good you think you are, because if you were that good, you would not be playing here. You have to consistently prepare.'"

And whether Slaughter players have decided that the NFL is not for them or if their ultimate goal is to one day get there, McMichael has the same lofty expectations for everyone while they're on his team.

"I have guys on this team that for one reason or another aren't up to the next level," McMichael said. "I'm glad they're not, because they get to play for me and we win."