In the event of Redskins' Sean Taylor's untimely death, Antrel Rolle will be dedicating Sunday's performance -- and those beyond Sunday -- to his lifelong friend and self-described "little brother."

"I promised myself after this happened, I'm going to go out there and represent my '21' for Sean Taylor, because I know how much he loved the game," Rolle said. "From this day on, I promise myself that everything I do out there on the field is going to be dedicated to Sean Taylor, No. 21."

With all the heartache and the questions now being raised concerning Taylor's character, it's refreshing to hear Rolle talk about his friend.

"He's completely turned the page," Rolle said. "A lot of people didn't understand him. He was a very secretive person; that's just the way he liked to run his life. After he had his kid, he was a completely different person.

"When we played Washington a few weeks back, the coaches were like, 'Count on Sean Taylor to make a boneheaded move and do something to hurt his team,' and I was thinking to myself, 'Don't count it. Because he's totally turned himself around.' "

Rolle and Taylor were childhood friends who lived only minutes apart and would play football with each other whenever each got the chance.

"I was a running back, and he was a linebacker," Rolle said. "We would call a sweep one way, and I'd look and see him on that side. I'd change the play myself, because I knew he would try and come and take my head off."

They later were teammates at the University of Miami where they maintained their friendship. And while Taylor was in the hospital receiving treatment, Rolle's parents were on the phone constantly updating their son on Taylor's condition.

So when you're watching Sunday's game against the Browns, remember Taylor; the husband, the father, and the friend.

"That was my little brother."