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That's because the former Louisiana-Lafayette star is tied with linebacker James Farrior for the lead among Steelers tacklers with 30 in three games. His 23 unassisted hits top the charts for the league's 19th-ranked defense.
And, as for his Web site, facemeike.com, the hits keep coming from the "I like Ike" posse, a group that includes tailback Willie Parker.
"He caught my attention when I first got here last year," said Parker, the leading rusher in the AFC. "I saw him in 7-on-7 drills at practice, and he had all these veins in his little calf muscles. I was like, 'This cat must be able to play.' "
In his first season as a starter, Taylor is playing at a high level. He's provides a physical presence to the Steelers cornerback position, which isn't surprising given his periodic talks with former Steelers great Mel Blount. Taylor said he patterns his style after the imposing Blount, and, at 6-foot-1, 191 pounds, he can rattle a few bones, like Blount did three decades earlier.
Last Sunday against the two-time defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots, Taylor had his best game as a pro, with 12 tackles, including 10 unassisted, and a pass breakup in a 23-20 loss at Heinz Field.
His biggest play occurred late in the fourth quarter when Patriots running back Kevin Faulk took a screen pass on a third-and-5 play at the Steelers 20 and appeared to have daylight in full view.
Taylor, though, quickly intervened.
He stretched his arm and flipped Faulk to the ground, holding the shifty back to only three yards and the Patriots to a field goal, which pushed their lead to 20-13 with 3:19 remaining. Had Taylor failed to make the stop, the Pats might have put the game away -- and the ensuing drama that occurred at Heinz Field never would have materialized. New England ultimately won the game in pulsating fashion, on a 43-yard field goal with a second remaining.
"Ike comes up and he hits you, he comes to play" nose tackle Casey Hampton said.
Asked if it was a good thing to have a cornerback leading the team in tackles, Hampton said it depends.
"He's making plays in run support, so that's part of his job," Hampton said of Taylor, who had 10 tackles in the opener against Tennessee and eight a week later at Houston. "It's not like he's back there getting beat deep. He's stepping up and making tackles for us, he's making plays."
Taylor has yet to intercept a pass this season, though he nearly came down with a highlight-reel grab Sunday. He reached high in the air for a sideline pass by Tom Brady, but couldn't pull it in. Nonetheless, the play demonstrated Taylor's leaping skills and quick-strike reactions.
Parker was not surprised.
"He does those things all the time, which I learned about through Plex," Parker said, referring to former Steelers wideout Plaxico Burress, now with the New York Giants. "He was a big fan of Ike's, always talking to me about him. He'd say, 'Watch him do this, or watch him do that.' Plex started bragging on Ike so much, that I had to start paying attention to him. Then, he would do all these athletic things out there, and I was like, 'Yeah, I'm in this guy's corner, too.' "
Taylor is on a mission to become one of the best -- and most feared -- corners in the game. He's already taken large strides in his fledgling career, given he entered the league as a relatively unknown fourth-round draft pick in '03 and now holds down a starting spot on a defense that ranked No. 1 last season and currently ranks second in the NFL in takeaways.
"I just want to help us win games, however that might be," said Taylor, who's averaging 19.7 yards on three kickoff returns. "We have to be aggressive in this defense, we have to come up in run support. I just approach playing cornerback like they're coming my way every play -- and I better be ready. I've been lucky to play with good players, guys like Hines Ward, Antwaan Randle El and Plaxico Burress."
Taylor said Burress played a key role in his development.
"We always had a lot in common, the same demeanor and things like that," Taylor said. "I learned a lot from being around him, playing against him. I figure the more I listen to the veterans, the more I'm going to learn. I know there's a lot of things I can do to get better. There's a lot of room for me to grow."
His game against New England laid a solid foundation.
"I'm sore from that one, but that's not a bad thing," Taylor said. "I just hope their guys are as sore as me."
