MIAMI (AP) – Another invitation to the Pro Bowl could be headed Jason Taylor’s way, along with a smattering of other end-of-year accolades.

No award will bring him any sliver of consolation for Miami’s debacle of a season.

He’s evolved into a star over his eight years in South Florida, widely considered one of the game’s top defensive ends and routinely ranking among the league’s sacks leaders. Yet he’ll be a playoff spectator for the third straight year, and Miami’s situation doesn’t suggest that postseason drought will end soon.

The Dolphins took a 2-11 record into Monday night’s home game with AFC East champion New England, having already matched the proud franchise’s record for losses in a season.

“I’ve been used to winning 10, 11 games a year and having a shot at the postseason and being competitive late in December. The season has taken on a different tone now,” Taylor said. “I’m not going to sit here and give you a bunch of excuses why. We just haven’t played well enough to win. It’s as simple as that.”

New England entered Monday needing a win to keep pace with Pittsburgh in the race for home-field advantage in the AFC playoffs, while Miami needed an upset to merely avoid falling back into a tie with San Francisco for the NFL’s worst record.

It’d be tough to blame any part of Miami’s woes on Taylor.

He entered Monday’s game with 71/2 sacks this season despite drawing tons of double-team attention from blockers, and has 62 sacks since the start of the 2000 campaign.

“He is pretty good,” Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. “We see a lot of good edge rushers and I don’t think there are too many you would put of there ahead of him, let’s put it that way.”

And the Dolphins largely have him to thank for one of their two wins this season; his three sacks against San Francisco last month keyed Miami’s 24-17 win in a matchup of two moribund clubs.

Taylor says that if he was drafting an offense, he’d start with New England quarterback Tom Brady – and Brady has a similar opinion of Taylor.

“The toughest player we go up against every single year,” Brady said. “You know what I love about that guy? It’s how hard he plays and he never takes a play off. … He sets the tone for that whole defense. Every time you play the Dolphins you worry about Jason Taylor.”

While the games that have been lost are taking a clear toll on players, it’s the other losses – namely teammates to injury and the former head coach – that also wear on Taylor.

His former colleague at defensive end, Adewale Ogunleye, held out and forced Miami to trade him, to Chicago for wide receiver Marty Booker. That move happened about a month after Ricky Williams’ sudden retirement, and fallout from that played a major role in Dave Wannstedt’s resignation as coach.

Plus, Taylor’s longtime mainstay as a defensive anchor – and brother-in-law – Zach Thomas was inactive for Monday night’s game with a strained hamstring. Thomas has missed nearly all of Miami’s last four games, depleting the Dolphins’ linebacking corps.

“We haven’t gotten in-depth and really talked about it,” Taylor said. “It’s frustrating for both of us. We both don’t like to lose. We take them very hard.”

That being said, Taylor already has an eye on 2005. Sure, he’d like to finish this season with some wins and salvage some sense of pride to take into the offseason – and he vows that wearing a Super Bowl ring one day remains his ultimate goal.

Still, he’ll be 31 next fall, and knows his window of opportunity isn’t going to last forever.

“I think I can play for a good while longer in this league and play at a high level,” said Taylor, who’s been part of three playoff wins – all in the wild-card round. “I’m an optimistic guy. We’re going to regroup this offseason. If I’m still here next year, then we are going to give it our best shot and try again.”

AP-ES-12-20-04 2044EST