Bill Parcells ended his long public silence about Jason Taylor’s status with the Dolphins today, saying that he wants the defensive end to remain on the roster.

“Why wouldn’t you want one of the very best players?” Parcells said in an interview with The Associated Press. Parcells said that any talk of a rift between him and Taylor was a “fabrication” and that “of course” he wants him to be a Dolphin for the 2008 season. He also addressed the story about him ignoring Taylor when the player entered the same room.

He said there were 25-30 other people in the room when Taylor entered and that “he didn’t even see him.” Taylor’s take indicated that Parcells did see him and brushed him off but, overall, Tuna’s comments continue to defuse the adversarial relationship between team and player.

The cooling off period will certainly help matters if Taylor stays in town but it will also help if Parcells still hopes to trade him. When everyone was at each other’s throats, no one was going to offer much for Taylor because the impression was that the Dolphins were eager to get rid of him. Mending fences should help the team get some of their hand back which helps them no matter how the whole affair plays out.