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GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) -- The death of Washington Redskins safety Sean Taylor hit hard for at least two Green Bay Packers players, running back Vernand Morency and safety Nick Collins.

Both players spoke to Taylor as recently as last month, when the Packers beat the Redskins 17-14 Oct. 14 at Lambeau Field. Taylor intercepted two Brett Favre passes in that game.

"It's stunning," Morency said. "They just left here a couple weeks ago. After the game, I got a chance to say, 'good game."'

Taylor, 24, died Tuesday after he was shot in his Miami home by an apparent intruder early Monday.

It was a shock to Collins, who grew up in Gainesville area and knew Taylor from Florida prep football days.

"I just heard about it," Collins said. "It's sad. I met him when we were in high school. We were about to play each other in a state playoff game, but we'd lost the game before. I actually went to the final game, that he was playing in, we had talked, and he basically beat the (other) team by himself. He was everything. It just goes to show you, you never know."

It was a second brush with tragedy for Morency, a Miami native who saw Taylor frequently during the offseason.

Morency roomed with late Denver Broncos cornerback Darrent Williams at Oklahoma State. Williams was killed in a drive-by shooting following an argument at a Denver nightclub on Jan. 1.

"When you have somebody that you play against, see all the time in the offseason, it hurts," Morency said.

(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)