JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Fred Taylor has replaced his gold teeth with a million-dollar smile. He's got some pretty valuable legs, too, and the second-year Jacksonville Jaguars tailback knows they could be standing on the edge of NFL stardom.

	After running for 1,223 yards a rookie, the Jags' Fred Taylor is pondering a run at 2,000.

Gone are the days of Taylor in trouble at Florida, stirring up doubt over whether he had the emotional maturity to succeed in the NFL.

In the old Taylor's place is a soft-spoken, thoughtful young man who feels his image and his family are just as important as his football skills.

That's why he has gotten rid of the gold-capped teeth he had since high school and has continued working to overcome his shyness. He wants to become more approachable, if not for the sake of the sponsors that would love a piece of the 1,000-yard rusher, then for himself.

"Taking the gold off, that was something I wanted to do for my grandma and for myself," says the 23-year-old Taylor, who was raised by his grandmother, Rosetta Lusane.

"I'm smart enough to know what type of stereotype gold teeth carry. I got them when I was young. I did a lot of stuff crazy when I was young. Right now, I'm crazy on the bus, not anywhere else. I'm leaving that stuff behind."

Taylor had a few minor scrapes with the law while playing for Steve Spurrier at Florida. Once, he and some teammates got caught using someone else's credit cards to charge $71 in pizza. Another time, Taylor was involved in a scheme reselling stolen school books.

Spurrier, who has left players dangling for lesser offenses, went to bat for Taylor, going in front of a disciplinary board, vouching that his star running back was, indeed, a good citizen.

That gesture might have saved his career.

"I've never been a real talker. I just go out and do my thing on the field. In a sense, I'm overcoming it. I'm 23 years old, and there's still a little shyness there. But I'm working with myself to overcome it." -- Fred Taylor

Two years later, the Jaguars were in search of a running back.

They couldn't swing a deal to draft Curtis Enis, and coach Tom Coughlin, assured after several interviews with Taylor, took the second-rated back in the draft. It seems to have been one of the best picks of '98.

"As far as I'm concerned, he's always been clean-cut, cooperative, he has a sensitivity for other people," Coughlin said. "He's a team guy when it's bad and a team guy when it's good. You can't ask for more than that."

Playing in just 10 complete games last year, Taylor rushed for 1,223 yards and scored 17 touchdowns. He accounted for 300 more yards and the same number of scores as everyone's favorite rookie, Randy Moss, who gained much more attention.

The solid rookie season has led to speculation that the Jacksonville running back could be the NFL's next 2,000-yard rusher.

"It's not something I set out to do," Taylor said. "But anything is possible."

Coughlin, who often refuses to look past his team's next practice, won't completely shy away from the conversation.

"I'm cheering for it," Coughlin said. "I think it would be wonderful if it happened. Our offensive line is excited about it. He's excited about it. Part of that means you've got to be out there 16 games and not standing next to me with an injury. If that's what that goal represents, then I'm all for it."

It would take something out of the ordinary to make a superstar out of any player in the NFL's second-smallest market. Still, Taylor isn't above trying. Part of the effort means coming out of his shell, something he has continually worked on -- and gotten better with -- since he joined the Jaguars.

"I've never been a real talker," he says. "I just go out and do my thing on the field. In a sense, I'm overcoming it. I'm 23 years old, and there's still a little shyness there. But I'm working with myself to overcome it."

He has signed an endorsement deal with Pepsi and is working on a shoe contract. His agent, Tank Black, couldn't be more pleased with the way his client handles himself.

"I think corporate America is going to like Fred because he's a down-home boy who's intelligent, works hard, has unbelievable skills and is nice to everybody," Black says. "He's a little shy, so it's hard to really get to know him. And until you get a chance to talk to him, you don't realize that, gosh, this guy is really smart."

Black thinks Taylor's big chance with corporate America will come if his second year is as good as his first.

But the NFL isn't all about money for Taylor. It's also about becoming a better person, and proving he can do it to a public that remembers his less-flattering moments.

Many of those closest to Taylor these days are already convinced.

"He's a great locker-room guy, a great teammate," Coughlin says. "He's the same Fred to me this year as he was last year. He's just a year older and a year more mature."