Fred Taylor says he won't be completely healthy until he gets a few weeks of rest.

He doesn't buy it.

The Jacksonville Jaguars running back also has heard about how, with Mark Brunell gimpy and Tony Boselli out, he'll be forced to rise above the high standard he already has set for himself.

He doesn't believe that either.

"The playoffs are just like the regular season," he said. "Last year, it was the same way. A lot of times, they say it speeds up. I don't think it's true. It's all hype."

The attitude could stem from his experience as a big-game player in college, or maybe from a depth of talent that instills a sense of confidence many players can't comprehend.

He also has had little trouble adjusting to the playoff atmosphere. In his first postseason game as a pro last season, he rushed for 162 yards, the third-best playoff rushing performance for a rookie.

Whatever the reason, Taylor refuses to put any more pressure on himself as Jacksonville enters the playoffs. He figures the best way to approach Saturday's game against the Miami Dolphins is by treating it as business-as-usual.

"There's no pressure," Taylor said. "That's the whole hype about the playoffs. People put so much pressure on themselves. You don't want to put a lot of pressure on yourself. You want to play your hardest. But you can play your hardest without pressuring yourself. That's one thing I'm good at. I play a lot of times under pressure without panicking."

Taylor's big-game reputation stems back to his days at Florida, where he averaged 5.7 yards per carry over four seasons.

One notable performance was a 162-yard, four-touchdown game against Florida State that included a 61-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. Six weeks later, he closed his career with a 43-carry, 243-yard game in the Citrus Bowl, a showcase performance that foreshadowed things to come.

"You understand the big-play ability," offensive lineman Ben Coleman said. "The thing about Fred is, you see him make some plays and say, 'He should've taken that hole.' Then you watch him later, and he turns nothing into something big."

This season has been filled with injuries and subpar statistics. A sore hamstring has nagged at him all season. He has played in only seven complete games and finished the season with 732 yards and six touchdowns.

Now, he feels the injury is healed. If so, the Dolphins could face a weapon unlike any they've seen this season.

Taylor is the reason coach Tom Coughlin keeps hammering at the running game. He's willing to deal with the 2-yard gains and the frustrating three-and-outs because he knows eventually Taylor could break a long run and change a game.

"Anytime he runs the ball, you have to have that feeling," Coughlin said. "You're always trying for the big play. You're not going to get it all the time, so you've got to have patience."

Even in this season of somewhat diminished returns, Taylor had four runs of 35 yards or more.

Last season, he broke at least one long run almost every week.

The one people have returned to this week is the 77-yard run he broke on the first play of the game against the Dolphins on Monday night.

It was the longest run of his career, but he says it wasn't wholly satisfying. Taylor finished that game with only 89 yards and left in the third quarter with a shoulder injury.