Laddie Morse
A lot of problems has arisen for the Kansas City Chiefs new Right Tackle in the first two games of the year. So much so, that many have been wondering if the NFL has it out for Taylor, as if there’s some kind of conspiracy theory to be examined. Today, we’ll take a look at Jawaan Taylor’s play and see if there’s really any thing to the calls he’s been drawing from the refs.
Speed Ills
First of all, let’s take a look at Taylor’s quick first step, when he was called for a penalty by the refs in the Lion’s game to see if there really was a foul to be had (0:07):
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Keep your eyes on the ball as Creed Humphrey hikes it and you’ll notice RT Jawaan Taylor moving simultaneously to the snap. I don’t see the problem that would result in a foul being called. Often times, a lineman moves at the sound of the call by the QB, so if Taylor is moving early on other snaps, let’s just be aware that he is moving at the right time.
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Lining Up Offsides
Sometimes, I must admit, Jawaan Tylor is lining up offsides. Here’s a picture of the line of scrimmage prior to the snaps:
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Taylor would be on-sides if he was lining up based off of Trey Smith waistline, but it’s the Center’s waistline (of Creed Humphrey), that his head must line up with. Sure other Right Tackles in the league may end up lining up offsides but that’s not reason to allow JT to do that.
After Taylor was called for the third time in as many plays, HC Andy Reid took him off the field. ESPN has an article by Adam Teicher called, “Andy Reid says Chiefs ‘can fix’ Jawaan Taylor’s penalty woes” in which he quotes Reid as saying:
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“He’s naturally quick without having to cheat on that thing or get caught on it, and he’s strong, so he doesn’t need to do that. He’s a smart kid. We can fix it. He’s been doing this for a number of years, and he works extremely hard at it, but once you’ve had three of them in a row or so and they don’t get called and you have a … new crew coming in, they’re going to have an eye on you and so you’ve got to back up. He’s got to back up and start over on this and just slow it down.”
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I believe in Jawaan Taylor. He signed a three year deal to play Right of Left Tackle and he could become the starting Left next season, depending on what the Chiefs do in the draft and free agency.
Taylor signed an $80M deal with the Chiefs this past offseason and for some fans, that is exactly the problem because JT was called for penalties 5 times in the game against the Jaguars… which also leads one to think there could be a conspiracy theory on the rise. However, Jawaan Taylor leads the league in player penalties and individual penalty yardage. From thefootballdatabase, here’s the top five after two games:
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When Andy Reid says they can fix Jawaan Taylor’s penalty woes, do you believe him? Is there any reason not to believe him? Asking those questions is how I got to my conclusion. The answers are clear to me. JT will not be at the top of that list at year’s end… unless all the other players on the list stop making penalties too. Which, isn’t likely. Patrick Mahomes addressed the situation recently as well saying:
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“He’s going to continue to get better and better… He’ll get closer [to the line of scrimmage] so they don’t call it — and we’ll continue to work on the snap counts. But he’s a great player. He’ll continue to play and get comfortable. And it’s hard — when [you’re] getting picked on a little bit — to keep playing your game, but I have all the confidence in him in the world.”
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Did you hear that? Mahomes called JT a “great player.” My take is… he belongs right where K.C. has him. Plus, if the Chiefs can keep on winning, it will cure all woes. Facing the Bears this weekend should help with that. You’d guess right if you are assuming that I am assuming a Chiefs victory over the Bears in Arrowhead this Sunday, after all, K.C is a 13.5 point favorite, for now.
That will be a much needed win for Jawaan Taylor as well.
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Laddie Morse — ArrowheadOne
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