How Chiefs HC Andy Reid helped RT Jawaan Taylor on Sunday
Coming into this game, Kansas City Chiefs RT Jawaan Taylor knew he had a massive target on his back. Not only was he facing the Jacksonville Jaguars, the team where he spent the first four years of his NFL career, but he was under the NFL officiating microscope. His play in Week 1 against the Detroit […]
Coming into this game, Kansas City Chiefs RT Jawaan Taylor knew he had a massive target on his back.
Not only was he facing the Jacksonville Jaguars, the team where he spent the first four years of his NFL career, but he was under the NFL officiating microscope. His play in Week 1 against the Detroit Lions caused a league-wide crackdown on illegal formations. Then, there was an outcry surrounding the timing of his snaps and whether he was false-starting or not. As it turns out, that was a point of emphasis for officials too.
On back-to-back offensive drives in the first quarter, Taylor was penalized, once for a false start and once for an illegal formation. After back-to-back offensive holding penalties on Taylor in the third quarter, Andy Reid made the decision to briefly pull him from the game.
Yes, the Chiefs benched their $80-million-dollar right tackle in the middle of an offensive drive.
"Yeah, so listen, I took him out for a couple of plays," Reid said of the decision. "Just step back. This is home, not only home, but it's also where he played. You know, step back and let us get you back out there. He had some big blocks down later in the game. So, he did a nice job finishing."
Ultimately, Taylor was trying to do a little too much in a highly emotional environment. He was compensating for the fact that he was being "picked on" as Patrick Mahomes described it. He was getting frustrated in the moment and it was noticeable to the coaching staff on the sideline.
So, Reid took him to the sideline and got him to settle down a bit. Prince Tega Wanogho replaced him for two plays before he came back in on the ensuing drive. He was called for a fifth false start penalty later in the game, but he also managed a few good blocks when they were very necessary.
"He's going to continue to get better and better," Mahomes said of Taylor. "He'll get closer (to the line of scrimmage) so they don't call it. We'll continue to work the snap counts and stuff like that. But he's a great player. He'll continue to play and get comfortable."
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Featured image via Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports
