Longtime NBC color analyst Cris Collinsworth knows full well what it takes to succeed in the NFL. Even if it means bending the rules as much as possible when it comes to Kansas City Chiefs offensive tackle Jawaan Taylor.
For those who regularly tune into Chiefs games, Taylor’s propensity to get a bit of an early start before the snap is nothing new. Add in the fact that Taylor typically lines up further behind the line of scrimmage than most offensive tackles, and you have a player who certainly has a reputation for toeing the line of what he can get away with from officials in most games.
In the second quarter of the Week 14 Sunday Night Football matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Los Angeles Chargers, Joey Bosa was called for an offside penalty. But the main talking point from Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth actually centered around Taylor — who also appeared to move early on the play.
“Here we go with Bosa right here,” said Collinsworth. “And you know what we have over here as well. Jawaan Taylor sort of can lean backwards a little bit. He has one of those stances. You can get a bit of a run-pass tell. So who jumped first? The official said the defense.
“Taylor has had a microscope on him throughout his couple of years in KC,” added Tirico. “Before that in Jacksonville.”
Collinsworth then looked at things from a player perspective, saying that it’s a smart thing for Taylor to do if he can get away with it.
“I mean, he’s definitely moving before the snap,” said Collinsworth. “So, good for him. If he can get away with it, it gives him an extra step. And that little lean back and he’s able to get it done. To his advantage, he has corrected one of his flaws, which is he used to be off the line of scrimmage. Now he’s got his helmet up over the belt line of the center and it’s fine.”
“He’s definitely moving before the snap. So, good for him. If he can get away with it, it gives him an extra step. And that little lean back and he’s able to get it done.”
Cris Collinsworth on Chiefs RT Jawaan Taylor. pic.twitter.com/BBgUmRHEqo
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It may not be all that fair that Taylor is able to frequently get away with his slight movements before a large portion of snaps.
But this is also far from the only instance in the NFL that we see players toe the line of drawing penalties. Game in and game out, we see NFL defensive backs hold as much as they can while simultaneously trying to get away with it without drawing a holding or pass interference call.
The bottom line is that Taylor has perfected the ability to get away with getting a bit of an early start. And as far as Collinsworth sees it, it’s a smart move to do so.