Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson addressed Kansas City Chiefs offensive tackle Jawaan Taylor's questionable positioning on the line of scrimmage during the K.C.'s Week 1 loss to the Detroit Lions.
Taylor made headlines last week when, throughout the game, the fifth-year pro appeared to consistently be one step ahead of the snap, while also illegally lining up off of the line of scrimmage. The NBC broadcast made multiple comments on the supposed disallowed move, but the officials threw no flags until they finally called him for a false start penalty late in the fourth quarter.
Pederson somewhat sidestepped the matter on Wednesday with the media, four days ahead of the Jaguars' Week 2 contest against Kansas City. The two teams will meet at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday in Jacksonville in what will be a rematch of an AFC divisional-round playoff game last winter.
Doug Pederson steers clear of a question about Jawaan Taylor seemingly being lined up illegally repeatedly Week 1:
— Andrew Siciliano (@AndrewSiciliano) September 13, 2023
“He has great anticipation of the snap count.”
“If they don’t call it, they don’t call it. There’s only so much you can say.”
Taylor was selected by the Jaguars in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft and spent the first four seasons of his career with the team, including last year under Pederson. Taylor started every one of Jacksonville's 66 regular-season games (plus two playoff tilts) during his tenure and played nearly every offensive snap before signing with the Chiefs in March.
The University of Florida product picked up seven penalties (two false starts) as a rookie and six flags (four false starts) in 2020, before playing penalty-free football in 2021. Taylor was called for six penalties (three false starts) last season.
He played all 65 offensive snaps in Kansas City's season-opener and an additional four on special teams.
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