26 September 2023 , 15:11
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Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid has hit out at NFL officials after offensive tackle Jawaan Taylor was penalised on Sunday.
Taylor, 25, was hit with two illegal formation penalties during the first half of their game against the Chicago Bears. At the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 2, the big free agent signing was called for five penalties while facing his former team.
The focus on Taylor stems back to the NFL Kickoff Game against the Detroit Lions. On opening night, officials were lenient on the player lining up in illegal positions throughout his Chiefs debut.
However, it was something that analysts were pointing out during the broadcast. Reid now feels that is impacting the treatment of Taylor.
"I checked out all the looks that our right tackle got called on today, and I'm seeing it on both sides of the ball," he said during his postgame media availability on Sunday. "He might be being picked on just a little bit here, I felt today.
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"I thought they did a good job the week before, but today, I thought it was too much. I wasn't seeing it. Still, we've got to keep working on that and get through this."
The coach continued: “They have an eye on him. It all started on the Thursday night game. You look around the league, and it’s just not consistent right now. That’s the important thing.”
Taylor is having a penalty plagued start to life with the ChiefsReid revisited the issue during a press conference with reporters on Monday. “Now that I’ve had a chance to look at it, I’ve even doubled down more on what I said yesterday,” he said.
“They’ve got an eye on him, and they better keep an eye on everybody else too. It’s to the point of being ridiculous. They got their point proved now out there to the world, so let’s make sure we’re staying consistent.”
The stats seem to back up Reid's assertion, too. Since the opening week, Taylor has been responsible for three of the four illegal formation penalties called on offensive tackles across the league, according to Sports Radio 810 WHB.
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has also called out the penalties. "It's wild to me," he said on Sunday.
"When you go back and look at the tablet, and they're both (both tackles) in the exact same spot... I don't understand it. It's hard because he's playing great football, and he's getting these penalties thrown on him.
"I know it's hard to officiate, but I watch a lot of tape, and he's no deeper than any other tackle in the league. Other guys are even further back than he is.
"It's crazy to see — hopefully it kind of calms down as the season goes on. But I mean, he's making adjustments, and it seems like even with his adjustments, they're not good enough, I guess."