Chiefs’ Jawaan Taylor says quick 1st step is not a false start. It’s a trained skill

When I approached tackle Jawaan Taylor at his locker Monday — three days before the Chiefs’ 21-20 loss to the Detroit Lions — neither one of us realized that our conversation would soon become a national storyline.

I wanted to ask Taylor about his famous “kick step” — the move he’d perfected over time that had allowed him to become one of the NFL’s elite pass-blockers at age 25.

And yes, the move that NBC’s broadcast repeatedly claimed Thursday night was a false start.

Even before the controversy, the Chiefs’ free-agent signing — he agreed to a four-year deal in March — said he’s not jumping the snap. Instead, he’s making a concerted effort to get started at the exact right moment.

“If you look at it on film — you put it in slow-mo — I’m moving the same time the ball’s moving,” Taylor said Monday. “It’s just when you’re watching it live, it looks like I’m false starting, but I’m really not. It’s just a timing thing. That’s all.”

Many offensive line experts came to Taylor’s defense with that point after Thursday night’s game.

That included Duke Manyweather, who played one clip in slow motion that showed Taylor appearing to move back at the instant that center Creed Humphrey snapped the ball.

Former offensive tackle Bryan Bulaga — he played 11 seasons with Green Bay and the Los Angeles Chargers — also responded to Manyweather’s clip by saying, “All (I) see is that the rest of the KC oline is late off the ball, which makes the RT look like he’s going early. Just my 2 cents.”

Taylor had similar clips in the preseason, like one against New Orleans where the slowed-down film shows almost perfect synchronization with Humphrey’s left arm.

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This isn’t by accident. Taylor says he works hard to refine this technique, which requires plenty of coordination with teammates.

It also takes on different forms at home and on the road. In Kansas City, when the crowd noise is at a minimum for the Chiefs offense, Taylor says he gets the snap count from the play call in the huddle; Mahomes reveals which cadence he will use before each down.

Taylor, in those instances, is moving based on what he hears. And yes, it took some time to feel comfortable playing with a new quarterback and offense this season.

“The more you rep in walkthroughs and practice, then you get in the game, it’s kind of like second nature,” Taylor said. “It’s just a timing thing. Not everybody can get it down. It’s hard to explain the timing, but I mean, I feel like once you get it, you get on a rhythm.”

Taylor’s routine will be different on the road because of the crowd noise. In Jacksonville on Sept. 17, for instance, Taylor will start his pass set based on seeing Humphrey’s head movement in his peripheral vision while keeping his eyes forward.

The Chiefs can utilize different snap counts in these settings too, choosing to snap the ball the first, second or third time Humphrey lifts his helmet. Taylor understands that plan, so when he sees Humphrey’s head move up and to the side at a particular juncture, he realizes the snap is coming immediately after.

“Whenever it’s that last movement,” Taylor said, “you’ve got to know to be able to time it and get off.”

Taylor describes that quick step back as a “great advantage” when he can get it.

Chiefs right guard Trey Smith says pass-rushing is all about an edge rusher getting an angle, so if Taylor can get back to that point of intersection between the defender and quarterback first, he can do his job more effectively.

“If you sort of take them out of their rhythm — you get to the spot that you need to get to — you’re gonna win the reps,” Smith said. “You’re throwing them off their game, and you have the advantage.”

The quick-fire first step certainly caught Smith and his Chiefs teammates’ attention early. Smith said his first reaction to seeing Taylor in early practices was, “Dang, I gotta get faster.”

“It’s consistent. It’s a beautiful set. But once again, just the speed at which he’s coming out and anticipating the snap count is different, man,” Smith said. “It’s something I’m trying to apply to my game even better, just watching him.”

Taylor’s effective kick step has required plenty of training. He quickened up his feet in high school with help from trainer and uncle Marlon Lewis, who put him through ladder drills and sometimes even had him doing defensive-back workouts to improve his athleticism.

It’s gotten to the point where Taylor believes those in NFL circles know him primarily for his kick step on pass protections.

That will only increase after Thursday’s game. NBC analyst Cris Collinsworth often commented about Taylor potentially moving early, making the Chiefs right tackle a focal point of the broadcast.

For his part, Taylor said Monday he had been used to hearing this type of thing from opponents. Sometimes, defensive ends across from him have complained to officials that he should be getting a penalty.

“I wave it off,” Taylor said. “I just tell them, ‘It’s not a false start.’”

Smith, on Monday, also shrugged off anyone saying Taylor’s first movement was not legal during KC’s preseason games.

“Where have the flags been then?” Smith said. “He’s just really good at timing it up.”