In the Jets’ recent loss to the Miami Dolphins, second-year tight end Mason Taylor put on a show.
He had a career-high 2 TD catches, both coming on 50-50 passes, where QB Geno Smith threw it to the 6-5 tight end, who was covered by 6-0 defensive backs, first CB Jason Marshall and then safety Michael Taaffe.
On both catches, Taylor showed strong hands and excellent hand-eye coordination to snatch the passes away from the shorter defensive backs in jump-ball situations.
Some might ask they Jets haven’t done more of this in the player’s first year and a half with the team.
This is what they call in football – “throwing a guy open.”
The player might not be wide open, but when a target is five inches taller than somebody who is covering him in single coverage, throw the rock up and let him grab it, kind of like a basketball forward grabbing a rebound over a shorter guard.
Too often, Taylor has been an afterthought in the Jets’ passing game, and these two plays make it abundantly clear he needs to be used more.
So while some in the media are obsessed with a certain player getting the ball more, you could also make a strong argument that Taylor should get more targets.
What a performance he put on against his hometown Dolphins on Sunday!
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