The stat sheet from the Jets' game at Tampa Bay last week shows that rookie TE Mason Taylor had his most productive game of his young NFL career: 6 targets, 4 receptions for 18 yards over 51 snaps (74%). And after three games, Taylor's initial baby steps are becoming more like measured strides in the Green & White offense.
"It's what I thought it would be, really fast," he said. "And I think I've done a pretty good job of kind of adapting to it. But I mean just looking forward to the next week and just attacking practice every single day trying to get better."
Week 4 takes Taylor (6-5, 251) and the Jets back to Florida, to his hometown of Miami and a family reunion. He said his mom is in charge of all ticket requests ("you got to call my mom and ask her," he said with a laugh), and a reconnection with his dad, the Hall of Famer Jason Taylor who starred for the Dolphins and also played for the Jets.
Both teams will be seeking their first victory of the season in the showcase of "Monday Night Football" and the rookie from LSU is ready to drink it all in.
"Oh, it's going to be awesome," said the Jets' second round draft pick (No. 42 overall) in April. "It's going to be an awesome experience. But I'm not making it too big of a thing. I know my mom and my dad are really excited for it, but I'm just treating it like a normal game."
"I'm excited for him, I mean, excited for our family to get to experience something like that. As I said, I'm just trying to block out all the distractions and go play football, so I'm not treating it like a normal game for me, which it is, and I'm not putting it on a pedestal, but I definitely think it's cool for our family to be involved in something like this."
Across the Jets' three games so far this season, Taylor has 6 catches on 8 targets for 43 yards (7.2 yards a catch) while he's waiting to corral his first NFL TD. Along the offensive line where he has duties to block, he's often playing next to another rookie in RT Armand Membou (the No. 7 overall pick in April's NFL Draft). They are a part of the team's youth movement that is likely to put five other first-year players on the field at some point against the Dolphins -- S Malachi Moore, WR Arian Smith, LB Kiko Mauigoa (who played in college at Miami), DL Tyler Baron (another former Hurricane) and CB Azareye'h Thomas.
They are all maturing before our eyes, making contributions. And when it comes to Taylor, OC Tanner Engstrand says he's been pleased with his progression.
"Again, another guy that's getting better every week," Engstrand said. "I think he's feeling that he's been in a good spot. I guess I've said that a couple of times, but I think where he is, is he's starting to get familiar with how we want to play, and how where he needs to be, and just those different things in which situations and being a situationally aware football player. … So I think he's in a good spot, and I would expect him to continue to develop and become a very good contributor to the offense."
Taylor, 21, said he's game for whatever role Engstrand carves out for him.
"Whatever is asked of me, I just try to do it to the best of my ability," he said. "Whether that's to catch the ball 40 times a game, or to block 40 snaps a game. That's whatever my job is, and whatever the offensive coordinator our coaches tell me to do I'm doing it to the best of my ability."
