Sights and Sounds: Thursday Night Football at Lucas Oil Every time he gets the football to Taylor – on handoffs, in the passing game where he’s averaging 12.7 yards on 23 receptions – he expects “something big.’’
A quarterback’s best friend, he noted, are those one-play, 78-yard drives. “For him to be 230 and that fast, he’s special.’’ him and Derrick Henry are both really, really fast. “For JT to be like 230, he’s very, very quick. “That’s the most deceptive thing for JT,’’ Hines said. That’s not necessarily the case with Taylor: 5-10, 226 pounds. Hines looks the part of burner: 5-9, 196 pounds. Two years earlier, Hines posted the best 40 at the position, a 4.38. He was a part of the Wolfpack’s first-team All-America 4×100-meter relay unit in 2016.Īt the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine, Taylor turned in the best time among running backs, a 4.39. Hines placed second in North Carolina’s 4A state finals in the 100- and 300-meter hurdles for Garner H.S., and was a standout sprinter for N.C. Taylor won consecutive 100-meter titles in the New Jersey Meet of Champions for Salem High School. Always have.Įach was an elite sprinter in high school.
“But you know, we have a great line, a quarterback that gets us in the right runs, tight ends who are willing to block, receivers – Pitt (Michael Pittman Jr.), (Zach) Pascal, Ashton Dulin – we have guys who are willing to help us out.īut speed often is the deal breaker for a defense.Īnd Taylor and Hines bring speed. I’m coming for him,’’ Hines said with a grin. It was mentioned to Hines that Taylor has the two longest rushes of the season. Cornerback Brandin Echols and safety Marcus Maye had decent angles in their pursuit, but Hines’ speed negated that. There was no posted time on Hines’ 34-yard reverse-field TD against the Jets, but once he turned the left edge, no one caught him as he sprinted to the left pylon. 6 at 21.85 mph on a kickoff return in the same game against the Texans. Taylor hit 22.05 mph on a 29-yard run against Jacksonville in week 17 (4 th-fastest, according to Next Gen Stats) and 21.6 mph on a 39-yard TD catch from Philip Rivers in week 13 at Houston (12 th). While Taylor has turned the two quickest times by a ball carrier this season, he and Hines were in the mix in 2020. Hines is able to keep up with Taylor, virtually step for step. The Colts, as most are aware, have a pair of racehorses. You’ve got that racehorse back there wearing 28. We don’t tweet, ‘Run the damn ball’ for nothing. He’s one of the top-five backs in the league. “What is JT doing? He’s going crazy,’’ running mate Nyheim Hines said after Thursday night’s offensive fireworks by Taylor and the Colts. He also took a simple screen from Wentz at Baltimore and turned it into a 76-yard TD. Taylor has the two longest runs in the NFL this season: the 78-yarder and a franchise-record 83-yard run against Houston. “He’s just fast, strong and elusive.’’Ĭolts Blue Zone Podcast episode 174 ‘Colts Can’t Sleep on the Jets’ “When he gets to the second level, I feel like it’s going to the house,’’ Frank Reich said.
He bounced to his feet and raced towards the edge of the field to get a better look at his streaking teammate. Wentz tucked the ball in Taylor’s belly, Taylor waited for a massive hole over the right side to yawn open, then hit the afterburners. Linebacker Darius Leonard was mic’d up and catching a quick breather on the bench as Carson Wentz took the offense to the line of scrimmage for a first-and-10 at the Indy 22 at the 6:12 mark of the third quarter. The second-fastest time: Taylor in week 8 against the Tennessee Titans (21.83 mph). You know, breaking the electric eye, trimming every millisecond off his time.Īccording to Next Gen Stats, Taylor hit a top speed of 22.05 miles per hour on the run, the fastest time by a ball carrier this season. INDIANAPOLIS – The ending gave it away: there’s a serious speed issue involving two of the Indianapolis Colts’ unquestioned playmakers.Īs Jonathan Taylor was completing his 78-yard touchdown run in the third quarter against the New York Jets Thursday evening, he added one of those sprinter’s leans at the goal line.