{"id":106398,"date":"2026-02-08T13:30:48","date_gmt":"2026-02-08T19:30:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/?p=106398"},"modified":"2026-02-08T14:16:17","modified_gmt":"2026-02-08T20:16:17","slug":"for-the-patriots-leonard-taylor-iii-special-teams-has-always-been-a-special-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/for-the-patriots-leonard-taylor-iii-special-teams-has-always-been-a-special-time\/","title":{"rendered":"For the Patriots\u2019 Leonard Taylor III, special teams has always been a special time"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Brendan Preisman
\n<\/b>Medill Reports<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

SANTA CLARA, Calif. \u2014 When New England Patriots defensive lineman Leonard Taylor III blocked Denver Broncos kicker Will Lutz\u2019s 45-yard field goal attempt to help preserve the Patriots\u2019 13-10 lead in the AFC championship game, it shocked the Broncos crowd at Empower Field at Mile High. But not New England\u2019s sideline.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHim coming off the ball \u2026 we showed him the tape after the (Chargers) game and said, \u2018Bro, you just keep doing this, you\u2019re gonna get your hand on the ball,\u201d Patriots special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer said. \u201cI said, \u2018Bro, just believe it and trust it.\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

That belief in Taylor originates at Miami Palmetto Senior High School, where he starred for head coach Mike Manasco. Manasco says there were occasions when his staff would pull Taylor off of the practice field because he was blowing up every offensive play. Taylor also blocked several kicks during his high school career, including a field goal in the state semifinals during his senior season.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a generational type of kid,\u201d Manasco said. \u201cThere\u2019s not many things Leonard can do on a football field that would surprise any of us down here.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

But Taylor\u2019s gameday heroics are only possible thanks to his practice field work. On Oct. 14, he was released by the New York Jets. The Patriots added him to their practice squad two days later. Even at the start of January, the defensive tackle was still buried on the practice squad. However, Taylor\u2019s sheer talent \u2014 combined with a dogged determination \u2014 made his promotion to the active roster a necessity.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s got natural football to him. He finds ways to make plays,\u201d Patriots defensive line coach Clinton McMillan said. \u201cThe thing I was most excited about is how he dug into the work. He\u2019s worked harder, and it\u2019s paid dividends for him.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

For Taylor, effort decides his in-game battles as well. In both defensive line and special teams work, he\u2019ll typically match up one-on-one with opposing players. And he does not want to lose those individual battles.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJust beat the man in front of you. If you beat him, keep hitting him over and over, he\u2019s finally gonna give up,\u201d Taylor explained when asked how he pushes through the opponent\u2019s offensive line. \u201cAnd I feel like that\u2019s what happened.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

But in addition to his imposing stature \u2014 6 feet, 3 inches tall, 305 pounds \u2014 and physicality, Taylor has a secret weapon: his speed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe has the quickest first step off the ball,\u201d Manasco explained. \u201cIf that was a legitimate timed thing, I think that he would probably be in the top three in the NFL on his first step. That\u2019s how quick he is.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

That speed and timing are evident on replay of Taylor\u2019s game-saving block in Denver. In a slow-motion replay of the kick, Taylor begins his jump a full second before Will Lutz\u2019s foot makes contact with the ball. Despite his size, that explosive first step has always been a part of Taylor\u2019s game.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really just second nature to me,\u201d Taylor said with a chuckle. \u201cSometimes I\u2019ll be moving so fast, I surprise myself.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

But his big play didn\u2019t surprise fellow defensive tackle Christian Barmore, who claims to have had advanced knowledge of the block.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI was really happy for that man. I was really excited because he timed it,\u201d Barmore said. \u201cHe told me that he was going to block it, and he did it.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Thanks to his confidence and drive, Taylor quickly earned support from the Patriots coaches, especially McMillan, who saw Taylor\u2019s high school stardom up close while working on Florida State\u2019s staff in 2020.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s exciting when you get a player that you know has physical ability,\u201d McMillan said. \u201cHe\u2019s a massive part of why we\u2019re here, but that\u2019s because of him. His ability to take advantage has been outstanding.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

For Taylor, that support from the coaching staff has been invaluable. After he went undrafted, his Jets tenure was filled with coaching turmoil and constant lineup shuffling. Since arriving\u00a0 in New England, he\u2019s found a much more welcoming system \u2014 a system that\u2019s had him on the active roster for every playoff game.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s all you need. You need somebody to believe in you and really just give you the opportunity,\u201d Taylor said. \u201cThat\u2019s what I felt like has been happening here.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Taylor got his opportunity against Denver and took full advantage of it. Now his team is 60 minutes away from winning the Super Bowl. It may seem a bit surprising a man who played in just three regular season games has been so crucial to the Patriots\u2019 playoff run. But it\u2019s not surprising to Taylor \u2014 or to the coaches who believe in him.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a winner. He\u2019s used to being a deciding factor in games,\u201d Manasco said. \u201cHe loves those moments. Those are the moments that he plays for.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Brendan Preisman is a sports media specialization graduate student at Medill.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Brendan Preisman Medill Reports SANTA CLARA, Calif. \u2014 When New England Patriots defensive lineman Leonard Taylor III blocked Denver Broncos kicker Will Lutz\u2019s 45-yard field goal attempt to help preserve the Patriots\u2019 13-10 lead in the AFC championship game, it shocked the Broncos crowd at Empower Field at Mile High. But not New England\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":765,"featured_media":106404,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5545,5543,31,5546,5544],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-106398","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-medill-explores-2026","category-msj26","category-sports","category-super-bowl-lx","category-winter-2026"],"yoast_head":"\nFor the Patriots\u2019 Leonard Taylor III, special teams has always been a special time - Medill Reports Chicago<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/for-the-patriots-leonard-taylor-iii-special-teams-has-always-been-a-special-time\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"For the Patriots\u2019 Leonard Taylor III, special teams has always been a special time - Medill Reports Chicago\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Brendan Preisman Medill Reports SANTA CLARA, Calif. \u2014 When New England Patriots defensive lineman Leonard Taylor III blocked Denver Broncos kicker Will Lutz\u2019s 45-yard field goal attempt to help preserve the Patriots\u2019 13-10 lead in the AFC championship game, it shocked the Broncos crowd at Empower Field at Mile High. 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