These three highlights show how dangerous Otis Taylor was in the Chiefs’ offense
During 11 seasons with the Chiefs, wide receiver Otis Taylor collected a number of awards in addition to catching a bunch of passes.
Taylor was chosen for three Pro Bowls, twice named an All-Pro and was the UPI’s NFL MVP award winner in 1971. He also played in Super Bowl I and Super Bowl IV. The latter was the Chiefs’ first Super Bowl victory.
Opposing defensive players had the tough task of trying to stop Taylor, who died this week at the age of 80. Despite retiring in 1975, Taylor still ranks third in Chiefs history in receiving yards (7,306) and touchdown catches (57).
Ken Houston, a Hall of Fame defensive back for the Houston Oilers and Washington, described Taylor this way in the podcast “Way Past Due”: “He was impossible. And when you look back at his film, you could take the film of Otis Taylor and match it up against anybody right now in modern-day football.”
Sound like hyperbole? Well, judge for yourself. Here are three highlights from Taylor’s playing days that were shared on Twitter by Old Time Football.
1. Blazing speed
In this clip, Hall of Fame quarterback Len Dawson talked about worrying that he had overthrown Taylor in a postseason game against the Jets. Instead, Taylor kicked it into another gear.
2. Great hands
Check out two fantastic catches by Taylor in a game against the Oilers at the Astrodome early in this video.
3. Trouble for defenders
What better way to illustrate how difficult it was for opposing defenders to tackle Taylor than show his clinching touchdown in Super Bowl IV?
4. Bonus
The Broncos had trouble in this game dealing with Taylor’s size and speed.
This story was originally published March 10, 2023 at 11:18 AM.
