Last Second Practice Squad Elevation Sends Patriots To Super Bowl With Blocked Kick
New England Patriots defensive end Leonard Taylor III is feeling Mile High after he made the game-saving play to beat the Denver Broncos in the AFC Championship Game.
Taylor started this season with the New York Jets. After just six weeks, he was released and became a free agent in his second year in the league.
Head coach Mike Vrabel claimed the Miami alumni and stashed him on the team’s practice squad for much of the year.
He earned an elevation for each of the team’s final two games against the New York Jets and the Miami Dolphins.
His play in the final two regular-season games earned him a spot on the roster for all three playoff games, and now he is the AFCCG hero after blocking Broncos kicker Will Lutz’s game-tying field goal attempt with 4:46 left to play in the fourth quarter.
Taylor was not announced on the Patriots’ active roster until Saturday afternoon.
Vrabel’s decision to do so might be the difference between a heartbreaking flight back to snowy Foxboro and a Super Bowl berth in Santa Clara.
Vrabel praised Taylor’s ability to step up in the playoffs before the team’s trip to Denver.
“Great attitude from day one,” Vrabel said. “Came in and worked hard on those Thursday practices that we talked about and showed up, and then had a conversation and said that as soon as you can learn what to do, where to go and how to run the defense – we’ve decided he was ready, and then he took advantage of his opportunity.
“So, the first was getting recognized in practice, and then was learning what to do kind of midstream there. Maybe took him a week or so to do that where we felt comfortable bringing him up.”
The Patriots are going back to the Super Bowl after beating the Broncos 10-7.