WhitewalkerInPhilly

Maybe you can explain why, despite looking routinely improved, having nigh flawless last practices and showing he can pass from the pocket, people keep saying the smart money is for Cassel to start. "Ladies and gentlemen, I give you our starting QB: Meh Cassel. Why?" *shrugs*

Astro notes! YES MUST HAVE

I'm sorry, but if it hits your chest, you should catch it. Even if it's not perfect, that's what starters do in the NFL.

That is indeed troubling. I only saw a bunch on the field! Seriously though, what I've seen is good enough to do some damage.

Good to see!

You may or may not agree with his points, but man did he put them together sloppily. The way he presents his ideas without any solid data, doesn't reference any scheme information or matchup and seems to deal with any concept he doesn't like (Rex being a capable coach, Shady being an effective rusher, Graham helping an already mostly intact Seattle team make another SB run) as saying "you must be currently drunk" really undercuts his work.

There's a really nice fan post here from Buffalo Rumblings where Dan Love breaks down every Taylor pass and run: http://www.buffalorumblings.com/buffalo-bills-analysis-all-22/2015/8/24/9186979/tyrod-taylor-scouting-report-bills-vs-browns-nfl-preseason-week-2 It's worth looking at some of those Vines, where you can see Taylor going through progressions before delivering a strike, looking off the defense, step up in the pocket at the blitz and check his blindside the second he gets into space on a scramble.

I'm going to miss these two hour sessions of over analyzing every tweet.

I have to agree with you. Cassel could surprise everyone and maybe he has another season where he repeats his 11-5, 10-6 bests. But he's on a one year deal, and the going rate for average QB play is getting absurd. I would emphatically not pay him Mario Williams money, and be forced to choose him over Mario. If Cassel starts, I fully expect Whaley to go out guns blazing in the offseason either trying to trade for a vet with warts but a record of production like Cutler, Bradford, RGIII, Palmer or Foles or gamble everything to move up to a top 10 pick for a QB they think can start.

FWIW that's what I saw too for the most part. I like EJ, and have been called an EJ homer, and I think EJ has deserved more time with the 1's to make his case. But seriously, people are over exaggerating Taylors flaws. He chewed up time. He might have not always made perfect throws, but I can't remember anything I would call "The bad decision" When called to, he made throws from the pocket. When he ran, his big plays were on a blown up bubble screen where his only hot read was unavailable and on a read option where he correctly identified coverage and made them pay. EJ had the prettiest throws, but he had over a quarter of the ugliest, even if he did so repeatedly under duress. Link? But yeah, it's really been a flash in the pan for that Russell Wilson kid.

Are we talking about the same team? Rex is hyperagressive in his schemes. And the D-line had 3 Pro Bowlers and 4 in the NFL top 100. I've heard of the sophomore slump. Byrd had one like that after his really productive rookie year, but that was more the numbers game catching up. You rarely get 9 INT in a season, never mind get close to repeating it.

This. In my humble opinion,the theory how how to best prepare the coordination of the half of the field you don't know about goes something like this: -Decide your philosophy of how you want to win games. In our case, it's to emphasize ball control, the running game, and beating down your opposing D so they're gassed when it counts. The defense generates turnovers, gives favorable field position, and cuts down on the points to O needs to win. -You hire a coordinator who can bring your vision to life. Roman has a track record of being innovative in the run game. He has a track record of success with both a drop back passer who can dink and dunk and let skill players do their job (Smith/Cassel) and an athletic runner who can make plays with his legs, forcing an opponent to send an extra player to spy the QB. (Kaep/Taylor). -The two discuss what plays best fit their scheme and philosophy. I really hope that Rex really listens to GRo. It is his call at the end of day, but Rex has made numerous mistakes at QB and I really hope he defers if they disagree. But I really hope that they're talking. If Roman says "I prefer this guy, but I can make the other guy work" I'm ok with Rex picking.

Huh? Our CBs are pretty good, but they get a lot of help from the pass rush. And Darby now looks like an incredibly smart pick with McKelvin on the sideline.

I agree that the formatting is bad. But I agree with most of his points. If Taylor wins the starting job, the speed of Sammy, Harvin and Shady, plus TT's legs is a terrifying matchup.

Hey, if we can get something for Thompson, I'm all for it. Whaley did a good job with mid-round picks this year, and realistically speaking, we're talking about a 5th or 6th string WR when everyone is healthy.

And now we have a Willis! Is Rex creating a new TV block?

I'm certainly not underestimating our skill position players. I really do think they look like a special group. I just have a hard time believing that the man on our roster best suited to maximize those talents is Matt Cassel. At some point, the defense starts playing close to the line. They see the quick pass coming. When Geno Smith was hurt, I remember us joking that as long as Fitz was running the show, all people had to do was guard 15 yards back, because anything past that wouldn't reach its target. Well, I trust Fitz more than I do Cassel. If you want to talk about how people will "gameplan" for Taylor's running, it seems only fair to acknowledge what they'll do against Cassel. You can have a thriving offense with dink and dunk passes...if you're Tom Brady. I have not seen Brady level accuracy from Cassel. Tayor seems to be able to make the high percentage passes at a level similar to Cassel. We've seen arm strength that is greater. We've seen a running ability. This isn't to say that Taylor is going to be amazing, or that even if he wins the job that it would be crazy to look at drafting a new QB. But it boggles my mind that Cassel of all people would be the best option.

Link please? I can't imagine anyone preferring Cassel at this point. He has not looked terribly impressive so far. He's, what, made a couple high percentage throws and limped through. If you want high accuracy, Taylor was better week two, and did it with worse receivers, never mind the running ability.

Just curious...where the hell did you see that? I hAve seen nothing of the sort declaring Roman wanted Cassel.

40 yards in one game by the running backs is "reasonably effective"?

Is it unrestricted now? Last year, it was only available to students, people living in apartment complexes and people in certain metropolitan areas.

Exhibit A Why I am not worried about who wins at RT. We'll be finding ways to use both of them at the same time. I suppose it is worth saying that, once the regular season begins, it does matter how much time you grind on the first, even if it's just a field goal. It keeps your Luck and Brady off the field and helps gas the D once you have a limited roster to make subs.

I would like to point out, again, that game planning against Taylor means *not* sending those blitz packages that you usually can't get away with unless your skill players are shot.

You mean, except for the two touchdown drives last week, when he actually had a running back and not a shambling corpse? And oh, he's on the roster through 2017, and dirt cheap: http://www.spotrac.com/nfl/buffalo-bills/tyrod-taylor/

My worry is a little tempered by the biggest comparison we've been aspiring to: the 2000 Ravens. They had multiple games where the defense outscored the offense. I'm ok with being agressive if you think that will get pressure and turnovers, but if you do you better get a clean tackle with the first defender.