Rocky Landing

Goff hasn't been the real deal, yet!

If he solidifies is position as the Bills' starter, and becomes our franchise QB, then the paycheck will come. Sign as a backup somewhere else, and a backup he remains. I believe this is his mindset. High risk- high reward vs. low risk- low reward. I believe he has that much faith in his ability.

IMHO, both QBs are utterly pedestrian, at best. At least, their stats are similarly dismal.

I'd be down with that.

Will he be a better backup than EJ?

I doubt this is true. I would assume that remaining on the Bills simply gave him the best chance at being the starter. If he didn't have faith in his own ability to improve, and prove himself, he could have signed a deal elsewhere, and had a long career as a solid backup.

I wish you had included, "Best on Board in Round (fill in the blank)." In which case, I would vote best on the board in round #3. (Or, round #4, if we end up with a pick in that round)

Lost some respect for you, here.

If I had to make a prediction, I would guess that we will take a QB in round #5 --whoever is the best left on the board.

I was waiting for someone to hit me for the point on Mills. It's not something I read. It was just my perception of his last few games-- I felt like I was watching him get better. I still feel that way. I know he started his Buffalo career as pretty awful. Really, really awful. But I fee lie there was a slow trend of improvement that I took notice of at the end of the season. Speaking of atrocious beginnings of NFL careers, what about Kujo? I recall some talk last season of moving him to LT, and making Glenn the highest paid RT in the league. Could be a cool option, no? Edit: I also want to add that while I understand (and do not rule out) your opinion on the right side giving up more sacks with a less mobile QB, I think it misses one point: TT moves so far back in the pocket at the instant of the snap-- his five paces are twice the distance of most-- that he stretched the pocket into a size that is very hard to defend, and DCs figured that out early. The O-line had to have eyes in the backs of their head just to know where he was. DCs knew which side to attack, and attack they did.

Maybe Pegs packed all eight of them in his limo?

Well, our run game was pretty good last year. The left side is pretty damn solid. Wood should be 100%. Miller should continue to improve. And, idk, I feel like Mills improved, as well. Am I wrong? I'm not saying the O-line should be ignored-- we've seen the folly in that over the years! But, with Tyrod backing out of the pocket on every snap, and with our issues at so many other positions... yeah, not the top concern...

He had a great game against them last year.

That's some blue collar guys, right there.

The term "bridge QB" gets thrown around on this site a lot as though it were a given. I don't believe it is. Certainly, Tyrod doesn't believe he is a bridge, and McD may not either. But, even if he is, there are plenty of reasons to pay for him, over Foles (who is guaranteed $7mil in Philly, btw) beyond McD's feelings (I'm not sure what that even means?). Honestly, I think we're paying him what he's worth, and I do think he gives us a better chance of winning than any of the other realistic options that were out there. I'm not even sure if I'm in a minority, or majority in this, but, I would rather spend the 2017 season watching the Bills once again go 8-8, than, say, 4-12. Or, 7-9, for that matter. To be clear, I'm not saying that Foles would lose us that many games. I'm just saying that I want to spend as many Sundays watching the Bills win as possible. TT gives us the best chance, at this time, IMHO.

It would seem, from what has been widely reported, that the chances of any of the QBs in this draft developing into a top ten talent are remote, and there is even little consensus on who the top prospect is. It would be pretty surprising if Whaley/McD took one in the first round without trading down. If they did, there would be an avalanche of criticism in the likely event that such a prospect does not pan out. (Not that it matters.) Personally, I would be happy if they traded down for a QB, and not mad if they go for one at #10. But, there are plenty of other needs to be met, with far less risk.

Far better? I'll respectfully disagree with this. Foles was much worse than TT in '15 in St. Louis, and he lost his job to Case Keenum. He barely played last year in KC.

His former coaching staff, and especially his former Ravens' teammates, are some of his most vocal supporters.

I think there is something to this. But, I would say that the lack of a viable alternative played a much bigger role. I was very happy when they kept TT- not because I think he's great (he's not), but because no one could suggest a better alternative (Brian Hoyer???), and I never have, and never will, be on board with tanking a season to get a better draft pick for the following season. So, we're stuck with him this season. Things could be worse. I certainly don't have the faith in him that you do, but I think it's foolish not to recognize his potential. I don't think any of his flaws are insurmountable. And, as the highlight reel that started this thread will attest, his athleticism is undeniable-- and hella-fun to watch when he's on point.

I would submit that one season of decline is an insufficient sample size on which to draw a conclusion.

I'm pretty neutral on TT. I'm hopeful that he will improve. I think it's possible that he becomes, if not a franchise QB, a good enough QB, and leader to get us to the playoffs. I also think it's possible that he flames out. I think the most likely scenario is that he plays 2017 somewhere between his '15 and '16 level. All that being said, I feel like I am objective enough to observe that the "TT Sucks" crowd seems to have much more of an agenda than the "TT is Our Guy" crowd. And, I certainly don't see the sort of blind faith that some of the EJ boosters used to flaunt.

Fair enough. Would you agree that he was better in '15, though?

This stikes me as a rather silly analysis, and more than a little hypocritical. Opinions that differ from yours are not automatically "horrid" (a ridiculous word to use in this context), any more than your opinions are gospel. Tyrod Taylor is what he is, and there were quite a few starting QBs in 2016 that he was better than. The truth is that TT is currently middle-of-the-road. But, there are as many reasons to believe he could improve in 2017 as there are reasons to believe he won't. No doubt, in your mind, that "horrid" opinion makes me "obsessed."

Has anyone said he sucked? The worst thing I have read about him from these pages was that he wasn't worth the price, and he didn't play as hard last season. Both of those things are debatable, but neither equate to "he sucked." What is more amazing to me is the tendency of so many posters to overstate the opinions of those with whom they disagree. If you are arguing against the notion that "Gilmore sucked," then you are engaging in a straw man argument.

I'm wondering if the folks on here who believe this team is three losses worse than last year were Rex Ryan fans? Or, maybe they have very little faith, hope, or trust in McD? Or, maybe they don't remember who the coach was last year? Because, honestly, I can't really wrap my head around the loss of these three players having that great an impact, and I just don't see how, outside of the coaching staff, this team is that different. In my opinion, Rex damaged this team-- especially the defense. So, I'll just go ahead and mix up my own Kool Aid, and be hopeful that McD can turn things around.