grb

It's certainly not an unfair assessment - to go all double negative. I find it interesting to look deeper at the stats behind this quote : "Now that said, the numbers prove that since Taylor became the starter ahead of the 2015 season, Buffalo’s overall offensive production has increased. To go from 26th in scoring in 2014 to 11th and 10th the last two seasons isn’t an accident." Restrict yourself to the games with Taylor the QB & Anthony Lynn the OC, and Buffalo's scoring ranked even higher. The Bills are then tied for 4th, sharing the spot with Green Bay. Kinda makes you wonder what Buffalo's offense could be with a healthy set of receivers - perhaps a slight improvement at Right Tackle - maybe a dash of stability in the coaching department. Even the most sour Bills fan might develop a sunny disposition then!

Very good point, Shady! I'm impressed..... Also, Taylor does pretty well when throwing to a legitimate No. 1 & 2 receiver - something he rarely had last year, the hobbled, crippled and MIA notwithstanding...... Tyrod's stats in the 15 games where both Watkins and Woods plays : 63.6% comp. 8.25 YPA. 27 TD passes. 6 INTs

You see this a lot. A person criticizes a part of Taylor's game. Someone responds by pointing to numbers from another QB, such as Rodger's record of fourth quarter comebacks, Russell Wilson's first two years starting, or other QBs' percent of throws across the middle. The response is usually some variation of "How DARE you mention Tyrod's name in the same breath with (insert star quarterback's name here). Now, DirtDart's version is completely unobjectionable and Rodgers is clearly a better player - though that just makes him more valuable as a benchmark for judging others. But some people's moral affront re TT comparisons get a bit drama-queenish. They also can be pretty absurd. For instance, I've seen the "How DARE you" thing with Kirk Cousins - This from people who apparently don't know Cousin's first years starting were a dumpster fire, leading to him getting benched for Colt McCoy.

First, the caveat : I'm sure the majority of people skeptical about Mr. Taylor aren't bizarrely weird, just the most vocal ones here. That out the way, what a spectacle! Transplant says TT would be a fine QB if he could play consistently at the level of the Seattle and (2nd) Miami game. Now, the obviousness of this is so obvious it's obvious, but any formulation finding Taylor the slightest bit above a "running back who can throw" is a red flag to very bull-head people. So they respond with posts saying it's not enuff for Taylor to play with consistency, he has to play with consistency. Transplant is horribly wrong to bring up the issue of consistency, because the real problem is consistency. The thing that would make Taylor a real QB isn't consistency (that fool Transplant !!!), but consistency..... Me? I think the problem is consistency, so clearly I disagree with everyone - right? Of course that is the issue. There have been zillions of posts from people trying to define some a priori element of Taylor cooked into his genetics which disqualify him as a quarterback. He can't throw over the middle. He can't see the field. He can't process decisions. My favorite is the "throw with anticipation" bromide, which is a testament to the mass hypnotic effect of sports clichés. It would be a wonderful thing to chart the frequency of usage of this trait as defining QB skill, both before & after it became the go-to Tyrod insult. A thousand-fold increase maybe? But whatever weaknesses there are in Taylor's game, he has very frequently played at a high level. In fact, if you look at his Bill's career exclusively when he plays with a legitimate Number One & Two receiver, he's looked pretty solid. He can make the throws. He can be a playmaker. He can even improve. Even minus those final Ws, I thought he looked much more clutch the second half of last year. Red zone offense got significantly better. Third down conversions improved. It's all down to consistency. That will define his ceiling and we should see in '17. Now : Carry on with your argument whether it's consistency or consistency. Enquiring minds want to know!

Your respect is returned. Still, the overall point is Taylor produced at a pretty respectable level with a decent set of receivers. That doesn't take all the onus off TT. Even if he did have practice squad wide-outs much of last year - people he didn't work with thru training camp - Taylor is still open to the criticism he grew too tentative throwing to them. No stat ever tells 100% of the story. But his overall numbers with NFL-grade receivers makes the laundry list of things he's "incapable of" highly suspect. They make rhetoric like "running back who can throw" look 99.99% absurd. Most NFL quarterbacks wouldn't produce those results regardless of situation. That's why quality starters are so hard to find.

Why would you restrict yourself to the totals of Watkins & Woods alone in those games? That makes zero sense

So: (1) Taylor can't "throw receivers open" (2) Can't see over the line (3) Can't see open receivers (4) Can't throw from the pocket (5) Can't do the basic things apparently all other QBs do Heck, let's throw in some more : (6) Can't throw with accuracy (7) Can't recognize coverages (8) Can't throw over the middle (9) Can't process decisions at game speed Yet for all those crippling faults, here are the numbers (over the whole of his Bill's career) when he plays with a legitimate Number 1 & 2 receiver : Tyrod's stats in the 15 games where both Watkins and Woods plays : 63.6% comp. 8.25 YPA. 27 TD passes. 6 INTs We'll anticipate the inevitable objection : "Tom Brady doesn't need receivers". I wonder if that was true when Brady was a second year starter?

This - if the Bill's luck with injuries swings the other way. Depth across the board seems the biggest issue the team faces.

You wonder whether this article (a) conflates the entire Seattle defense with Sherman's issues, and (b) conflates Sherman popping off at times with his whole mindset. It has a click bait-feel to it, building the largest possible conclusion off a few hot head incidents. I don't doubt Sherman is a pretty smart guy, but he could definitely use an extra helping of impulse control.......

There are three possibilities : ( 1 ) The O-line fails at pass protection ( 2 ) Taylor extends plays for cause ( 3 ) Taylor holds on to the ball too long Guess what? All three are true. There were times when the defense was on TT as soon as he set his feet. Per my unscientific memory there were whole stretches of games where the pass protection was abysmal, highlighted by the Bill's notorious problem at right tackle. And sometimes Taylor extended plays making something out of nothing - or at least minimizing damage. Please remember that he may have one of the worst sack rates in the league, but actual sack yardage lost was in the middle of his peers. Lastly: Without question Taylor sometimes bolts from the pocket early or doesn't get the ball out decisively. Watch any game - and keep an open mind - and you see examples of all three. Some games (again, by my recollection) the O-line would swing from very poor to pretty good in pass protection, quarter by quarter. There is plenty of blame to spread around.

Suggested middle ground on Taylor’s contract : Despite news accounts, I doubt the Bills ever seriously considered jettisoning Taylor. Reasons : ( a ) No better option was plausible. ( b ) Despite all the negative press, no reporter ever got a solid quote suggesting TT was on the way out. Not off the record; not even put in some ambiguous fashion. The front office carefully didn’t torch their bridges, even behind the scenes. ( c ) The Pegulas’ early-January apology over TT’s last game benching. This was possibly aimed at potential coach hires, but more likely was a signal to Taylor, the only person remotely upset about the issue. I found it significant because billionaires don’t apologize to 27 year old athletes without good reason. All of the whinging about Taylor being on the outs was never more than kabuki theater for anticipated negotiations. Taylor could have gotten marginally more money than his new Bills contract on the open market - but not the money of his old contract. Also, there were only a limited number of teams potentially interested. Still, let’s take Cleveland as an example. They were willing to swallow Osweiler's horrendous contract just to buy a second round pick. It’s my belief they would have offered TT the same money - or slightly more - than the new Bills deal, with the Jets also a possible suitor. But no one would have matched the old deal. Of course you have to look at the dynamics with that : Taylor wanted real money for the first time in his career. Whaley wanted to place a simultaneous bet on TT as huge success or flop. The deal gave both sides what they wanted. Incidentally, the freedom Whaley got in the old deal also explains the infamous injury clause. His freedom was Taylor’s risk. Taylor wasn’t interested in chasing a stray million or two, but not solely for team spirit. Even granting that a part of it, the dysfunction of teams like the Browns & Jets was probably more important. The Bills offer him a better chance to win and show himself off while doing so. The contract offers him the chance to get a massive payday while still in the prime of his career. This can come as early as next year, after a respectable 15.5 million guaranteed. Taylor believes in himself, so this looks good to him long range. The dynamic here is both sides got freedom, Taylor and the Bills.

This. Though I don't think there's polar symmetry between the two positions, at least not from their most vocal proponents. You occasionally see a cringe-worthy pro-TT comment, but the Glass Half Full crowd see him as an above average QB – at least to a degree – with still a lot of potential up-side. Wild exaggeration & extreme caricature typically come from Glass Half Empty types, who often don’t see a drop of water in the glass, or deny the existence of the glass itself.

Lets put together a tally! Taylor : (1) Can't process the field (2) Can't see over the middle (3) Can't throw with any accuracy (4) Can't throw with "anticipation" (5) Can't handle a full offense (6) Can't throw from the pocket (7) Can't see open receivers Plus any number of additional flaws, all fundamental and crippling to his game. But given all that, isn't it amazing what happens when he has a legitimate Number 1&2 receiver to throw to? TT stats in the 15 games with Watkins *and* Woods playing : 63.6% comp. 8.25 YPA. 27 TD passes. 6 INTs

"Taylor is clearly a better player than a lot of people want to believe he is" Yeah. You see a lot of that right here.........

Perhaps my impression is mistaken, but I sense a smug happiness in his gloom.

Yards per Game is a function of attempts, which was a factor mostly outside of Taylor's control. Undoubtedly some attempts became runs, with a fraction of those TT leaving the pocket earlier than necessary. Mostly, however, you're blaming him for being on a run-first team. And - matter of history - it was a run-first team before Taylor ever signed with the Bills. The real question is whether those stellar numbers declined in games where the Bills abandoned the run, and Taylor was asked to throw more. I don't know the stats on that, but my general impression is no. Certainly those games were more frequently losses, but usually you give up doing what you want out of desperation - so cause & effect are hard to sort. But the Wood & Watkins numbers do seem to settle a few points : For all the fundamental flaws people love to find in his game, there's a very high floor to how fundamental those flaws must be. Give him a real Number 1&2 and 63.6% is the result? Exactly how "inaccurate" can he be? And clearly the status of his receiving corps played a major part in the 2016 "regression". It was always mind-boggling to watch people deny that - and do so with a teeth-gnashing religious fervor at that. Maybe you put some fault on Taylor for mistrusting his practice squad receivers too much, but it was a pretty brutal situation for a second year starter.

But then there's this : Tyrod's stats in the 15 games with Watkins *and* Woods 63.6% comp. 8.25 YPA. 27 TD passes. 6 INTs

Hasn't this "throw with anticipation" shtick grown into another Zombie Talking Point? We saw that happen on throws across the middle. Yes, Taylor started off 2015 shunning the center of the field, probably shielded by the coaches while getting experience. But by the end of the year TT was making more middle throws, which were reflected in the numbers. I've seen a good half-dozen detailed statistical studies since, both in this forum and others. They all show the same thing : Taylor does throw less across the middle, but that's typical of NFL quarterbacks. His average is lower than his peers, but only by a few percentage points. Given his number of attempts, this translates to plus-minus two attempts per game. The last study actually showed TT as successful with middle throws by completion percent and yards per attempt - despite his slightly lower numbers. So : We identified an area where Taylor can improve relative to the competition. End of story, right? Not a chance. Instead it grew into a narrative on the way to becoming a myth. People wailed in anguish, "If only we had a QB who could make middle throws." We heard howling lamentation, choking rage, gnashing of teeth. It wasn't that he utilized the middle slightly less than others, but never at all! It wasn't an area where Taylor could improve, but a hopeless crippling weakness! Yep, TT's two attempts per game had morphed into a Zombie Talking Point. The "throw with anticipation" thing is the same. Actually watch a Bill's game and, yes, you will see Taylor throw with anticipation. Actually watch another quarterback and, yes, you'll see him throw to open targets. Eliminate the 90% of common throws and I'm sure there's some small percent of shading buried within the 10% left. Enough for a narrative? You betcha! You just have to want it enough.....