Bills Teammates Rave about Tyrod Taylor

[DerekJ]

I don't know why I got this sudden burst of optimism, but if EJ will just take 500 snaps/dropbacks/and passes each day every day,, no matter what his mechanics, he'll become more accurate. It doesn't matter if his arm falls off, cause it won't matter if the thing hanging from his shoulder is still a dumb bomb.

I have to believe that this is what he has been doing all along. Would it make sense for him not to? Honestly, no one has really seen EJ in any substantive capacity in a long time, yet folks are so willing to to adopt the position of The Maroon whom I believe sold the kid down the river. I'm hoping he succeeds as I think any other scenario (based upon the current squad) sets the Bills back. Tyrod is merely OK as he strikes me as a poor man's Michael Vick and I'm not enamored of that model.

[ALF]

If Tyrod could be a starting QB why didn't the Ravens showcase him in a few games and trade him for a high draft pick or player?

Kubiak was his OC , then went to Denver where Peyton has to retire at some point. He has a very modest contract here 3 years for $3.35m http://www.spotrac.c...s/tyrod-taylor/

Kubiak or the Ravens could have way over bid that offer if Tyrod was the real deal. I hope he is , but so far it doesn't add up.

Everyone raved how great a QB , Rob Johnson was ( in practice )

[Buffalo Barbarian]

It's still WAY too early to know who will start at QB for Buffalo, but two Bills players specifically mentioned Tyrod Taylor by name on Tuesday: http://www.scout.com/nfl/bills/story/1551621-bills-players-rave-about-qb-tyrod-taylor

 

If Taylor is accurate, as Nigel Bradham mentioned, that'd put him ahead of Manuel and Cassel for me. Hope he's as good as Bradham and Jackson said at training camp.

 

wait till the bullets start flying, if he is our starting QB we are screwed.

Cassel starts, Tyrod for a change of pace. Simms to the clipboard. Manuel to the curb.

 

My belief.

 

This but I think EJ stays

Edited June 3, 2015 by Buffalo Barbarian

[nucci]

What does "change of pace" qb mean to you?

Good question. I don't get it either.

[YoloinOhio]

If Tyrod could be a starting QB why didn't the Ravens showcase him in a few games and trade him for a high draft pick or player?

Kubiak was his OC , then went to Denver where Peyton has to retire at some point. He has a very modest contract here 3 years for $3.35m http://www.spotrac.c...s/tyrod-taylor/

Kubiak or the Ravens could have way over bid that offer if Tyrod was the real deal. I hope he is , but so far it doesn't add up.

Everyone raved how great a QB , Rob Johnson was ( in practice )

the Ravens were never really in a position to "showcase" him in a reg season game. Flacco is very durable and didnt miss games. They always hover too close to not making the playoffs so they didn't have "meaningless" games at the end of the season like some other teams.

 

The broncos did offer more. He still chose the Bills due to the situation. How do you know they could have seriously overbid? They have a cap too and blowing it on a backup qB when they are in win now mode doesnt seem Elway's style.

 

Not really advocating one way or the other for him here but didn't really get those two points.

Edited June 3, 2015 by YoloinOhio

[Chandler#81]

What does "change of pace" qb mean to you?

None of these guys are likely to tear up the League and I'm not buying that pre-season will sort out a true #1 guy. -vanilla playbook/going against other teams' 2's/ heavy substitution/new playbook. If Taylor does indeed bring some 'Pop' to the position, then let the 10 yr vet be the starter and bring in TYROD for a couple/3 series and see if we can keep defenses on their toes. Even if he runs the same plays, he's a different threat if they break down and Roman will design specific plays for his skills that can be 'hidden' in familiar pre-snap reads.

[Dorkington]

As long as it's one of the young guys

[truth on hold]

Other than a couple inches short of ideal, his measurables are off charts

 

HT: 6'1"

WT: 217LBS.

ARM LENGTH: 32 1/4"

HANDS: 10"

40 YARD DASH: 4.51 SEC

VERTICAL JUMP: 37.5 INCH

BROAD JUMP: 126.0 INCH

3 CONE DRILL: 6.78 SEC

20 YARD SHUTTLE: 4.09 SEC

 

http://www.nfl.com/combine/profiles/tyrod-taylor?id=2495240

Edited June 3, 2015 by JTSP

[sjjr]

Like Tyrod Taylor, seems like a very good #2 option. So does Cassel. Simms seems like a good camp arm.

 

The NFL is a business and it would be shocking if the Bills cut a former 1st round pick. EJ has a great attitude by all accounts, is a team guy, has shown the ability to learn and adapt while also having the size, arm strength and mobility ideal for the position. All of that coupled with the fact they would have to pay him a lot of money to hit the street just seems like a drastic move that wouldn't fit.

 

I'm not sure what EJ did or didn't do for some of the people that are so strongly against him but he is the front runner whether people like it or not and he isn't going anywhere in all likelihood. I hope he succeeds and gives the Bills a QB of the future.

[Kirby Jackson]

If Tyrod could be a starting QB why didn't the Ravens showcase him in a few games and trade him for a high draft pick or player?

Kubiak was his OC , then went to Denver where Peyton has to retire at some point. He has a very modest contract here 3 years for $3.35m http://www.spotrac.c...s/tyrod-taylor/

Kubiak or the Ravens could have way over bid that offer if Tyrod was the real deal. I hope he is , but so far it doesn't add up.

Everyone raved how great a QB , Rob Johnson was ( in practice )

Um, they didn't showcase him because they have a franchise QB and were competing for a Super Bowl title. They had bigger concerns than trying to flip Tyrod Taylor for a pick.

 

On the 2nd point, Kubiak's new team offered him more money than anyone else (including the Bills). That should be very encouraging. He came to the Bills because of the opportunity to compete for the starting job.

[nucci]

None of these guys are likely to tear up the League and I'm not buying that pre-season will sort out a true #1 guy. -vanilla playbook/going against other teams' 2's/ heavy substitution/new playbook. If Taylor does indeed bring some 'Pop' to the position, then let the 10 yr vet be the starter and bring in TYROD for a couple/3 series and see if we can keep defenses on their toes. Even if he runs the same plays, he's a different threat if they break down and Roman will design specific plays for his skills that can be 'hidden' in familiar pre-snap reads.

It never works bringing in a backup QB during the game to keep defense off balance...Jets tried with Tebow and Vick with horrible results.

[Wayne Cubed]

Off season PR fluff if you ask me.

 

While its good to hear team mates talk up Tyrod or EJ or Cassel, in my mind, it means very little what Bradham thinks of QB "X" accuracy or that Fred thinks Taylor is the most athletic QB in the NFL(a nice headline grabber comment).

[NoSaint]

None of these guys are likely to tear up the League and I'm not buying that pre-season will sort out a true #1 guy. -vanilla playbook/going against other teams' 2's/ heavy substitution/new playbook. If Taylor does indeed bring some 'Pop' to the position, then let the 10 yr vet be the starter and bring in TYROD for a couple/3 series and see if we can keep defenses on their toes. Even if he runs the same plays, he's a different threat if they break down and Roman will design specific plays for his skills that can be 'hidden' in familiar pre-snap reads.

Seems a bit like a second tier college program, no?

[VABills]

Like Tyrod Taylor, seems like a very good #2 option. So does Cassel. Simms seems like a good camp arm.

 

The NFL is a business and it would be shocking if the Bills cut a former 1st round pick. EJ has a great attitude by all accounts, is a team guy, has shown the ability to learn and adapt while also having the size, arm strength and mobility ideal for the position. All of that coupled with the fact they would have to pay him a lot of money to hit the street just seems like a drastic move that wouldn't fit.

 

I'm not sure what EJ did or didn't do for some of the people that are so strongly against him but he is the front runner whether people like it or not and he isn't going anywhere in all likelihood. I hope he succeeds and gives the Bills a QB of the future.

Not sure about others, but EJ has shown nothing on the field, IMO. During the coaching interview process, several of the candidates basically said that EJ was the man by the GM. That turned off and eliminated several good coaching candidates. It appears that by the time Ryan interviewed, they had backed off that stance, and now EJ has to either step up or he likely is gone.

 

From a personality standpoint, I haven't seen or heard anything negative. This isn't Losman who folks wanted to say was a great guy, but by all accounts including numerous teammates on Bills and from college, Losman was a complete butt. EJ hasn't had the same rumors around him. However, he hasn't taken the bull by the horn and proven he should have been taken in the first round. Just because they drafted him there, and moved up to get him, doesn't mean he was worth it. Just like Losman however, the thought was he'd be a mid-second rounder. He wound up being the first QB drafted when depending on who's ranking you went by he was rated between the 3rd and 6th best QB available. Like Losman, very athletic, and supposedly a runner. But like Losman, inaccurate, trouble seeing the field, and actually learned that running at NFL level is a different game than in college, which took a large part of his game away. In college the knock on him was that FSU simplified the offense to a 1-2 read and then told him to run. Again, college that works, pros not so much. The fact is he had 2 years to grasp the offense under Marrone and didn't. Marrone was a jerk, and that's been proven, but Marrone put a team on the field (defense or not) that won last year. The fact that EJ continued to make mistakes and got beat out by a journeyman QB who baically retired on duty should tell you how bad EJ was.

 

Stats lie, but even in EJ's case they weren't good. He couldn't complete 60% of passes. Made some very bad throws to lose games. Similar to Tuel, who just got released. His td to int ratio isn't good for a guy who was told to protect the ball and not lose games. It's not good for a gun slinger either. Basically his td to int ratio is terrible. He averages under 200 yards per game, again not good. His yard s per throw is 1.5-2 yards less than the most starting QB's in the league. At 6.4 he is a half yard behind Geno Smith who was taken same year but much later than EJ.

 

Let me ask a question. If we hadn't over drafted him and got him in mid-2nd round like he was projected would there be as much fuss about him playing? Probably not. The board would say that 2nd rounders rarely work out. A large part of those wanting to hand the job to EJ is the fact that the Bills drafted him in the first round. That's great, except, noone else in the league had him there. The Bills could have had him in the 2nd or 3rd. Smith and Barkley were both more highly thought of and projected to be drafted before EJ. Smith went in 2nd and Barkley in 4th. Again, if EJ had been drafted where he was projected this wouldn't be an issue with most fans and they'd be ready to move on. Similar to Trent Edwards. In fact I believe stats are similar.

 

All that being said, it would be nice if EJ steps up, or Taylor wins the job. I suspect it's going to be Cssel or Taylor in the end.

Edited June 3, 2015 by VABills

[C.Biscuit97]

Not sure about others, but EJ has shown nothing on the field, IMO. During the coaching interview process, several of the candidates basically said that EJ was the man by the GM. That turned off and eliminated several good coaching candidates. It appears that by the time Ryan interviewed, they had backed off that stance, and now EJ has to either step up or he likely is gone.

 

From a personality standpoint, I haven't seen or heard anything negative. This isn't Losman who folks wanted to say was a great guy, but by all accounts including numerous teammates on Bills and from college, Losman was a complete butt. EJ hasn't had the same rumors around him. However, he hasn't taken the bull by the horn and proven he should have been taken in the first round. Just because they drafted him there, and moved up to get him, doesn't mean he was worth it. Just like Losman however, the thought was he'd be a mid-second rounder. He wound up being the first QB drafted when depending on who's ranking you went by he was rated between the 3rd and 6th best QB available. Like Losman, very athletic, and supposedly a runner. But like Losman, inaccurate, trouble seeing the field, and actually learned that running at NFL level is a different game than in college, which took a large part of his game away. In college the knock on him was that FSU simplified the offense to a 1-2 read and then told him to run. Again, college that works, pros not so much. The fact is he had 2 years to grasp the offense under Marrone and didn't. Marrone was a jerk, and that's been proven, but Marrone put a team on the field (defense or not) that won last year. The fact that EJ continued to make mistakes and got beat out by a journeyman QB who baically retired on duty should tell you how bad EJ was.

 

Stats lie, but even in EJ's case they weren't good. He couldn't complete 60% of passes. Made some very bad throws to lose games. Similar to Tuel, who just got released. His td to int ratio isn't good for a guy who was told to protect the ball and not lose games. It's not good for a gun slinger either. Basically his td to int ratio is terrible. He averages under 200 yards per game, again not good. His yard s per throw is 1.5-2 yards less than the most starting QB's in the league. At 6.4 he is a half yard behind Geno Smith who was taken same year but much later than EJ.

 

Let me ask a question. If we hadn't over drafted him and got him in mid-2nd round like he was projected would there be as much fuss about him playing? Probably not. The board would say that 2nd rounders rarely work out. A large part of those wanting to hand the job to EJ is the fact that the Bills drafted him in the first round. That's great, except, noone else in the league had him there. The Bills could have had him in the 2nd or 3rd. Smith and Barkley were both more highly thought of and projected to be drafted before EJ. Smith went in 2nd and Barkley in 4th. Again, if EJ had been drafted where he was projected this wouldn't be an issue with most fans and they'd be ready to move on. Similar to Trent Edwards. In fact I believe stats are similar.

Oh please. If EJ was a 2nd rounder, people won't be burying him after 2 years. His rookie stats were basically Tannehill's rookie year stats. Also, through 4 games this year, EJ hadthe same #s as RT. If EJ was a 2nd rounder, they would have given him more time to develop.

 

And it's the OTAs. Manuel was the far superior product coming out of college to Taylor. Taylor is talked about as a poor man's Vick. I'm not sure that works in today's NFL. We'll see but making snap judgments either way on OTAs or reports out of them is silly.

Edited June 3, 2015 by C.Biscuit97

[VABills]

Oh please. If EJ was a 2nd rounder, people won't be burying him after 2 years. His rookie stats were basically Tannehill's rookie year stats. Also, through 4 games this year, EJ hadthe same #s as RT. If EJ was a 2nd rounder, they would have given him more time to develop.

 

And it's the OTAs. Manuel was the far superior product coming out of college to Taylor. Taylor is talked about as a poor man's Vick. I'm not sure that works in today's NFL. We'll see but making snap judgments either way on OTAs or reports out of them is silly.

The question why the issue with EJ. I stated mine and I think many others opinion, along with some facts to support that opinion.

 

RT averages 234 yards per game, 34 more than EJ. RT averages and always has a half yard more per throw. His TD to Int ratio even after his second year was a little better but not great. RT has over a 60% completion. RT has also improved every year, EJ slide back under the same coach.

 

Also, if EJ was a 2nd rounder people would be okay with him being the backup and giving him more time. He is in an odd situation making 1st round money and expected to live up to a first round pick. Not be a career backup. If he was a 2nd rounder most people would be okay with the time to develop and if he only became a backup so be it.

 

Again, he was rated by Scouts as the 6th best QB in a very bad draft class. I think half these guys are out of the league already.

 

http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/draft/positions/_/year/2013

 

https://medium.com/the-cauldron/ej-manuel-and-the-sunk-cost-fallacy-25e5dd1e3b79

Edited June 3, 2015 by VABills

[Turbosrrgood]

It's still WAY too early to know who will start at QB for Buffalo, but two Bills players specifically mentioned Tyrod Taylor by name on Tuesday: http://www.scout.com/nfl/bills/story/1551621-bills-players-rave-about-qb-tyrod-taylor

 

If Taylor is accurate, as Nigel Bradham mentioned, that'd put him ahead of Manuel and Cassel for me. Hope he's as good as Bradham and Jackson said at training camp.

 

Nigel Bradham is the golden standard for QB analysis.

 

Except everything else in his football career going back to college suggest that accuracy is by far and away the main problem for Tyrod. Media outlets are jumping on Tyrod stories every chance they get, because they know fans will eat it up regardless of content.

 

Also, when asked about teammates during interviews...players are rarely ever going to say anything bad. Nigel said about all he could say. It's not like he went out of his way to compliment Tyrod, he was specifically asked about him. Players were and are saying all the same things about EJ, and probably Cassel for that matter.

Edited June 3, 2015 by Turbosrrgood

[sjjr]

Not sure about others, but EJ has shown nothing on the field, IMO. During the coaching interview process, several of the candidates basically said that EJ was the man by the GM. That turned off and eliminated several good coaching candidates. It appears that by the time Ryan interviewed, they had backed off that stance, and now EJ has to either step up or he likely is gone.

 

From a personality standpoint, I haven't seen or heard anything negative. This isn't Losman who folks wanted to say was a great guy, but by all accounts including numerous teammates on Bills and from college, Losman was a complete butt. EJ hasn't had the same rumors around him. However, he hasn't taken the bull by the horn and proven he should have been taken in the first round. Just because they drafted him there, and moved up to get him, doesn't mean he was worth it. Just like Losman however, the thought was he'd be a mid-second rounder. He wound up being the first QB drafted when depending on who's ranking you went by he was rated between the 3rd and 6th best QB available. Like Losman, very athletic, and supposedly a runner. But like Losman, inaccurate, trouble seeing the field, and actually learned that running at NFL level is a different game than in college, which took a large part of his game away. In college the knock on him was that FSU simplified the offense to a 1-2 read and then told him to run. Again, college that works, pros not so much. The fact is he had 2 years to grasp the offense under Marrone and didn't. Marrone was a jerk, and that's been proven, but Marrone put a team on the field (defense or not) that won last year. The fact that EJ continued to make mistakes and got beat out by a journeyman QB who baically retired on duty should tell you how bad EJ was.

 

Stats lie, but even in EJ's case they weren't good. He couldn't complete 60% of passes. Made some very bad throws to lose games. Similar to Tuel, who just got released. His td to int ratio isn't good for a guy who was told to protect the ball and not lose games. It's not good for a gun slinger either. Basically his td to int ratio is terrible. He averages under 200 yards per game, again not good. His yard s per throw is 1.5-2 yards less than the most starting QB's in the league. At 6.4 he is a half yard behind Geno Smith who was taken same year but much later than EJ.

 

Let me ask a question. If we hadn't over drafted him and got him in mid-2nd round like he was projected would there be as much fuss about him playing? Probably not. The board would say that 2nd rounders rarely work out. A large part of those wanting to hand the job to EJ is the fact that the Bills drafted him in the first round. That's great, except, noone else in the league had him there. The Bills could have had him in the 2nd or 3rd. Smith and Barkley were both more highly thought of and projected to be drafted before EJ. Smith went in 2nd and Barkley in 4th. Again, if EJ had been drafted where he was projected this wouldn't be an issue with most fans and they'd be ready to move on. Similar to Trent Edwards. In fact I believe stats are similar.

 

All that being said, it would be nice if EJ steps up, or Taylor wins the job. I suspect it's going to be Cssel or Taylor in the end.

I think you're right about people being upset he was taken in the 1st round. Two points on that though....first is, not his fault where he was taken. I mean if the guy had a great draft process then credit to him because by all accounts, he was a project and that has been confirmed so far. Second, the Bills did trade down and get extra picks before getting him at 16.

 

Also, we weren't there in the interview process so hard to confirm or not confirm what was said about EJ. What we do know is that a head coach was brought in who loves to run the ball and play D. An OC was brought in that has had previous success with a guy similar to EJ's skillset. EJ flourishes with a solid run game that he can use play action from and look over defenses, making throws downfield. The fact is, they made an effort to bring a system in that fits their former first round pick's strengths.

 

Cassell is a journeyman and solid if needed to play. This is Tyrod Taylor's shot and he'll give it his all no doubt over the next few months. Make no mistake though, this is about EJ developing into the player they want him to be and have to think a lot of people at One Bills Drive want and believe in this.

[BuffaloHokie13]

Also, when asked about teammates during interviews...players are rarely ever going to say anything bad. Nigel said about all he could say. It's not like he went out of his way to compliment Tyrod, he was specifically asked about him. Players were and are saying all the same things about EJ, and probably Cassel for that matter.

I wish I could actually see the whole quote. The part that got tweeted said he was asked about the QB's, not Tyrod specifically, so I'd like to know if he said a bit about all of them.

[Max997]

Please no. I will start out by saying I'm a EJ fan, but I want one of the two young QBs to win the starting job. I'm to the point I don't care if it's EJ or Tyrod anybody but Cassel.

I think you are going to be disappointed bc I will be shocked if Cassel isn't the opening day starter.