"Why Tyrod Taylor is the right QB to get the Texans through a season without Deshaun Watson" -- Article Excerpt & My Commentary [Bills Related]

[ChronicAndKnuckles]

6 hours ago, chongli said:

[I searched, but found no topic for this. Please delete or merge if there is one.]

 

https://theathletic.com/2594671/2021/05/18/why-tyrod-taylor-is-the-right-qb-to-get-the-texans-through-a-season-without-deshaun-watson/

 

This is behind a paywalll and from two days ago, but I posted some of the Buffalo-related portion below, at the end, with quotes from Doug Whaley, Richie Incognito, Lorenzo Alexander, and Anthony Lynn. 

 

What the article came down to [in my own words] is that Taylor has been replaced by a rookie QB the last three team he has played for (Nate Peterman, Baker Mayfield, Justin Herbert); and is used to it, handling it professionally, without making waves. He prefers not to talk when things get uncomfortable. And Houston preferred Taylor to other options like Andy Dalton and Ryan Fitzpatrick because of his ability to extend plays, which they say is key when the OL has no established starters and the receivers are "mediocre". Houston also liked him because he also worked with their quarterbacks coach, Pep Hamilton, while with the Chargers; and head coach David Culley during Taylor’s final season in Buffalo (the then Bills’ quarterbacks coach), so Culley saw up close how Taylor handled the benching.

 

A few paragraphs of the Buffalo-related portion:

 

"In Week 11 of the 2017 season, when Buffalo benched Taylor for fifth-round rookie quarterback Nathan Peterman, Taylor said he was “obviously disappointed” but had to move forward. “I got voted captain for a reason,” he told reporters. “Guys are going to look to me to see how I respond.”

After Peterman threw five interceptions that week, Taylor returned to the starting role and ignored potential awkwardness. According to teammates, Taylor didn’t address the locker room or bemoan that the Bills were never committed to him, having also benched him for a game during the previous season, under another front office, to avoid triggering an injury guarantee in a contract extension he signed earlier that year.

“There were a lot of grumblings on the team, but Tyrod stayed consistent,” said Richie Incognito, a Bills offensive lineman at the time. And by consistent, Incognito meant consistently mild-mannered to the point that “when Tyrod would yell to get lined up, you’re like, ‘Oh, he means it.’”

Buffalo went on to clinch its first playoff berth in 18 years during that 2017 season. Lorenzo Alexander, who played 13 NFL seasons as an outside linebacker, credits Taylor’s attitude after being benched for Peterman — or lack thereof — for the success.

“That can tear a team apart,” Alexander said, adding it can lead players to “choose sides and not be as productive during the week. … Him playing it down in a lot of ways and it not being as big of a deal as it was to him personally, it allowed us to take our time, go back to him and find our way into the playoffs.”

 

[...]

[Anthony Lynn, Taylor's head coach in San Diego, and who once was his offensive coordinator in Buffalo:] “My respect meter has gone up a lot for Tyrod Taylor because that was the hardest conversation I’ve ever had to have with a player since I’ve been in this league, the way he lost his job,” Lynn said toward the end of last season. “And the way he’s handled this situation with Justin, and how he’s come to work every day and prepares, there’s a reason that every man on this team voted him for team captain.”

Former Bills general manager Doug Whaley, who benched Taylor in 2016 to avoid triggering that injury guarantee in the QB’s contract, said Taylor is entering “that Ryan Fitzpatrick mold, that veteran you have around that’s always going to be professional and be that bridge.” Whaley characterized this Texans season as “a unique opportunity” for a quarterback who “can compartmentalize, This is my team as long as I’m under center. This is a chance for me to audition for my next team, or even audition for this team.”

 

[...]

 

In 10 NFL seasons, Taylor has established a reputation for being an average passer who struggles to read the middle of the field but rarely turns the ball over, which can be both a positive and a sign of overly conservative play. Next Gen Stats began tracking the percentage of quarterbacks’ throws into tight windows in 2016, and Taylor ranked near the bottom of the league in such throws each of his final two seasons in Buffalo. During three years as the Bills’ primary starter, only 6.4 percent of Taylor’s throws traveled more than 20 yards downfield, according to Sportradar. For reference, those throws have made up 13.6 percent of Watson’s career pass attempts.

 

[...]

 

“This is the best guy who could come into this [the Houston] situation,” Alexander said. “Just like a great safety can cover up a cornerback who is not good, Tyrod will cover up a lot of the bad exposure down there in Houston because of who he is as a person.”

 

 

 

Tyrod is good if you want to go .500 in a season (actually that's not possible anymore, but u get the point.) If your team has a great defense/special teams/running back u could squeeze out a wildcard if the planets align and u get help from other teams. 

 

All of this is possible, but I just don't see the point and why teams think this way. They need a new franchise QB and they're better off tanking it. I don't get why teams sign guys capable enough just to break even and lose out on a top QB in the draft. If you already have your guy then a bridge QB like Fitz or Taylor can be a valuable teaching tool.

 

If the Texans were in a long playoff drought like Cleveland and Buffalo a few years ago then I understand trying to compete @ all costs to give the fans some hope, but @ this stage they are better off sacrificing their season and thinking ahead for the future. Just my 2 cents go as far as signing "bridge QBs" BEFORE u have your future guy.

[Ethan in Cleveland]

6 hours ago, Teddy KGB said:

Paying Tyrod to play QB seems like a waste of money.  

So TT career rating is 89.5 and Trubisky is 87.2. So who is wasting more money?

[Nextmanup]

Tyrod is one of many pro athletes these days who will retire a very wealthy man, despite not really being able to play his position very well.

 

It's just the economics at play and the situation teams find themselves in, with not nearly enough good QBs to go around.

 

My favorite example is Fitz, who is going to end up with something between $50 and $100 million in career earnings!  
 

 

[DaBillsFanSince1973]

33 minutes ago, Nextmanup said:

Tyrod is one of many pro athletes these days who will retire a very wealthy man, despite not really being able to play his position very well.

 

It's just the economics at play and the situation teams find themselves in, with not nearly enough good QBs to go around.

 

My favorite example is Fitz, who is going to end up with something between $50 and $100 million in career earnings!  
 

 

and 15 kids.

[TBBills]

I don know why you would go with Tyrod... You should be going after the #1 pick and Tyrod will get you outside the top 5.

[Call_Of_Ktulu]

Taylor is a good guy but he is not even a top tier backup option at this point. Taylor is a bridge QB to nowhere 

[wppete]

37 minutes ago, Call_Of_Ktulu said:

Taylor is a good guy but he is not even a top tier backup option at this point. Taylor is a bridge QB to nowhere 

If Tyrod is named the starter he is the worse starter in the NFL for sure. Who would be worse? Curious to hear what you guys think. 

[Call_Of_Ktulu]

39 minutes ago, wppete said:

If Tyrod is named the starter he is the worse starter in the NFL for sure. Who would be worse? Curious to hear what you guys think. 

I agree, I can’t think of a worse QB. If I were a Texans fan I would have no hopes of a super bowl with TT. I will not be taking any of the Texans WR’s in FFL as well.

[chongli]

6 hours ago, ChronicAndKnuckles said:

 

Tyrod is good if you want to go .500 in a season (actually that's not possible anymore, but u get the point.)  If your team has a great defense/special teams/running back u could squeeze out a wildcard if the planets align and u get help from other teams. 

 

All of this is possible, but I just don't see the point and why teams think this way. They need a new franchise QB and they're better off tanking it. I don't get why teams sign guys capable enough just to break even and lose out on a top QB in the draft. If you already have your guy then a bridge QB like Fitz or Taylor can be a valuable teaching tool.

 

If the Texans were in a long playoff drought like Cleveland and Buffalo a few years ago then I understand trying to compete @ all costs to give the fans some hope, but @ this stage they are better off sacrificing their season and thinking ahead for the future. Just my 2 cents go as far as signing "bridge QBs" BEFORE u have your future guy.

 

Good post, and I agree with it. To nitpick, a team could go 8-8-1, lol! But it's really not going to happen much.

[Southern_Bills]

13 hours ago, Teddy KGB said:

Paying Tyrod to play QB seems like a waste of money.  

 

You are not paying him to be QB, You are paying him for leadership and integrity. 

 

Something that might be harder to find than QB play.

 

Hard to believe but probably true. Can't even say I could do it, I'm quite outspoken in my career.

[BigAl2526]

Tyrod has outstanding locker room presence, but a severely limited skill set on the field.  If you've got nobody better, he will get you through a game, and he might even win a few, but he is never going to lift your team above mediocrity.  He's just not good enough.  Houston is going to find out this season.

[Bob Chandler's Hands]

15 hours ago, Nextmanup said:

Tyrod is one of many pro athletes these days who will retire a very wealthy man, despite not really being able to play his position very well.

 

It's just the economics at play and the situation teams find themselves in, with not nearly enough good QBs to go around.

 

My favorite example is Fitz, who is going to end up with something between $50 and $100 million in career earnings!  
 

 

Of course context is important. Anyone who plays QB any appreciable length of time in the NFL is surely amongst the top 0.01% of performers at their position in their age group among all who played organized football. They compete against other men who are in the top 0.01% of their positions who are dedicated to stopping them. It's natural that a bell curve of sorts appears at the very top of the profession because it's that way everywhere including teachers, lawyers, doctors, etc. 

 

 

[Patrick Duffy]

12 hours ago, wppete said:

If Tyrod is named the starter he is the worse starter in the NFL for sure. Who would be worse? Curious to hear what you guys think. 

Cam Newton? Or maybe not worse but close to same? Tua maybe, but he could improve.

[Beerball]

22 hours ago, chongli said:

[I searched, but found no topic for this. Please delete or merge if there is one.]

 

https://theathletic.com/2594671/2021/05/18/why-tyrod-taylor-is-the-right-qb-to-get-the-texans-through-a-season-without-deshaun-watson/

 

This is behind a paywalll and from two days ago, but I posted some of the Buffalo-related portion below, at the end, with quotes from Doug Whaley, Richie Incognito, Lorenzo Alexander, and Anthony Lynn. 

 

What the article came down to [in my own words] is that Taylor has been replaced by a rookie QB the last three team he has played for (Nate Peterman, Baker Mayfield, Justin Herbert); and is used to it, handling it professionally, without making waves. He prefers not to talk when things get uncomfortable. And Houston preferred Taylor to other options like Andy Dalton and Ryan Fitzpatrick because of his ability to extend plays, which they say is key when the OL has no established starters and the receivers are "mediocre". Houston also liked him because he also worked with their quarterbacks coach, Pep Hamilton, while with the Chargers; and head coach David Culley during Taylor’s final season in Buffalo (the then Bills’ quarterbacks coach), so Culley saw up close how Taylor handled the benching.

 

A few paragraphs of the Buffalo-related portion:

 

"In Week 11 of the 2017 season, when Buffalo benched Taylor for fifth-round rookie quarterback Nathan Peterman, Taylor said he was “obviously disappointed” but had to move forward. “I got voted captain for a reason,” he told reporters. “Guys are going to look to me to see how I respond.”

After Peterman threw five interceptions that week, Taylor returned to the starting role and ignored potential awkwardness. According to teammates, Taylor didn’t address the locker room or bemoan that the Bills were never committed to him, having also benched him for a game during the previous season, under another front office, to avoid triggering an injury guarantee in a contract extension he signed earlier that year.

“There were a lot of grumblings on the team, but Tyrod stayed consistent,” said Richie Incognito, a Bills offensive lineman at the time. And by consistent, Incognito meant consistently mild-mannered to the point that “when Tyrod would yell to get lined up, you’re like, ‘Oh, he means it.’”

Buffalo went on to clinch its first playoff berth in 18 years during that 2017 season. Lorenzo Alexander, who played 13 NFL seasons as an outside linebacker, credits Taylor’s attitude after being benched for Peterman — or lack thereof — for the success.

“That can tear a team apart,” Alexander said, adding it can lead players to “choose sides and not be as productive during the week. … Him playing it down in a lot of ways and it not being as big of a deal as it was to him personally, it allowed us to take our time, go back to him and find our way into the playoffs.”

 

[...]

[Anthony Lynn, Taylor's head coach in San Diego, and who once was his offensive coordinator in Buffalo:] “My respect meter has gone up a lot for Tyrod Taylor because that was the hardest conversation I’ve ever had to have with a player since I’ve been in this league, the way he lost his job,” Lynn said toward the end of last season. “And the way he’s handled this situation with Justin, and how he’s come to work every day and prepares, there’s a reason that every man on this team voted him for team captain.”

Former Bills general manager Doug Whaley, who benched Taylor in 2016 to avoid triggering that injury guarantee in the QB’s contract, said Taylor is entering “that Ryan Fitzpatrick mold, that veteran you have around that’s always going to be professional and be that bridge.” Whaley characterized this Texans season as “a unique opportunity” for a quarterback who “can compartmentalize, This is my team as long as I’m under center. This is a chance for me to audition for my next team, or even audition for this team.”

 

[...]

 

In 10 NFL seasons, Taylor has established a reputation for being an average passer who struggles to read the middle of the field but rarely turns the ball over, which can be both a positive and a sign of overly conservative play. Next Gen Stats began tracking the percentage of quarterbacks’ throws into tight windows in 2016, and Taylor ranked near the bottom of the league in such throws each of his final two seasons in Buffalo. During three years as the Bills’ primary starter, only 6.4 percent of Taylor’s throws traveled more than 20 yards downfield, according to Sportradar. For reference, those throws have made up 13.6 percent of Watson’s career pass attempts.

 

[...]

 

“This is the best guy who could come into this [the Houston] situation,” Alexander said. “Just like a great safety can cover up a cornerback who is not good, Tyrod will cover up a lot of the bad exposure down there in Houston because of who he is as a person.”

 

 

Does your analysis include the fact that Taylor sucks?

[wppete]

59 minutes ago, Patrick_Duffy said:

Cam Newton? Or maybe not worse but close to same? Tua maybe, but he could improve.

Yeah Cam and Tua are bad but I would say Tyrod might be the worse. 

[Teddy KGB]

16 hours ago, Ethan in Portland said:

So TT career rating is 89.5 and Trubisky is 87.2. So who is wasting more money?

Trubisky > Tyrod.      He actually drove his team into position for a game winning field goal in a playoff game.   
 

QBR = toilet paper 

Tyrod’s performance vs jags = the rough toilet paper. 

Edited May 21, 2021 by Teddy KGB

[Freddie's Dead]

This man allowed people to mis-pronounce his name for years before finally correcting them.  Sorry, I can't get behind a QB with no guts who can't stand up for himself.  Guy absolutely refused to throw the ball into harm's way.  That playoff game against the Jagoffs was just painful to watch.  Duhrod need to make one play, just one, and he couldn't do it.  Bortles (BLAKE *****IN' BORTLES!!) was the better QB that day.  The Bills made the playoffs that year despite Duhrod, not because of him.  I better stop now, before my head explodes....

[Captain Hindsight]

1 hour ago, Teddy KGB said:

Trubisky > Tyrod.      He actually drove his team into position for a game winning field goal in a playoff game.   
 

QBR = toilet paper 

Tyrod’s performance vs jags = the rough toilet paper. 

Right? If was the Bears I would have kept Trubisky vs Dalton. Getting fields makes that a moot point but Trubisky for 2 mil for Dalton fort 10? I'll take Trubisky 

[machine gun kelly]

On 5/20/2021 at 11:10 AM, DabillsDaBillsDaBills said:

 

Didn't know Deadpool played in the NFL

DaBills, I tried YouTube, and after reviewing every Deadpool clip I could find, If I’d posted any of them I’d have so many points, I’d see you and the guys on this board at Josh Allen’s retirement speech, never mind the bloopers one.

 

That was funny.  They are stupid, but he is such a wiseguy I love Deadpool.

 

 

[machine gun kelly]

For the Texans, he makes a lot of sense.  He will keep things moving, not make a lot of mistakes, but won’t take risks.  If they figure out this recent stuff of settlements, Watson might make it after week 8, or never. If he does make it past this endeavor, and the Texans quietly support him behind closed doors, he might do a 180 on playing for the Texans.

 

If they are on a rebuild and he does ok, then he’s playing for a future backup role which he is well suited for in the NFL.  His pipe dream of a starter is gone, but he can still roll another 8 years as a backup and make a nice living for his playing career retirement.

 

They just started one of their many specials on MTC, and this one is an eight day deal evaluating the QB room.  So far in two days they’ve done the AFCE and AFCN.  Now of these teams Allen rated the highest as an 8-10 for starters, and their backup can go up to a score of 0-6, whereas their developmental guy is 0-4.  As a group so far the only team in the running for their top 10 or 5 list is the Bills as they scored a combined 15.  My point was simply having Mitch places the Bills QB room better than most.  Fromm received a 2 of 4 as they didn’t see him last year and they pick who is the most likely developmental guy of Fromm over Webb.

 

As it pertains to Tyrod is he would be a great #2 wherever for the next 8 years.  If he starts for a bad team, does reasonably well say 4-13 to 5-12 and that’s a stretch, then he’s good for a long time bouncing around making $2-4 mil./yr. for the following seven to eight years.