WGR

‘The bigger issue with McDermott is whether or not he just lost the locker room. That may sound a bit extreme considering the Bills are still tied for 6th place in the AFC but you know there are players, especially those that believe in Taylor that are wondering what the heck McDermott was thinking? It might be tough to preach “trust the process” this week around One Bills Drive.’

‘That’s 638(!) yards given up on the ground by the Bills defense in the last three weeks. Over 212 average per game. Wow.’

‘“It was pretty emotional, a little bit, trying not to show it obviously,” he said. “It’s a dream come true, obviously, to get this opportunity. I’ve been through a lot, I think, to get here, too. It’s certainly not done, though, at all. It’s a great opportunity, but it’s still all in front of me. I’ve got to go work to earn it.”’

‘”I’m skeptical. Here’s the idea, the problem in the last 3-4 weeks -and particularly in the past couple weeks- has been defense… Maybe with injuries, the trade of Marcell Dareus, them being a little light up front on the defensive line, they’re starting to get pushed around and the defense is giving up too many points and too many yards. And that’s been a multiple week thing.”‘

‘”We are 5-4, I understand that and we are in the playoff hunt at this point. It is always, and for the time that I am here, will be about becoming the best team that we can possibly become. We are made for more than 5-4, and I’ve come here to be more than 5-4.”‘

‘Nathan Peterman is not going to replace that. Peterman showed an ability to scramble in the preseason, but does not have near the athletic ability that Taylor has. What Peterman should provide the Bills, is more timely throws, and Bills fans would hope is less dump offs to the likes of Mike Tolbert and Pat DiMarco on 3rd and long. In reality, Peterman may be a very comparable passer to Taylor. Efficient. Not a gun slinger. Efficient.’

‘Peterman’s experience in a pro-style passing attack gives him a head start headed into the league. His physical attributes are just average, but his accuracy, composure and anticipation are what sets him apart from some of the more physically gifted quarterbacks in this year’s draft. Peterman’s tape is sure to catch the eye of at least a few teams in need of a quarterback and he should come off the board by day two with a chance to become a solid starting quarterback in the future.’

‘”[I’m] very confident in my abilities. I think I’ve grown as a player over the past three years, and I’m going to continue to keep growing whether I’m playing on Sundays or when I’m learning [like] right now. I’m going to continue to keep growing, and I have full confidence that I can be a franchise quarterback when the opportunity presents itself. I’ll continue to keep doing the things that I know how to do.”‘

‘The majority of the evidence suggests that all along here, Taylor has been viewed as nothing more than a placeholder by McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane. Taylor was allowed to look for a better opportunity last offseason, and I’m still stunned he couldn’t find one. Maybe the Bills were too because while Taylor was shopping, they were reportedly talking with Mike Glennon and Brian Hoyer. Eventually, a pay cut was accepted and Taylor was back.’

‘Coleman, who measures up at 6’5″ and 341 lbs., has been on and off of the Bills roster since the 2016 season, originally as a member of the practice squad. Coleman was released by Buffalo after the preseason, however, he was brought back to the main roster in Week 3 and released again. He has zero tackles on the season after that one game against the Broncos.’

‘The fact that the Bills have allowed 81 points their last two games is disturbing. Is it a sign of things to come? Maybe, which is different than yes.’

‘From the very beginning, I questioned the fit in this offense. Taylor simply doesn’t have the trigger to play in a tempo-based passing attack built on timing and ball placement. Just the basic principles of this scheme suggest there isn’t a fit. Yet, I look back at the 2016 season and see how vital Taylor was to the league’s best-running attack and look at this offense through 10 weeks and just don’t see the same willingness or effectiveness.’

‘McDermott acknowledged that he understands why some fans would be calling for Taylor’s benching and for the team to play rookie Nathan Peterman, but added “I know what Tyrod’s done and I also know what Nate’s done, and Tyrod’s our starter.”’

‘”You don’t want to kill the patient. You want to attack the problem. Until we show we’re better than that, like we did in the 5 wins, we have some work to do. Biggest thing is we need to play better fundamentally.”‘

‘”It’s frustrating. I have confidence in our guys, that hasn’t changed. We can’t go in the tank at this point, a lot of football ahead of us. Still 5-4. Focus needs to be on getting back to fundamentals, and beating the Chargers.”‘