LA Grant

I think this is the best 5, and I want to see Groy push Wood.

Been lurking since at least Rob Johnson and Drew Bledsoe. Posting more recently.

It means the Bills have found a QB worth keeping around as they continue to build.

I felt like this was worth it's own topic rather than it being lost in the 100th page of the other Tyrod thread. Take a look: https://imgur.com/AIlRjGJ

Tyrod was one of the few bright spots in a bleak game last night, I thought. Easily the worst performance of the season from both the O-Line and the D-Line. Maybe its a conditioning thing and a short week thing. I don't know. But Tyrod had absolutely no time unless he was able to make it himself, and there was no room in the running game. I was predicting/hoping that the offense would open up this week. Clearly I was wrong. I thought that based on how they matched up with the Jets the last few times, we would be able to control the game. Obviously not the case -- it went the exact opposite way and the Jets performed how I thought the Bills would. Thing is, our team is not built to come from behind and win -- not yet, although I think that could possibly change when we have Kelvin Benjamin, Charles Clay, Zay Jones all on the field, and the more that Deonte Thompson gets worked in, and the more Matthews develops a rapport with Tyrod. When we're throwing as much as we were yesterday, it's because we're getting beat at the line of scrimmage. Losing at the LOS means no running. No running means shorter drives. Shorter drives means we fall behind. Then we're throwing just to stay alive, and the O-Line, even when playing well, are not as good at pass blocking as they are with run blocking. I think Tyrod is able to do things most QBs cannot in terms of buying time. He is clearly developing -- throwing over the middle, always looking to throw before scrambling, he's very smart about avoiding hits and when he does take them he usually falls pretty well -- and I think once he has some reliable pass-catchers, we'll be able to be better when we're in desperate situations like last night. But no, Tyrod is not good enough to win games single handedly. Even when Doug Flutie seemed like he had magic, he had Eric Moulds and Andre Reed.

Well, for the first year, Brady being 24th in passing yards and Tyrod being 29th is pretty similar. That seems to support the original comparison. 2002 was Brady's worst season (edit: in terms of QBR). That was the year after their first SB and they went 9-7 and missed the playoffs, and we went 8-8, kinda looking like we might've won the Bledsoe trade. Brady threw 14 picks and I can definitely remember fans at the time thinking that Bledsoe would be on the Bills long after the Pats realized Brady wouldn't be able to hang.

Yeah, it's weird... it's almost like these strongly willed professional athletes are capable of improvement. Didn't they hear? The fans decided they suck. Kinda rude of them to stop doing that, the sucking.

Agree with all of this. It will be interesting to see how Tyrod's willingness to throw into tight windows develops with Kelvin Benjamin here now -- I don't think Tyrod will ever be a high-interception quarterback at any point in his career, but I think it's impossible to expect that he'll keep up the low-turnover performance at the rate he's been AND throw into tight coverage more frequently, now that he has a receiver who will come down with it 75% of the time. Basically, anyone left who is still opposed to Tyrod may soon have "well now he's throwing more interceptions" in their argument. But that will happen when you're taking more chances. I would like to see it. Not the interceptions, per se, but I'm willing to take it for a more aggressive, unleashed Tyrod Taylor. I'm reminded of Tom Brady's first few years -- he also played very conservatively, people said he was a system QB, it wasn't until Brady got some legit receivers that he really started to open up. Obviously I'm not saying Tyrod is going to be the next Brady, but I am saying that Tyrod has been developing in his 3 years here, and he has shown playmaking ability. Even Tyrod's worst games aren't full of errors, interceptions, fumbles. We'll see. I think the Tyrod and the offense have a real chance to break out in the second half of the season. I think they are fully capable of playing MUCH better with only a few adjustments (which they have made) and getting into a confident rhythm (which they seem to be on track for).

You know that scene in Austin Powers where he's trying to do a 1,000-point turn with a passenger cart in that cramped hallway? That, but with GMs and coaches. I think maybe we've just bumped into enough dead ends to finally turn it around.

I think you're correct on all counts. Bryant or TY Hilton would complement our existing group much better. I imagine the braintrust had a similar assessment (maybe) but the cost was too high. I'm not sure I'd feel as positive about a trade if they gave up a 2nd rounder for either of those guys. But then again, I can certainly see them feeling comfortable with Benjamin, Matthews, and Zay as a top three. I'm still high on Thompson finding a regular role, and Andre Holmes has been playing well. The major difference for Kelvin Benjamin, I'd think, is we're not trying to make any of the receivers "happen" in the way the Panthers are trying to with Devin Funchess. Jordan Matthews is on an expiring contract, and they have the option with Benjamin -- basically, the Bills have some viable options, and I'm not sure there's any great way of knowing how it will shake out for next year. But they are no longer desperate at the position, and don't have to commit to drafting a starting receiver. I guess it will just depends on how they play and how it all gels. We'll see. Yeah, I think you're right. Now I'm realizing we're saying the same thing, I think, which is the attitude & contract considerations went hand in hand with Sammy. The Dareus trade was pretty much the exact same thing, except instead of an expiring contract, it was a ballooning one. If either player were on a friendlier deal, the attitude stuff could be worked around. If they had better attitude, the contract stuff could be worked around. You're also right that most star receivers have the same diva attitude as Sammy (it only took two bad games for Antonio Brown to start tossing water coolers, so at least Sammy has a longer fuse than that). But I think that is correlated to performance -- you can be allowed your diva moments if the performance backs it up, and of course, Sammy just hasn't had that happen yet. Again, this all works the same for Dareus, too -- if he'd been dominating in practice and in games, I don't think they'd dump him based purely on attitude/contract. As a counter example, I didn't expect LeSean McCoy to become the leader he's grown into in Buffalo. He had a history of poor behavior in Philly despite his great production, and at first it seemed like he could've been a frustrated diva here. But I think for Shady, it's a combination of the trade humbling him and maybe just plain old age and experience. So maybe McCoy's contract is higher than you'd prefer, but it's easy to look past when he's such a positive addition to the team.

I pretty much agree with all of this, although I don't think the Watkins trade was mostly about the contract. I think McDermott and Beane are truly focused on "culture" as their year one goal. If I were ranking the 3 main factors in the decision to deal Sammy. 1. Character/work ethic/attitude -- 'culture' stuff. We know that Sammy can be vocal if he's not getting targets. It's happening now in LA. 2. Contract -- I think if Sammy had two cheap years left on his rookie deal, they might think they could work with him. But they didn't have enough confidence that he would come around (to be fair, it's Sammy's 3rd or 4th coaching staff, depending on your count) and wouldn't be worth the money, so better to sell high. 3. Injury/production -- At the end of the day, is he on the field helping the team to win enough to make all of this other stuff worth it? Injuries aren't his "fault" but it's a factor. The worst recipient of the deal was Tyrod, as you pointed out -- they were developing a chemistry and Tyrod's deep ball is stunningly accurate. Ideally, a QB would like to have a consistent group of receivers to develop a rapport with. Tyrod has shown the ability to develop relationships quickly, which I think is a testament to his commitment and work ethic, two things we've known were always strong with him. For Deonte Thompson, though, they had an existing relationship -- Thompson and Tyrod worked together here before in training camp, and back in Baltimore, and I think they went to high school together or knew each other in HS... which is partly why I think Thompson could potentially replace some of the parts of Sammy's game. That said, even though he isn't as fast, Kelvin Benjamin was a reliable deep threat for Cam, so who knows.

This is exactly it. They knew they didn't want him going forward because he and Funchess were kind of getting in each other's way in terms of targets and development. Rather than exercise his option for 8 million next year, better to get something in return for him and settle the "X" or "WR1" position.

I think it's kind of a no lose situation with Benjamin -- he's an additional option, and as they work him in, I would be surprised if he is out on every snap for the next few weeks at least. They don't need to do that -- as bad as the receiver group has been, they've been better the last two weeks. Two home games against two bad pass defenses, plus just the fact that they've been working together for 7 additional weeks of practice while just meeting each other this year will do that. Even before Benjamin, I thought they might be okay and the return of Clay and a fully healthy Matthews would return to a stronger receiving corp than the one they left. I still think that the addition of Deonte Thompson is potentially a big move, as I think he is our speediest downfield threat -- his history and chemistry with Tyrod is helpful here, too, almost making him a viable replacement for Sammy in both of those categories. So, I think that whatever Benjamin brings to the table will only help the team and especially Tyrod -- and make no mistake, Kelvin Benjamin is an impressive player, his highlights are full of contested catches that we have not seen from a Bills player in a long while. Even if he produces exactly as he has been just this year, he's still the best option we have on the depth chart in terms of talent. I feel like Tyrod and Shady are poised to break out on offense. This could help. We'll see! But what an exciting year. I'm definitely here for #theprocess.

If the Bills make the playoffs this year, you would be foolish to replace Tyrod. If they don't, then it depends on his performance and the offense's performance and you have to consider all of the factors -- but even then, my bet is that Tyrod's play will only improve over the second half of the year. I don't think he is headed toward regression or a month where he suddenly throws a ton of interceptions. Tyrod Taylor is a good quarterback. This is his third year of starting, and his third offensive coordinator. If someone we'd drafted like EJ Manuel had this kind of performance in his first three years starting, I feel like the fanbase would be over the moon to get him in the HoF already. But I think because Tyrod came as a free agent, and he won the job when he wasn't supposed to, people have just kind of assumed he doesn't have the potential to improve and become a franchise QB. He has improved facets of his game every year, with no continuity at receiver at any point due first to injuries, then a complete overhaul of the receivers. The complaining about Tyrod is tired and boring, and he keeps proving those armchair analysts wrong. First people were saying oh this is a run-first quarterback, he can scramble but that's it. Not the case. Then it was all about how he's gonna get hurt, he's gonna fumble. Nope. He can't throw over the middle. Check his breakdowns on PFF -- Tyrod is a good passer, folks. I think the Bills, with the draft capital they have, are in a great position to bolster the group they already have. This will probably never happen, but if they're going to trade up, I would actually rather they trade up for Shaqon Barkley, the insanely talented RB from Notre Dame. I know that sounds crazy, but I don't think there's any way he falls to the Bills, and even though I have HATED previous Bills drafts where they've taken running backs in the first round even though they already had a good starter... well, I wasn't hoping for the Bills to draft a corner this year either but Tre'Davious White was obviously worth it. A backfield with Barkley and McCoy alone would be enough to dominate -- and fits the style we want to run more with what we already have in personnel and strengthens it, as opposed to a rookie QB. I'd like the Bills to continue drafting QBs, but I don't think they need to go "all in" on somebody. You have the luxury of a good quarterback. Enjoy that, and work with him. Continue to tailor the offense to your personnel — Tyrod has one of the most accurate deep balls in the game, get him a downfield speedster for goodness sake. With Tyrod's speed and Shady McCoy, you have the kind of backfield where option plays would make a ton of sense -- feel free to play to their strengths! I agree with this.

Yep. And being at number three on that list isn't nothing. Thurman Thomas was one of the top two or three best RBs of the 90s, and OJ Simpson is probably the greatest running back to ever play the game -- right there with Walter Payton and Jim Brown. Anyone who hasn't watched highlights of OJ should do so immediately. He is our best player in franchise history (unfortunately). I agree with this; the idea that RBs were less valuable was more of a media/perception thing than true reality. There's no way Shaquan Barkley will fall to the Bills in the first round, but ooooh man, if somehow he did... that would be a lethal addition.

Everyone I watched the game with was well aware of what happened with the Raiders in the past -- well aware that Derek Carr possesses that Aaron Rodgers like ability to pull a comeback win out of nowhere very quickly -- but to be completely honest I NEVER had that sinking feeling when the Bills had the lead today. Something about the way McDermott has this team playing just gives me confidence as a fan, even with all of the ghosts of past Bills failures. They look solid on fundamentals, dialed in and focused. I wasn't worried they were going to take their foot off the gas -- and they didn't. It's just not in this team's character.

They look fundamentally solid. There's no game on the schedule that I see as "definitely a win" or "definitely a loss." They can hang with anybody, but at the same time, they can be beat by anybody. They need to be sharp every week. And they have been. Trust the process, baybeeeee! (They look like a 10-6 team to me)

Please notice that your sympathies in this situation, as usual, are with the people saying racist things. You worry they don't get their fair due, call issue to anything and everything else, rather than to acknowledge that the people taking issue with the statements MIGHT HAVE A POINT. This is why you continue to be ignorant. You have a wall between "you" and "knowledge" and that wall is the strongest thing about you. This wouldn't be so irritating if you were less loud and aggressive about it, but you are, so here we are. Congrats to Boyst on just becoming the second worst poster in this thread

It's always amazing how the very dumbest always seem to be the loudest. I guess if you weren't one, you wouldn't be the other. Like, if you had a degree more of thoughtfulness in your character, you might think, why am I posting this? What is the purpose of this? In this case, for me, and this is why I won't block you, I think it's important to let you actually know that what you're posting is trash. I don't think you were picking up on all of the hints before. I mean, clearly not. 34,000+ posts, and a nonstop parade of people trying to politely disagree with your or tell you you're wrong. So I'm going with the blunt version: you're bad at posting. Stop doing it.

I'm a poster interested in seeing thoughtful discussion about the Buffalo Bills and the NFL. You pollute the board with barely literate, usually racist garbage. Your posts are never insightful or funny, and they're often incoherent. Basically, I'm trying to let you know you are bad at this and you should stop posting. Thanks!

Why is it that you're in every thread about race with these absolutely terrible posts? It's like you have some bizarre obsession with shouting your hostile stupidity as much as possible. 34,000+ posts of barely literate, frequently racist garbage. My goodness.

Hard to see T.Y. as a fit for the McDermott style. I think Thompson is going to be the deep threat / speed guy.

You're right, I forgot we brought back Joe B. Team is probably set at RB.

I like Tolbert. I think everyone agrees -- Tolbert is good, but he's situational. If Shady is out multiple weeks, you don't want to rely on just Tolbert and DiMarco. Taiwan Jones looked good last week but they could use someone else at HB still, I think. Ideally next year we have rookies at QB2 and HB2 behind Tyrod and Shady.

Tyrod is the man. He and Shady are real playmakers and they're a good core for an offense even without any elite WRs. Give credit to Dennison for playing more to Tyrod & Shady & the o-line's natural strengths. They've improved throughout the year, so Dennison certainly deserves his fair share of credit for that. The past two weeks we've seen Tyrod moving out of the pocket more and extending plays. The run game obviously has adjusted with incorporating some of the blocking schemes from last year. It doesn't hurt that neither the Bucs or Raiders are particularly good defenses, but at the same time, the Bills are making plays. An unsung aspect of Tyrod's game that was noticeable today — he knows how to fall. There was one sack where he almost led the fall, almost like you'd see in pro wrestling or something. He's not giving himself up for big hits when he can help it. Combine that with his basketball-like jukes, and no wonder Tyrod has been good at avoiding injuries, knock on wood (remember how often people were criticizing Tyrod early on for how frequently he was sure to get injured?) This sounds crazy but I think Tyrod and Shady could call their own plays, K Gun-style. I think they know how they work best, and even though I usually hate gadget plays, I think this group could incorporate option plays a lot more. Imagine a 2nd or 3rd and short -- fake hand off to Fullback, toss to Shady, halfback option with Thompson deep. If the safety bites, that's a TD, and if not, I like Shady running outside against a CB/LB. Same thing with Logan Thomas. Some kind of WR screen where he has the option to throw deep to Thompson if the safety comes up. With turnovers, I think Tyrod is who is he is —at this point, it's clearly part of how he's making decisions, whether he's going to take the attempt or not. But the more that Tyrod is able to play the "backyard hero" game that he is best at — Vick style, but more looking to throw while still a threat to run on every play... I think he has the potential to really go on a streak here. We'll see.