JCJanko

I am as well. Like you said, it was somewhat intriguing when he had a chance to back it up, but since he hasn't, he needs to show some humility.

Sometimes, QB controversies are OK. Montana-Young, Brees-Rivers, Brady-Bledsoe. Just to name a few. Some sort of mind game, maybe? But picking up a 3rd stringer seems pretty big, considering Carpenter can't kick touchbacks (I assume).

Really? EDIT: About John Murphy. What has he said? Me, too. But the thing that was encouraging was that he was consistent, and his throws were excellent. Just perfect 99% of the time. He didn't look that good previously.

The interesting thing, though, is we get to see what EJ can do, early in the season, and TT gets to rest. If EJ blows it, TT probably comes back sometime after the bye and we go forward knowing for sure the staff made the right choice (for those of us who questioned it). I was in the "EJ camp" because I like pocket passers over runners, but I have no idea if he can continue his play from the preseason, consistently. We will have some serious questions answered the next two weeks, which is great for everyone.

I have been very critical of Taylor, but one of his better qualities is that he doesn't make huge mistakes. He is very conservative and patient with the ball (against NY, to a fault). For EJ to take the position, he is going to have to bring a big game with him. I'm excited to see if he does it. Tough matchup.

Taylor isn't a rookie. Let me expound. If a rookie is starting against Belichick, he most likely has been proven in college to be a solid prospect. But a young QB who is handed the job is probably unproven, and needs much more experience to develop. I would rather have Luck as a rookie than Taylor in his 4th year against Belichick.

Belichick is a genius against young, unproven QB's. He's been doing it for years. He didn't get the offense figured out; he simply made the young QB uncomfortable, almost every play. When Taylor is comfortable, he's a very good starting QB. When he's not, his game is totally off. Hopefully he learns to succeed when he's uncomfortable. I think he has shown that he can, but I've been wrong before.

It is a later afternoon game, though. Many more people will see it than a 1PM game, and I think people are interested outside of Buffalo and Miami to see what the AFC East is all about. It's obviously much lower key than last week, but I think it will make some waves because whoever loses is essentially the big underdog in the division.

It's really odd, because while I was watching the game, my friend and I were analyzing every throw. It was interesting that we would say, "Whoa, nice strike there" one play, then just groan the next. The plays called in the second offensive drive were atrocious. We just sat said and looked at each other, thinking we were just going to give NE the game. It was an all-around awful effort by everyone (coaches, players, and refs), so it is amazing that we actually mathematically made it a game. I really don't know what to expect this week. Miami hasn't looked great, but they have a ton of talent, and it is their home opener.

I never even thought of that (in the "ironic" sense). Hilarious! Too late. Bets are in.

Until we know what Taylor is, this game is a toss-up in my mind.

This is what concerns me. He looked like a rookie when he faced pressure. I was under the impression that he had enough experience to not "panic" in the pocket. He definitely panicked, on numerous occasions. I have been open about my belief that EJ is our best pocket passer, and the best pocket passer should be the starting QB, but I will always stay objective. Right now, it is obvious you stick with Taylor. I can give a ton of reasons why, but that's irrelevant. This game will tell us a lot: on the road, good defense, coming off a horrible loss. I'm ready to see how Taylor responds. He has, at the very least, shown he is a capable backup. I want to see him consistently make plays through the air under pressure. He has all the tools, and can make all the throws.

I am originally from Buffalo as well and have lived in IL since 1999. If our QB situation stabilizes, it's highly likely we get 11+. Sweet, we can bet kids? I've got 4 daughters, so technically 3 backups. Take your pick if I lose the bet. But if I win, you have to take 2 of them.

I always thought this as well. Some people called me stupid. Figures.

Oh, man. Does it have to be good wine? I only know craft beers.

Wow. I never claim to know everything, but I can't believe I never heard that phrase. Of course, my career ended in high school in the 90's, and we didn't have many angles. This is truly a quality forum.

Scoring 32 points means almost nothing. Miami scored 34 points on us in a playoff game in 1991 (44-34, 1990 season), and it wasn't a game. We handled them from start to finish. When your offense is playing well, you can take chances on defense or let up in other areas to extend time. If New England struggled on offense, I can guarantee we do not score 32. They find ways to win, period. If they score only 30, they keep us to 29. They were clearly the better team, and never let us threaten the lead when it came down to it. Any time we came close to taking the lead, they crushed us. It was. I clarified in another post. For me, I can take hearing that my WR's and QB aren't on the same page, and maybe don't "trust" each other yet, but the QB and o-line are special. These are the warriors, and QB is the general. The first thing that should happen before taking the field is to have trust in your line. That's all I meant. I don't disagree with you at all. If you don't mind me asking, what does "All-22 TT" mean? Thanks!

True, because it was part of a bigger picture, but it is still something you never want to hear, even if Sammy is spreading the "mistrust" as he is.

Sammy's quote is pretty damning. It wasn't insulting, but saying your QB isn't trusting his line is very strong (and I 100% thought the same thing while watching the game). But stats can be used in any way. The line was not good, and neither was the playcalling. Just thinking about the game, I bet the reason he had so much time was that he extended many plays. The problem, however, is that when he extended the plays, he rarely turned it into a positive. In fact, I believe (correct me if I am wrong) that all of his interceptions were after quite a bit of time waiting and/or extending the play. He hasn't yet shown he can throw under immense pressure. He has shown he can throw quite well when not pressured. Taylor made rookie mistakes. I was under the impression that his experience under Flacco made him somewhere in between a rookie and veteran. That was not the case Sunday. We will know much more this week. If he continues rookie errors, it will be a long season for us.

Well that was awkward.

As a libertarian (small l), I could not agree more.