racketmaster

Here are a few thoughts regarding Taylor’s contract having skimmed through this thread: Taylor did not just accept the Bills 2 year deal because he had no other options. If there were no other options for him in the league the Bills would have been stupid to pay him 30 million over 2 seasons (that is still a lot of $ to pay a QB that no other team wants as their starter). It is likely that Taylor looked at other options and decided that Buffalo was the best fit for him and that he could “bet on himself” again. Every player is different when it comes to contracts. Some are willing to take risks and others are not. Taylor showed that he was willing to “bet on himself” when he decided to sign with the Bills instead of Denver in 2015. He turned down more $ to sign with the Bills because this was a place he thought he could start right away and prove that he was a good QB. I believe Taylor would have been fine finishing out 2016 and becoming a free agent but the Bills wanted to protect themselves and offered a sizeable contract to Taylor, one that was hard to pass up. But even that contact gave the Bills an out after the 2016 season. Most players don’t sign such deals but Taylor gave the Bills a chance to see him for another year before deciding long-term. Again, he believed in himself and was willing to “bet on himself” that he would play well in 2016 to warrant the Bills picking up the option or being paid well by another team if the Bills declined the option. Taylor showed in 2 instances that he believed in his play and the financials would work out as a result of his on the field production. This brings us to the 2017 deal. McDermott comes in and needs time to review Taylor. As it appears, Whaley was ready to move on from Taylor. But McDermott analyzes Taylor’s game and determines Taylor is his best option. MC has been around good qbs with McNabb and Newton so he knows what a franchise qb looks like. MC is also smart and knows leverage. He could pick up the option but why not see if a better deal can be negotiated. MC looks around the NFL at other options. This gives the Bills some leverage as they are not completely beholden to Taylor. Taylor in turn looks at the situation. In Buffalo, he gets an OC that he has a very good relationship with in Dennison. He is comfortable with the OC and the offense having been in it for a year in Baltimore. Taylor likes Dennison’s offense and believes he can excel in the system. There are some solid pieces on offense (veteran o-line, McCoy, Clay and Watkins if healthy). Taylor looks at the situation and says why not “bet on himself” again. Take a renegotiated deal that still pays him 30 million over 2 years. He is the unquestioned starter in Buffalo and will be in an offense that he is familiar with and can hit the ground running. He does not think glass half full. Taylor is not thinking about what happens if I get hurt or if I struggle. Taylor looks at it like the Bills are the best situation for him to succeed. And if he has success as a QB, the $ will always follow (whether that is here or somewhere else). So he signs the renegotiated deal rather than go to another team. The negatives with other teams would be (1) potentially rebuilding, (2) lack as many offensive weapons, (3) have a lesser O-line, (4) lack of familiarity with coaching staff and players, (5) an offensive system he may not feel is a good fit etc. Looking at the many negatives of other teams could easily lead Taylor back to wanting to stay in Buffalo and take a little less money now but with the chance to make more down the road. This brings me to my last point about the contract. Every player is different as some players will try to negotiate every last penny from an organization while others will take less money to stay or get into a situation they feel comfortable. The examples are endless as we see Brady taking much less $ to stay in a situation he feels comfortable and allow his team to maintain an add more talent. Winning is more important than fighting for extra $. Other QBs like Flacco or even Brees chase the $ often to the detriment of their teams ability to add pieces around them. This happens at every position, not just qbs as each player is wired differently. I believe Taylor falls closer to the Brady mentality rather than Flacco. Taylor knows he spent 4 years of his career as a backup and he believes in himself. Time is short and he wants to prove that he is a good QB in the NFL. Taking another qb spot in which he would have to wait (Denver) or taking a less than ideal situation (Jets – rebuilding) is not as appealing to him. Taylor has had opportunities to chase the $ and has declined. If Taylor had that so of mentality he likely would have forced the Bills hand and went into free agency trying to maximize his salary (even if it was for another 1 or 2 million a year).

Not interested.

Good article and solid analysis of the situation. Whaley is an excellent scout and could identify talent, but he has had trouble creating a vision and plan for the team and organization. Some of that may be the lack of trust the owners placed in him to pick his own HC so that the organization was on the same page.

I have to believe that Taylor is one of the most under appreciated quarterbacks in Bills history. We just signed him to a below market deal and we have no other viable starting quarterbacks ready to play in 2017. Tyrod has played well in a system that has not emphasized the passing game. A system that worked for Kaepernick and the 49ers with their ground and pound offense. Let's see what Taylor can do in a more quarterback friendly offense (with some healthy passing weapons) before we go shipping him off to another team.

McDermott knows Barnidge as they spent 2 years in Carolina together in 2011 and 2012. This would be an excellent signing and I feel confident that MC will get this done.

I don't know enough about Beane and what his vision is for a team. He is the assistant gm and does not have final say on drafting and acquiring players. Plus, i thought he has spent more time dealing with the cap and contracts. If MC believes he is a fit than he is probably a fit. MC is not going to point the Pegulas in the direction on a gm that has an opposite vision.

Pegula will not hire anyone that McDermott is not comfortable with. MC has probably given Pegula a short list of candidates and one will be picked from that list. Whaley is gone because his vision, plan differed from MC and Pegula is not going to blindly hire a GM without getting input from MC. Pegula wants one vision coming from the HC/ GM.

Buffalo Bills: A- Top needs: Defensive back, tight end/wide receiver, offensive line The Bills had the fewest picks headed into the draft (six, tied with Atlanta), but they were able to move down, and I like both the move and the talent added. They got a huge haul from Kansas City for dropping 17 spots in the first round, adding a third-round pick and first-round pick in 2018. The early run on quarterbacks should make Buffalo feel better about having Tyrod Taylor around for another season (at least). The Kansas City pick turned into Patrick Mahomes, a player I had rated lower than the guy the Bills got at No. 27 overall. I think the Bills got three players who could start this season. Tre'Davious White, a four-year starting cornerback at LSU, could replace Stephon Gilmore. Zay Jones, who had 158 catches last season, can step in for Robert Woods -- they're both willing blockers -- and probably outproduce him. (Are Bills fans that upset about the Woods departure?) I thought Jones was a first-round talent. In Dion Dawkins, Buffalo got my No. 2 guard, a dominant run blocker who will make the move from left tackle. He gets to the second level with ease, and it could be a great help to Taylor if the run-blocking improves. Dawkins could help the cause. ROUND/PICK NAME POS COLLEGE 1/27 Tre'Davious White CB LSU 2/37 Zay Jones WR EAST CAROLINA 2/63 Dion Dawkins G TEMPLE 5/163 Matt Milano OLB BOSTON COLLEGE 5/171 Nathan Peterman QB PITTSBURGH 6/195 Tanner Vallejo OLB BOISE STATE Nathan Peterman could be the pick of the draft in a few years, and that's another reason why this class is rated so high. I know there are questions about a guy with average arm strength going to a spot like Buffalo, where cold and wind comes into play. But arm strength can improve in the NFL. Just look at Tom Brady and Drew Brees. With Taylor taking a pay cut to stay, I wouldn't be surprised if Peterman is the starter in a year or two. Buffalo did well with what it had. That's four potential starters if we're including next year's No. 1. It's refreshing to see Buffalo move back and add some capital, even in the midst of a potential change in the front office.

This is what I am hoping for after missing out on Howard, Shaheen and a few other interesting prospects. Thomas is a project and for all I know he has looked good in the voluntary workouts. I am hoping he has flashed enough ability that the coaching staff decided they could afford to go into a different direction. We could really use that matchup nightmare TE that has size, length and enough speed/athleticism. Clay is nice but he is more the swiss army knife type and it would be nice to have a bigger TE as a red zone target.

Well said. Whaley was a good talent evaluator, especially on the defensive side of the ball. He definitely did not deserve the abuse he got from the media and segment of the fan base.

I would not mind the Bills taking Shaheen at 44. Might take a little time coming from division ii but he should be able to create mismatches for us from the TE position.

TE position is definitely deep this year. I like Njoku as well but he appears more similar to a Clay (probably more like a Jordan Reed/A. Hernandez skill set). I think Howard and Shaheen might be a better pairing with Clay as they could serve more as the Gronk type (block as well as be spread out wide). If we could trade down to the late teens or early 20's, I would be fine with Njoku and the extra picks. He could replace Clay after a year and we could save cap $.

If we can't have Howard, sign me up for Adam Shaheen in the 2nd. He looks like an athletic LT but has mobility and body control similar to a travis kelce or gronk. He might need some extra time but ex-basketball players have been known to make the transition to TE before.

Whaley is the current "whipping boy". He is being blamed for everything that is wrong or any perceived wrongs. Has he been perfect? No, but name one GM that has not made mistakes. The biggest mistake Whaley made was probably trading up for Watkins. And had Watkins stayed healthy he would be a star in the league and this would not be considered much of a mistake. He has drafted reasonably well and his free agent signings have been fantastic. He was not allowed to hire the last head coach (Ryan) who was a complete disaster. Had we hired a better coach we probably would have been in the playoffs with the talent we had on the roster. Give SM more power in seeing the big picture and setting organizational goals, I am good with that. But let Whaley and his staff continue to find the players.

I like TD Mike too but the $ offered by New England was too much for a back up RB. For NE it is great as he can be a starter for a very reasonable price. As far as JW is concerned, I was not impressed by him last year but he was a rookie that was buried on the depth chart. He was coming off a foot injury and never really had an opportunity to get into a flow. There are many other examples of rookie runners who have improved after their first year. Melvin Gordon had a much better 2nd year after a very lackluster rookie season. So I do not want to write JW off yet. If he is looking healthy in workouts maybe we can hold off and use the 5th round pick on another corner or lb. We can also sign an undrafted rb and if needed sign a veteran during training camp. It is unfortunate we could not keep MG but the massive contract for McCoy does not allow for it.

In recent years, I can think of Stevie Johnson (7th) and Kyle Williams (5th). There are not too many players beyond the 3rd round that end up getting big contracts no matter what team is drafting. Again Green Bay has had elite QB play for decades and that has covered for many of their deficiencies at other positions. GB is also able to draft players to fit their systems and schemes as there is not a lot of turnover in the organization. Our schemes have constantly changed making various players that had been valuable in one system, expendable in another.

Green Bay let's a lot of players walk as well and they sign very few people in free agency. Only difference is that they have had Favre/Rodgers and they have played in a relatively weak division (one that does not include a dynasty that has lasted a decade and a half).

We can cross both Foster and Mixon off as picks for Bills.

Loved this signing. Smart, great instincts, prepared and a leader for our back end of defense.

Met with Trubisky and the next day we sign T.J. Yates. Not sure if that means anything or not but that now gives us 3 QBs on roster. If we were to draft another one we would likely have to get rid of Cardale Jones.

Not sure if this opinion holds up. Past 2 seasons the Bills are 0-3 when Taylor does not play. Bills are 3-2 when McCoy does not play.

I have a feeling that your opinion is very unpopular, that much we can agree on. Are you not one of the Taylor haters? You are quick to want to get rid of our quarterback because he is not good enough and cannot win big with him. Yet you are so willing to have hung onto a head coach who has been a disaster. Head coach and Quarterback are the two most important positions for an NFL team to be successful. Very good head coaches make a big difference in an organization (see SF before/after Harbaugh). But you would be willing to essentially give up on trying to find a good head coach because there are not many of them. Hate to break it to you but there are not that many good quarterbacks out there either. We have to remember that Wilson was not willing to pay big for his head coaches for many years. He needed to luck out and find cheap coordinators or retread head coaches. This greatly diminished our chances of finding a good HC. We have new owners and they failed their first time out because they got swindled by Rex who is an excellent salesman. They were inexperienced and quickly realized they had made a poor choice in selecting Rex. Rather than continue on with the mistake, they moved on after just 2 years. They took their time with this search and have found a coach the Bills have never hired. Someone who is young, energetic, personable, driven, smart, willing to learn from others, experienced for his age, been around successful Head Coaches, been successful as a coordinator etc... Thinking about the post Levy coaches we have hired, were there not warning signs from the beginning? They had either failed at other locations (Jauron, Gailey, Rex), were undisciplined (Rex) or maybe rubbed people the wrong way (Marrone and Williams). We always felt like "i guess this was the best we could do" or "they were the only ones willing to take the job". With McDermott, it feels completely different. Coaches, players, fans and media around the league universally think McDermott is a good coach and will be successful. Nobody ever seems to say anything bad about the guy as a person or coach. It makes me think that we actually have a chance to have a HC that can turn this team and organization around. At least this time we got a HC that "checked all the boxes" rather than settling for flawed coaches again.

I agree that Cam and certainly Rivers will have had the more accomplished career when it is all said and done. However, what they both have done in the past does not matter much for 2017 and beyond. Look at Peyton Manning in 2015. This is an extreme example and I do not expect anywhere near the fall off in production for Rivers and Cam this year but the 2015 version of Manning was completely different than the 2013 and 2014 Manning. To me it is clear that Rivers is near the end while Tyrod is in his prime. All I am saying is that Tyrod in his prime is a slightly better overall QB than Rivers at the tail end of his career. That does not mean Tyrod will be thought of more highly as a QB than Rivers when looking back at their careers. Same goes for Cam although he is much younger and I am not as certain that he cannot evolve more into a passer. My feeling on Cam is that he has been a tremendous natural athlete, basically a physical freak of nature. This allowed him to dominate in college and be successful in the NFL. He had some solid seasons and a great season in 2015. Along the way, Cam has taken a tremendous pounding. It takes a toll on anyone and I just see Cam becoming more of a reluctant runner as well as less of an athletic freak. He struggled some in 2016 as he was taking big hits. Cam has never been known as a grinder and I believe that is what he would need to do to become a better passer in order to make up for his diminished running skills. This will happen with Tyrod as well but because he rode the bench for 4 years and his style of running is much different (more elusive rather than a power runner), he has more left in the tank as a runner. Probably because of his size, Tyrod has been overlooked and has had to be more of a grinder. This mentality will better serve him as he tries to rely more on his passing. Plus, we have likely not seen the best of Tyrod as a passer. I believe the Dennison system will benefit Tyrod as will having some healthy receiving options.

Draft OJ Howard if he is there or if one of top 2 safeties fall to us. If not there move down as we need extra picks. No need to draft QB this year unless it is a mid round pick like Peterman.

I know what day it is and I also know that I am working on the premise that I get present day cam newton and not the one from his mvp season in 2015. He was not very good last year and he has taken a pounding since he came in the league. I disagree with points 1 and 2. Newton is starting to become like Big Ben. Tyrod has only missed 2 games due to injury as a result of an illegal tackle. I am not in the locker room in Carolina but I do read and follow Newton and the Panthers. This has been widely reported and has never been a question with Tyrod. And there are plenty of stats like qbr, turnover rate and passer rating that show Tyrod to be a better bet moving forward over the next 2-3 years.