twoandfourteen

You're apparently not. Taylor's production with Woods & Watkins was good. It was never elite. Nothing about Tyrod's game is/was/has ever been elite.

Relative to other "stud" WRs, 60 catches isn't exactly "great" either. Odell's numbers: 91-1305-12, 96-1450-13, 101-1376-10. As a side note, in only 4 games this year OBJ's stat line is 25-302-3 on 41 targets from a starting QB who was also benched this season. Zay Jones, Jordan Matthews, and Deonte Thompson also have 25 receptions.

I actually really like Tyrod. I think he's the consummate professional athlete, not to mention easily one of the most stylish guys around. It's unfortunate that there is very little in his game that impresses me. Pointing out that he is the QB of the worst passing offense in football is not "nitpicking". Also, bringing up Tom Brady is beyond ridiculous. For every one pass Tommy Boy misses, there are at least a dozen that are on the money, perfect throws. Taylor doesn't even play the same sport as Tom Brady. I am a firm believer that the play calling is severely hindered by having a bottom 3 starting QB running the show.

He is. The Bills have the 32nd ranked passing offense in the league. Taylor is statistically the worst starting QB in football when it comes to throwing the football. An offense specifically suited to Taylor is the exact opposite of what is successful in the modern NFL. Professional defenses are too fast, too strong. So, you could design an offense around his strengths -- lots of read option, designed QB runs, and even fewer passing attempts. You would also lose every game by three touchdowns. You could probably make a run at the Section VI AA title, though.

The fastest and most effective way of fixing the offensive line is to get a QB that can read a defense pre-snap, make a decision, and deliver the ball quickly and accurately to the receiver. If the ball is consistently gone in under 3 seconds, the incoming pass rush generally doesn't matter. Tyrod actually makes offensive lines look worse than they really are because of his shortcomings as a passer and his "wheels". Lineman are under pressure to block longer and also they are never really sure where the QB is going to be or where the play is going.

I agree, both guys are in the same group -- the delusional "We can win with this guy" tier. However, the question was who was better for the Bills in the drought-era? To me, it came down to the two primary responsibility for a QB -- throwing the football and running a functional offense. Fitzpatrick is a much better passer than Tyrod, so to me, he gets the edge. He was at least capable of bringing a team back from behind once in awhile. He went throw-for-throw with Brady once, which is one time more than Taylor. Fitzpatrick's fatal flaw was too many turnovers. Tyrod's fatal flaw is an inability to play the position at the most fundamental level.

Preach! It must be awesome to be a Rams fan right about now.

3000 yards in 13 games in 2010, 3800 yards in 2011. Averaged 230 per game in 2010 & 2011. Had 7 300+ yard passing days in 4 years. Brought the Bills back from down 21-0 against the Patriots, threw for 369 yards and 2 TDs in that game. However, he did have a LOADED WR corps of Stevie Johnson, Donald Jones, Brad Smith, David Nelson, and Naaman Roosevelt. Also, Scott Chandler at TE. Imagine if Tyrod had weapons like THAT.

Yes, sarcasm.

Seriously? The kid looked pretty strong leading the Bills in a blizzard. One thing's for sure, his rookie year has been memorable. Also, McDermott was absolutely right in benching Taylor. His recent performance to that point had been unacceptable by any standard.

How exactly? People throw this racially-tinged line around quite a bit -- Taylor himself said so, too -- and I'm still a bit confused by what exactly this "higher standard" is. Can you be more specific? Is it unfair and racist to want Taylor to maybe hit a receiver in stride once in a while? Is it unfair and racist to criticize an NFL QB in his third full season for not scoring more than a single FG in multiple games this year? What exactly is the "lower standard" for white QBs (as I assume you are implying)? You could make very strong arguments for both Fitz & Kyle Orton being better QBs than Taylor.

The guy has been in the league for 8 years. 3 as a starter. I think we've been patient enough. No signs of improvement, and if anything, has regressed due to defenses figuring out how to completely shut him down. Ironically, opposing teams believe that Tyrod Taylor poses the least threat when he is forced to "play QB". That should be as far as anyone really needs to look into this.

All three of those guys at their best are MILES ahead of Taylor at his best, that's why. I would also prefer to not have Alex Smith anywhere near the Bills roster next year.

1. Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes, and YES. 2. Only if one of the QBs from the previous question were playing for the Bills instead of TT.

Yes. His inability to run any semblance of a modern passing offense is by far the #1 problem on this team. Hands down, no contest.

It's a tough penalty to change, though. If you're a DB, you might as well tackle the receiver on any pass attempt over 10 yards. Better to give them 10 rather than 25 or 30.

No one is mentioning Peterman's fumble that was run back for a TD against the Chargers. That never would have happened if Tyrod had started! McDermott is an idiot!

It is ridiculous to say "RB playing QB". He's definitely more of a WR playing QB.

Sure did join 3 hours ago. Needed something to do to kill a couple of hours today until the holiday mayhem kicks in this afternoon. User name was the Bills record when I first started to follow them and become a fan as a kid. Started this thread because it was something that I thought was interesting. You clicked on it, so I can't help you there. Coincidence, I guess?

As a QB, it's part of the job description to avoid contact. I don't hold that against him. 2 learned that lesson the hard way against Indy.

You can't say that for sure. Taylor has never been in a position to demonstrate it to that degree. However, based on what I have seen of TT, I have no reason to doubt that he wouldn't be every bit as "tough" as Edelman.

You might actually have a point there. Edelman has had a far more accomplished and successful career. He will ultimately be remembered as a key component of all-time football dynasty. Tyrod will always have those 3 TDs for every 1 INT that he threw, though. Hmmm, he doesn't really throw very many INTs....

I agree, the 8-year veteran QB in his 3rd season as a starter is currently marginally better than the 5th round rookie drafted 8 months ago. (Even though there is some room for debate.) Congratulations, you win.

Asinine would be "Could Richie Incognito transition into an elite place kicker?" There are many parallels between Edelman & Taylor and considering the ongoing disagreement on Taylor's place in the NFL currently, I think it's a perfectly reasonable hypothetical to bring up on a slow Saturday afternoon.