NFL.com: Gregg Rosenthal's QB Index

[hondo in seattle]

 

NFL.com: Awards Watch at the Quarter Mark

 

The Preseason Means Nothing Award: Tyrod Taylor, Bills

No NFL team was dragged more in the preseason than the Buffalo Bills, a squad that couldn't move the ball on offense and inspired talk of tanking after trading away wideout Sammy Watkins, cornerback Ronald Darby and linebacker Reggie Ragland in August. Now they are 3-1 with the top scoring defense in football.

 

Tyrod Taylor takes home the hardware after averaging 3.4 yards per attempt and compiling a 27.9 passer rating in a preseason that inspired Bills fans to pine for rookie fifth-round pick Nathan Peterman as a Week 1 starter. Four weeks later, now that the games that matter have started, Taylor is averaging 7.5 yards per attempt with a 100.7 passer rating and at least two or three jaw-dropping throws a week.

 

 

 

I remember when passer ratings over 100 were considered godly. They're still pretty damn impressive.

 

And then there are those "jaw-dropping throws" which are often throws out of jaw-dropping scrambles. He does some things few other QBs can do.

 

I like TT's performance thus far.

 

However, I think a valid question remains unanswered. If the defense has a bad day and Dennison running attack can't get untracked again, will Tyrod pass us to victory? There's no need for TT to throw for 300 yards every week. But can he throw for 300 if we need him to?

 

(I'm not knocking Tyrod, only asking).

[HappyDays]

 

 

I remember when passer ratings over 100 were considered godly. They're still pretty damn impressive.

 

And then there are those "jaw-dropping throws" which are often throws out of jaw-dropping scrambles. He does some things few other QBs can do.

 

I like TT's performance thus far.

 

However, I think a valid question remains unanswered. If the defense has a bad day and Dennison running attack can't get untracked again, will Tyrod pass us to victory? There's no need for TT to throw for 300 yards every week. But can he throw for 300 if we need him to?

 

(I'm not knocking Tyrod, only asking).

I don't think there are more than 3 QBs in the league that I would trust with this offense if the defense and running game weren't working. We probably have the worst receiving weapons in the league. The fact he's moving our offense at all with the absence of a running game is amazing. I'm under no illusions that we would have the record we have now if our defense was worse than it is, but that's probably true no matter who the QB is outside of like Brady and Brees.

[Dorkington]

I still contend, that on a per play basis, Tyrod is a decent QB. We just don't utilize him all that much compared to other teams and their QBs. It really depends on if you measure totals, or per play productivity, how he falls in terms of ranking.

[Lv-Bills]

Wait a minute. Does this mean we still have to think he still really sucks in order to be cool here? Imagine how much more damage he could do with an NFL caliber receiving corps!

[dubs]

Do you know why this thread topic consistently comes up, because it's very unclear how good/bad TT really is. Both sides are right and both sides are wrong. TT isn't a franchise QB, he's not a very good passer in the traditional sense. But he's very good at some things like making athletic plays, protecting the ball and keeping plays alive.

 

In today's tribal world I guess we have to dig in and be right, but this is going to be a weekly yo yo because he's going to have good weeks like last week and horrible weeks like Carolina.

[hondo in seattle]

I don't think there are more than 3 QBs in the league that I would trust with this offense if the defense and running game weren't working. We probably have the worst receiving weapons in the league. The fact he's moving our offense at all with the absence of a running game is amazing. I'm under no illusions that we would have the record we have now if our defense was worse than it is, but that's probably true no matter who the QB is outside of like Brady and Brees.

 

I'm think I'm more in agreement with you than I let on.

 

Since Bledsoe had a good first half of a season many years ago, we've had some awful quarterbacking. I know a lot of guys want us to draft a QB in the 1st round next year. I wouldn't be disappointed if we don't. TT isn't a Brady or a Brees but he is a capable all-around QB and I think we can get to the playoffs with him under center if the supporting staff is strong enough. I'm okay with Tyrod being our guy-under-center for the next few years.

 

Though I'd be thrilled if he was beat out by the next Brady/Brees.

[PolishDave]

 

 

I remember when passer ratings over 100 were considered godly. They're still pretty damn impressive.

 

And then there are those "jaw-dropping throws" which are often throws out of jaw-dropping scrambles. He does some things few other QBs can do.

 

I like TT's performance thus far.

 

However, I think a valid question remains unanswered. If the defense has a bad day and Dennison running attack can't get untracked again, will Tyrod pass us to victory? There's no need for TT to throw for 300 yards every week. But can he throw for 300 if we need him to?

 

(I'm not knocking Tyrod, only asking).

 

I don't think your scenario is a fair one where you can expect ANY quarterback to win the game for you. If your defense sucks and your offense becomes one dimensional - you deserve to lose period. That is why it is a team sport called football and not a sport called QB vs. QB.

 

You can't even expect Tom Brady to win you that game. He might win more of those types of games than other quarterbacks because he is the greatest QB of his era, but even he would lose many of those types of games. I think your expectations are a little too high - not just for Tyrod, but for any quarterback.

 

Your scenario is like the Saints in 2016. They still had a losing season. That is asking too much even from a future hall of fame QB like Drew Brees.

[Dorkington]

Like others have said, if both the defense and running game suck, and with our current WRs... there are only a couple QBs imo that would still possibly win the game. If the idea is that if you can't do that, you're not good enough, then we're going to be waiting a long time before we get a 'real QB'. That sort of talent is top tier Hall of Fame level.

[Jasovon]

Some people really wish we weren't winning right now as it makes it harder to hate tyrod

[transplantbillsfan]

http://www.footballoutsiders.com/stats/qb

 

Footballoutsiders currently has Taylor at #16 in DYAR and #9 in DVOA.

 

Passer Rating has him tied at #7.

 

Total Qbr has him at #9.

 

 

You factor all that in with what you see in terms of his play on the field and I think putting Taylor in the top 10 to start the 2017 season is perfectly reasonable.

[transplantbillsfan]

Do you know why this thread topic consistently comes up, because it's very unclear how good/bad TT really is. Both sides are right and both sides are wrong. TT isn't a franchise QB, he's not a very good passer in the traditional sense. But he's very good at some things like making athletic plays, protecting the ball and keeping plays alive.

 

In today's tribal world I guess we have to dig in and be right, but this is going to be a weekly yo yo because he's going to have good weeks like last week and horrible weeks like Carolina.

 

Here's what I don't like about this conversation for years: with Taylor or any other QB: people feel the need to speak so definitively all the time.

 

"Taylor isn't a franchise QB."

 

At least throw the word that belongs at the end of that sentence... YET.

 

He's still playing and still has every opportunity to prove it.

 

Plus, that statement presumes that Taylor isn't good enough in McDermott's eyes. Why are you so sure about that? Seems like a guy like Taylor who is already implanted on your roster as a veteran QB probably just now entering his prime who protects the ball so well but can make incredible throws, has the respect of all his teammates, has an NFL arm, has Elite athleticism, has incredible character and seems to be improving on aspects of his game folks have criticized him over his first two years as a starter (going through progressions, throwing over the middle, etc.) might actually be a guy that a coach who wants to both win now as well as build for the future views as a Franchise QB right now?

 

 

I have no idea how this year or the offseason or the draft will play out, but guess what, neither does anyone else. So this constant need to qualify almost every statement about Taylor's play with "well, we're still going to draft a QB in the first" is just a little ridiculous.

 

Who knows what happens?

 

Taylor might very well be our Franchise QB if he keeps playing so efficiently and the team keeps winning. I'm not running out the door to buy a Taylor jersey or anything, but it's very possible that a year or two from now his jersey becomes the first QB jersey since Kelly Bills fans can walk around wearing without wondering whether he'll be on a different team or out of the league the following year.

[SlimShady'sSpaceForce]

Can we pump the brakes on TT as a lock for being a franchise QB until around thanksgiving?

 

Yes there are a few things he's improved but he's still what he has been.

[transplantbillsfan]

Can we pump the brakes on TT as a lock for being a franchise QB until around thanksgiving?

 

Yes there are a few things he's improved but he's still what he has been.

Who's saying he's a lock?

[26CornerBlitz]

 

Rodak: Tyrod Taylor is improving despite challenging circumstances

After an ugly preseason, quarterback Tyrod Taylor is taking care of the ball and has directed a solid if unspectacular Bills offense to a 3-1 start.

[26CornerBlitz]

QB rankings: Brady, Rodgers battle for No. 1 spot

Below you'll find a breakdown of the top 15 quarterbacks so far this season. The most jarring aspect? The names that aren't listed.

 

The Canton-bound Class of 2004 -- Ben Roethlisberger, Philip Rivers and Eli Manning -- serve as a collective reminder that quarterbacks occasionally do age in this era of Brady and Brees. Roethlisberger's five-interception game -- and his reaction to it -- naturally drew headlines, but the loss to Jacksonville felt more unlucky than embarrassing.

 

The bigger concern is how few "wow" moments Roethlisberger has pulled off through five weeks in a career built on them. His baseline play has been workmanlike. Instead of falling off a cliff, Roethlisberger has only looked less capable of climbing one. The highs are no longer as high.

 

The same holds true for Rivers and Manning. My highest-graded single game from the '04 trio this season was Eli's Week 4 loss in Tampa (30 of 49 for 288 yards and two touchdowns, with an additional rushing score), hardly a performance that will be referenced during his Hall of Fame debate. Rivers has been speaking a language his young receivers don't seem to understand. The trio hasn't been bad, just average. Mid-to-late-tier starting quarterbacks depend on their teammates for big games, rather than elevating those around them. I haven't seen the game yet where these quarterbacks put their teammates on their backs.

 

It's not as if early struggles are limited to the mid-30s set. Jameis Winston, Andy Dalton and Kirk Cousins are also off to slow starts, but they have the benefit of time on their side to sort things out. For the class of '04, that time is closer to running out.

 

This is the Quarterback Index. The QBs are ranked based on 2017 play only. So what's happened in previous seasons -- and what will happen moving forward -- doesn't matter. Let's get weird:

 

Edited October 12, 2017 by 26CornerBlitz

[John from Riverside]

Maybe Tyrod really did single handedly keep us in the Panthers game?

We all know Peterman would have

[Heavy Kevi]

Tyrod plays a game that bolsters his passer rating. Holding the ball and taking sacks isn't factored in. 3 and outs are not factored in.

 

Yes, he makes some great throws, but an equal amount of true head-scratchers. The games when he is most effective, it is his RB skills that make the difference.

 

I am not trying to beat down tyrod, he has done fine for what he is, but lets not pretend he is actually in the top 10 of QBs.

 

I still think we can win with him, but he will never carry the team, do it on his own, or scare teams with his pocket passing. If you keep him in the pocket, he is very very average.

[26CornerBlitz]

Tyrod plays a game that bolsters his passer rating. Holding the ball and taking sacks isn't factored in. 3 and outs are not factored in.

 

Yes, he makes some great throws, but an equal amount of true head-scratchers. The games when he is most effective, it is his RB skills that make the difference.

 

I am not trying to beat down tyrod, he has done fine for what he is, but lets not pretend he is actually in the top 10 of QBs.

 

I still think we can win with him, but he will never carry the team, do it on his own, or scare teams with his pocket passing. If you keep him in the pocket, he is very very average.

 

Nonsense. The Denver and Atlanta games in particular were won with the help of his passing with the running game bogged down.

[Heavy Kevi]

 

Nonsense. The Denver and Atlanta games in particular were won with the help of his passing with the running game bogged down.

Nonsense? I seem to remember him converting 3rd downs with scrambles.

 

We may have had "help from his passing", but we beat denver and atl because of the defense.

[26CornerBlitz]

Nonsense? I seem to remember him converting 3rd downs with scrambles.

 

We may have had "help from his passing", but we beat denver and atl because of the defense.

 

Tyrod was 20-26 for 213 yards against DEN with 2 TDs with 8 carries for 13 yards. Against ATL he was 12-20 for 182 yards and 1 TD with 7 carries for 12 yards. Were his RB skills a key in either game? Again, this is nonsense.