Bleacher Report: Why Doesn't the NFL Like Tyrod Taylor?

[HappyDays]

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2745084-nfl1000-week-11-notebook-why-doesnt-the-nfl-like-tyrod-taylor

 

In three seasons as a starter for the Buffalo Bills after four seasons as Joe Flacco's backup for the Baltimore Ravens, Tyrod Taylor came into Sunday's abject disaster against the Los Angeles Chargers with not-all-that-bad stats: 693 completions in 1,105 passes (a 62.7 completion rate) for 7,941 yards, 47 passing touchdowns and 17 interceptions.

 

Add in his 279 rushes for 1,521 yards and 13 touchdowns, and it would seem that Taylor has the kind of skill set you'd want if you were building a team around a young quarterback.

 

In 2017 under new offensive coordinator Rick Dennison, Taylor has still played well for the most part—but not well enough for the Bills' coaching staff, who benched him in favor of rookie Nathan Peterman.

 

Peterman, of course, threw five picks in his first NFL start Sunday before he was pulled. After the disaster, head coach Sean McDermott said he would review Peterman's performance before naming a starter going forward, per Chris Brown of BuffaloBills.com, which leads to the inevitable question: What's there to review?

 

Another, larger question: Why is Taylor considered to be a below-average starter? Based on Buffalo's response to his skill set through multiple offensive coordinators, that seems to be its view. The Bills have refused to make a long-term commitment to him even after a 2016 season in which the offense was in disarray with the coordinator switch from Greg Roman to current Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn.

 

The team re-signed him to a two-year, $30.5 million contract with $15.5 million guaranteed, which is a holdover deal for any quarterback. Clearly, the Bills see Taylor as disposable, though they haven't exactly been aces in the quarterback evaluation process since the Jim Kelly days.

 

Is that a fair assessment of Taylor's ultimate potential? His performance against the Saints' outstanding defense in Week 10—Taylor completed nine of 18 passes for 56 yards and an interception—is the obvious talking point for those who had enough of Taylor and wanted a change.

 

He was not at all good in that game—Taylor failed to find a rhythm with new receiver Kelvin Benjamin, and he both underthrew and overthrew his receivers. Taylor is not always a comfortable quarterback in the pocket, a situation that is exacerbated by Buffalo's failures to protect him, and Taylor's own tendencies at times lead him to run into pressure.

 

He's also still learning to match his field reads with accurate throws. At this point in his career, Taylor needs receivers who can get separation from defenders. He's not an ideal tight-window thrower, especially to intermediate distances (think 8-15 yards downfield).

 

Where Taylor wins is in the short passing game and on deep balls where his receivers either get open on the designed route, or move outside of structure and coverage as Taylor moves out of the pocket. Right now, the Bills don't have receivers who can consistently win throughout the stems of route concepts.

 

Did we say "pocket"? Because that's a big part of Taylor's regression this season—it's one of the main reasons he got his brains beaten in against the Jets on November 2 in a 34-21 loss, and it's a contributing factor to his bad game against the Saints. It's clear that the Bills have decided to turn Taylor into a pocket passer, and that's not what he is on an every-down basis.

 

Moreover, by eliminating the designed runs that helped him set defenses on edge, and the run-pass options that better aligned him with his receivers, Dennison and his cohorts appear to be trying to fit Taylor into a schematic suit for which he was never designed. That he was able to throw for a touchdown and run for another when he was asked to come into the Chargers game and clean up the mess his coaches created speaks to his toughness and resolve.

 

Ideally, Taylor would be in an offense that let him use his functional mobility as a positive. He would be with a play-designing unit that schemed its receivers open. And he would learn more about the subtleties of the position from a coaching staff that believed in him and tailored the playbook to what makes him comfortable.

 

Just this season, we've seen this "phenomenon" from the Los Angeles Rams with Sean McVay and Jared Goff, and with the Houston Texans with Bill O'Brien and Deshaun Watson before Watson's season-ending ACL injury.

 

It's now become clear that the Buffalo Bills have no use for Taylor, and they should allow him by trade or release to work with a staff that sees him as more than a negative. He's far from a perfect quarterback, but he deserves far better than this

[Teddy KGB]

 

[RalphWilson'sNewWar]

Didn't the Bills let Taylor explore the market this past offseason?

[ricko1112]

20 minutes ago, HappyDays said:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2745084-nfl1000-week-11-notebook-why-doesnt-the-nfl-like-tyrod-taylor

 

 

 

Maybe it's because Jamarcus Russell has as many 4th quarter comebacks as Taylor: 3. It's a team game for sure, but once the Bills are down, they're done...

[SaviorPeterman]

Amazing the agenda that the MSM Sports outlets have pushing this as some sort of racial issue. Sad!

 

This is great for TT and his agent though because with the media's help they are going to create a ridiculously false market for him in the offseason, maybe we'll be able to fleece another desperate team in a trade after all.

[ricko1112]

4 minutes ago, SaviorPeterman said:

Amazing the agenda that the MSM Sports outlets have pushing this as some sort of racial issue. Sad!

 

This is great for TT and his agent though because with the media's help they are going to create a ridiculously false market for him in the offseason, maybe we'll be able to fleece another desperate team in a trade after all.

B$PN trying to stir up trouble...

[White Linen]

7 minutes ago, SaviorPeterman said:

Amazing the agenda that the MSM Sports outlets have pushing this as some sort of racial issue. Sad!

 

This is great for TT and his agent though because with the media's help they are going to create a ridiculously false market for him in the offseason, maybe we'll be able to fleece another desperate team in a trade after all.

 

Oh we get it - "fleece".

[Johnny Hammersticks]

Maybe it’s because he just isn’t that good.  

[CanadianFan]

Tyrod is a college QB. If you want to run a college style offense, it's fine fam!  We ran one for a while. Problem is few people will run that!

[T-Bomb]

23 minutes ago, SaviorPeterman said:

Amazing the agenda that the MSM Sports outlets have pushing this as some sort of racial issue. Sad!

 

I mentioned this a few weeks ago, "Kaepernick kneeling for Tyrod" etc.  I saw it coming and was right.

Edited November 20, 2017 by T-Bomb

[Direhard Fan]

Well, you Peterman fans saw how that went.  Guess that was TT's fault also.  A total embarassment.  They should be ashamed.   

[BuffaloHokie13]

25 minutes ago, RalphWilson'sNewWar said:

Didn't the Bills let Taylor explore the market this past offseason?

Depends on your definition, but no.

[DC Tom]

Because the league still prefers pocket passers to option QBs.  

 

It's not even a "the league doesn't like mobile QBs" issue.  NFL teams are fine with mobile QBs that can stand in the pocket and deliver the ball (e.g. Russell Wilson).  It's mobile QBs who can't throw from the pocket (e.g. Kaepernick, Taylor) that the league has a problem with.

[Gugny]

The NFL doesn't like Tyrod for the same reason the NFL doesn't like Kaepernick.

 

They're simply not good quarterbacks.

[BuffaloBill]

4 minutes ago, CanadianFan said:

Tyrod is a college QB. If you want to run a college style offense, it's fine fam!  We ran one for a while. Problem is few people will run that!

 

 

Amen....

[Mango]

6 minutes ago, BuffaloHokie13 said:

Depends on your definition, but no.

 

 

The way I understood it was the Bills basically said renogiate to a contract that is about 50-75% of the value or be cut.

 

I would assume his agent did some sniffing around and said take the renegotiation 

 

Label that how you will. 

Edited November 20, 2017 by Mango

[T-Bomb]

5 minutes ago, Mango said:

 

 

The way I understood it was the Bills basically said renogiate to a contract that is about 50-75% of the value or be cut.

 

I would assume his agent did some sniffing around and said take the extension. 

 

Label that how you will. 

 

That's the way I saw it, but ofc had no inside knowlegde.  Are some ppl saying what the Bills did with Taylor was a racial injustice?  Do we need a Rooney rule for black QB's?

Edited November 20, 2017 by T-Bomb

[BuffaloHokie13]

3 minutes ago, Mango said:

The way I understood it was the Bills basically said renogiate to a contract that is about 50-75% of the value or be cut.

 

I would assume his agent did some sniffing around and said take the renegotiation 

 

Label that how you will. 

That's definitely very different than my understanding, but I only have one side of the story.

[Mango]

1 minute ago, T-Bomb said:

 

Yeah, I agree.  Are some ppl saying what the Bills did with Taylor was a racial injustice?

 

 

Yeah, some people are. Without getting too far down the rabbit hole. I am about as progressive as they come, used to work with journeys end. My mom is a campaign manager, my sister works for the DNC and the UN. 

 

Im being told I don’t like him because I don’t like his style because of prejudice. It’s reallt catching me off guard. I just don’t engage.

 

I do think there is a faction of people that this is the reality for. I also think that are a group that thinks he’s not a viable long term option in the NFL at the position. 

 

Just because you think hes not very very good doesn’t mean it’s racial. 1+1 does not equal 2 here. They can be mutually exclusive 

2 minutes ago, BuffaloHokie13 said:

That's definitely very different than my understanding, but I only have one side of the story.

 

 

What is that side of the story. Legitimately curious. 

[blacklabel]

Taylor can be an effective QB on the right team. And that type of team is what the Bills have tried to construct around him for the past three seasons. Strong defense, ball control/run heavy offense, hit a few big passes when needed. Unfortunately, this defense has fallen apart. The new offensive scheme has done zero favors for anyone on that side of the ball and the WR Taylor had the most chemistry with (Watkins) was shipped out.

 

In an ideal situation, Taylor can win. But he's not the type of QB that can carry the team on his back when things don't go as planned. Week in and week out, they need things to go according to plan as closely as possible. When that doesn't happen, it all falls apart. 

 

On top of that, I think Taylor has hit his ceiling. He's careful with the ball, he can improvise and create something from nothing once in a while and when he has the time (and the right receiving options) he can toss a nice long ball. Right now he's in a system which is predicated on the run and they can't consistently run the ball. Defenses don't fear getting beat by the pass so they crowd the line and take away McCoy. They go out and get a big target for him but he has trouble finding him and then the dude gets hurt. 

 

If the bewildering switch to Peterman sparks anything perhaps it will spark Taylor to improvise a bit more, move outside the pocket and start pushing the ball downfield to his receivers. I understand the whole "take what they give you" philosophy but if you do that all game long, you're allowing the opponent to dictate what you can and can't do. You have to throw caution to the wind at some point and let these dudes play.

 

And for cripes sake, Wade Phillips has been saying it for years, it's not difficult. You build your system around the skill sets of the players on the roster. You don't force a system onto players who don't reach their full potential inside it. I thought that stuff would stop once Rex left but now they're in an entirely new "process" which is starting to feel more and more like the same.

[Tatonka68]

Y? It's third and 12 and Tyrod falls back scrambles around ignoring the pleas of open receivers and throws to Tolbert for a meaningless 5 yard gain. That is Y.

He sucks.

[BuffaloHokie13]

The team originally planned on moving in another direction (as they did with nearly every large contract negotiated recently) and Taylor's agent put out feelers to try to gauge the market assuming it happened. There was interest from roughly a quarter of the league ranging from starting on teams worse than the Bills for similar money (to his current contract) to more money to be #2 behind an aging vet on their way out.

 

After that a few things happened. The OC we were hoping to hire went elsewhere and we hired Dennison, who had firsthand experience with Tyrod, and the QB market didn't turn out to be what the Bills expected. So they shifted to renegotiation with the plan of evaluating Tyrod on and off the field before committing to or jettisoning him, because he was the best they were going to do moving forward this year. Tyrod didn't want to give up a starting role and ultimately decided to stay with an offensive cast he was familiar with and an OC he had worked with previously and was comfortable with. There was no simple ultimatum presented based on salary or get cut. The two ends met at a number that kept things flexible with the cap (so the team could add talent) and allowed both parties to revisit soon. It was a calculated risk, but it is a situation Tyrod is used to being in.

[wppete]

Che Check Check Down Tyrod. thats why.

[paulbills]

48 minutes ago, Mango said:

I am about as progressive as they come, used to work with journeys end. My mom is a campaign manager, my sister works for the DNC and the UN. 

 

Im being told I don’t like him because I don’t like his style because of prejudice. It’s reallt catching me off guard. I just don’t engage.

No mean to be nasty but, this is a product of the culture that party has created, you should reap what you sow. 

[transplantbillsfan]

People are idiots.

 

I'm sorry, but it's just true.

 

My Dad and I argued for 20 minutes after the game yesterday about how bad Peterman actually was and he kept pointing to the Offensive Line.  We just had to say until next week and Happy Thanksgiving because it's this incredibly stupid and hypocritical hard-headed behavior that persists amongst so many people that they use an excuse like that for Peterman without realizing that that's exactly why Taylor needs to be our starting QB.

 

 

Honestly it's just head-scratching the way people actually think if you argue that Taylor is a capable NFL starting QB you're somehow arguing that he's great.

 

It's not "He's great!!!" or "He sucks!!!" folks!

 

Reality is in the middle.  It's that Taylor is a capable NFL starter.  That doesn't mean that we shouldn't or can't upgrade.  But it means we shouldn't be throwing games in order to watch a dumpster fire unfold.

[Gugny]

4 minutes ago, transplantbillsfan said:

People are idiots.

 

I'm sorry, but it's just true.

 

My Dad and I argued for 20 minutes after the game yesterday about how bad Peterman actually was and he kept pointing to the Offensive Line.  We just had to say until next week and Happy Thanksgiving because it's this incredibly stupid and hypocritical hard-headed behavior that persists amongst so many people that they use an excuse like that for Peterman without realizing that that's exactly why Taylor needs to be our starting QB.

 

 

Honestly it's just head-scratching the way people actually think if you argue that Taylor is a capable NFL starting QB you're somehow arguing that he's great.

 

It's not "He's great!!!" or "He sucks!!!" folks!

 

Reality is in the middle.  It's that Taylor is a capable NFL starter.  That doesn't mean that we shouldn't or can't upgrade.  But it means we shouldn't be throwing games in order to watch a dumpster fire unfold.

 

 

Why not?  If we're not going to the playoffs (we're not) then why bother winning any more games?  To me, that's kind of stupid.

[Boatdrinks]

 Starting Taylor Yesterday to lose by a few less points with a few less turnovers doesn't mean playing Peterman was throwing a game. Tyrods play forced the team to see if they had a better option as crazy as it seems. The team doesnt have the quality around him it would require to have a winning season. The jettisoning of players and changing of systems made it obvious that Taylor was going to be asked to sink or swim in a conventional pocket passer offense. It's an unmitigated disaster and one of the FOs own making. Throwing a game is a stretch by any definition. 

Edited November 20, 2017 by Boatdrinks

[ndirish1978]

1 hour ago, T-Bomb said:

 

That's the way I saw it, but ofc had no inside knowlegde.  Are some ppl saying what the Bills did with Taylor was a racial injustice?  Do we need a Rooney rule for black QB's?

 

Tyrod is a more mobile version of Tebow with a decent deep ball. I don't get the racism - Tebow isn't even in the league with that skill set. 

[SlimShady'sSpaceForce]

Here we go again 

 

Teams want real QB's 

 

that is why!!! 

[BuffaloWings]

38 minutes ago, blacklabel said:

And for cripes sake, Wade Phillips has been saying it for years, it's not difficult. You build your system around the skill sets of the players on the roster. You don't force a system onto players who don't reach their full potential inside it. I thought that stuff would stop once Rex left but now they're in an entirely new "process" which is starting to feel more and more like the same.

 

This...this...1000000 times this. Parcells did this, too. The biggest reason you win is when you build a system around the roster's strengths. Remember when we tried forcing the WCO on Rob Johnson?

 

As for TT being more motivated to improvise, push the ball, etc....this is the main reason I would have benched him. He became contained in the pocket and couldn't use his legs to escape. Thus, there was nowhere to go with the ball, except out of bounds or to eat it and take a sack. He has been careful to avoid turnovers, but almost too careful. His throws were behind the receivers numerous times, and he'd wait until the receiver would make his break *before* throwing the ball. All of these reasons were why I had no problem with the change.

[SlimShady'sSpaceForce]

[Chadwick Bay Chad]

I am not sure why the Buffalo fan base does not get it.  It has been discussed a thousand times.  Taylor is not a franchise QB period.  I don't care about his completion percentage (Look up Jim Plunkett's - terrible but won 2 super bowls), TD to interception ratio.  (This is because he won't throw a pass until someone is completely open), he cannot make the plays that a franchise QB can make.  Our coach and GM have a plan and we need to be patient.  People act like if we had Sammy and Dareus we would be super bowl bound.  In three years we will be in the conference championship game

[transplantbillsfan]

21 minutes ago, Gugny said:

 

 

Why not?  If we're not going to the playoffs (we're not) then why bother winning any more games?  To me, that's kind of stupid.

 

If that's the way we're rolling, no problem.

 

If McDermott's goal is to tank I think that's going to generally become clear if he starts Peterman.

 

The problem is that sure didn't seem to be the goal as we started 5-2.

 

 

What sure looked like a tank to start the season became the typical season we saw over the last 17 years.

 

So sure, if our goal is to tank then I expect McDermott to start Peterman.  But the problem is those vets in the locker room he'll have to answer to... especially guys like Lorax and Meatball he reportedly convinced to come back for one more season and a shot at the playoffs.

 

So yeah, if his goal is to tank, you're right that it's no problem to start Peterman.  But considering the fact that the guy on the bench would clearly be better than the starter on the field then this coach would have to basically just come out and say he's tanking.

 

He screwed up the tank.  If he wanted it, he should have started Peterman from game 1.

[Gugny]

1 minute ago, transplantbillsfan said:

 

If that's the way we're rolling, no problem.

 

If McDermott's goal is to tank I think that's going to generally become clear if he starts Peterman.

 

The problem is that sure didn't seem to be the goal as we started 5-2.

 

 

What sure looked like a tank to start the season became the typical season we saw over the last 17 years.

 

So sure, if our goal is to tank then I expect McDermott to start Peterman.  But the problem is those vets in the locker room he'll have to answer to... especially guys like Lorax and Meatball he reportedly convinced to come back for one more season and a shot at the playoffs.

 

So yeah, if his goal is to tank, you're right that it's no problem to start Peterman.  But considering the fact that the guy on the bench would clearly be better than the starter on the field then this coach would have to basically just come out and say he's tanking.

 

He screwed up the tank.  If he wanted it, he should have started Peterman from game 1.

 

The goal isn't to lose games.  The goal is to evaluate Peterman.  The tank doesn't happen on the field of on the sidelines.  It happens in the front office.

[Albwan]

2 hours ago, SaviorPeterman said:

Amazing the agenda that the MSM Sports outlets have pushing this as some sort of racial issue. Sad!

 

This is great for TT and his agent though because with the media's help they are going to create a ridiculously false market for him in the offseason, maybe we'll be able to fleece another desperate team in a trade after all.

yep i'm convinced  those same people got the old bills forums closed, they totally hijacked that forums

with the nonstop pro tt posts, wouldnt need people pushing his agenda so hard on the interwebs if his play 

on the field came up with wins 

[transplantbillsfan]

17 minutes ago, Gugny said:

 

The goal isn't to lose games.  The goal is to evaluate Peterman.  The tank doesn't happen on the field of on the sidelines.  It happens in the front office.

 

Well good luck to McDermott explaining that to his vets 

[Jackington]

I love reading all these comments from posters who were clamoring for Peterman. Yeah, let's keep listening to what you all have to say. 

 

Get me a better qb than Taylor. Do it. But he is about average in this league and was top 10 in QBR the last two seasons and covered up a lot deficiencies on this team while also not being able to hold the entire team on his shoulders. It takes coaching to win with that.

 

Except coaching (and Bills fans) got that Peterman game.  So both were terrible. Worse than Taylor has ever been. 

[yungmack]

3 hours ago, HappyDays said:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2745084-nfl1000-week-11-notebook-why-doesnt-the-nfl-like-tyrod-taylor

 

 

 

Did the original article say the NFL doesn't like TT because the piece you posted is strictly about the Bills distaste for him.

[dave mcbride]

1 hour ago, Boatdrinks said:

 Starting Taylor Yesterday to lose by a few less points with a few less turnovers doesn't mean playing Peterman was throwing a game. Tyrods play forced the team to see if they had a better option as crazy as it seems. The team doesnt have the quality around him it would require to have a winning season. The jettisoning of players and changing of systems made it obvious that Taylor was going to be asked to sink or swim in a conventional pocket passer offense. It's an unmitigated disaster and one of the FOs own making. Throwing a game is a stretch by any definition. 

The issue for McDermott and Beane is that if this losing continues this season and they end up, say, 6-10, they are going to be set up to be terrible next year. They won't have an experienced QB, they'll have an exceptionally thin roster, and they'll really struggle to attract good free agents. Moreover, my guess is that we'll be starting fresh with a new OC. They could end up being very bad, and if they are, those two should worry about their jobs. They've put themselves in a bad situation with the talent desert that is this team, and I don't see how you can draft your way out of it quickly enough. 

[Ramza86]

 

3 hours ago, HappyDays said:

He's also still learning to match his field reads with accurate throws. At this point in his career, Taylor needs receivers who can get separation from defenders. He's not an ideal tight-window thrower, especially to intermediate distances (think 8-15 yards downfield)

 

Im gonna use this quote as to exactly why I think we dont have much faith in him.

 

Tyrod would be fine.....if we had 21 Better players than him on that football field....but we dont and we need a QB to mask the holes. He can only mask some of them.