Why is Tyrod Taylor not more revered in the Bills fan base?

[DCofNC]

9 hours ago, hondo in seattle said:

 

I agree.  Sort of. 

 

Tyrod was a good guy and he helped end the drought.  I'm thankful.

 

But he was a lackluster passer who would never take us far in the playoffs.  

 

Josh overshadows TT and makes him forgettable because Josh is such a better passer who brings the level of hope and excitement to a whole new level.  

 

 

 

 

The crazy part is, he was clearly the best passer in camp the year he won the job.

[SoCal Deek]

Here’s my one sentence assessment of Tyrod:

 

Unless our receiver was standing all alone with nobody within five yards of him, Tyrod simply refused to throw him the darn ball. 
 

He absolutely infuriated me! Although I’m guessing some of it was coaching. 

Edited June 30, 2023 by SoCal Deek

[RichRiderBills]

He was solid, but his limitations were really visible in games like the Jags playoff game. We really could have won that game w some mediocre QB play. 

 

That being said, he's a class act. I thought we should have kept him as a back up, but they chose not to go that route. 

 

I think he's well remembered, but the fact that he did nothing of consequence after he left probably does not make us dwell on him. 

 

Was a good Bill for sure....

 

 

[Teddy KGB]

15 hours ago, PromoTheRobot said:

 

Except when he did. Jags and Titans games come to mind immediately.

Here we go, now do the playoff game Vs the Jags. 
 

i think he pooped on himself. 

[Doc]

22 minutes ago, SoCal Deek said:

Here’s my one sentence assessment of Tyrod:

 

Unless our receiver was standing all alone with nobody within five yards of him, Tyrod simply refused to throw him the darn ball. 
 

He absolutely infuriated me! Although I’m guessing some of it was coaching. 

 

Agree on refusing to throw the football.  Disagree on coaching.  His body of work says it's him.

Edited June 30, 2023 by Doc

[Gregg]

Tyrod was meh. He had his moments, but he was just another average "at best" Bills QB. In the Bills history there are only 4 QB's worth mentioning. In order of their time in Buffalo. It's Kemp, Ferguson, Kelly, and Allen. That's it. Lamonica could have been on the list, but he made his mark as a Raider. Bledsoe was at the end of his career when he came here, and Flutie was only a Bill for about 5 minutes.

[Rico]

14 hours ago, Bill from NYC said:

Not as mmuch as @Rico loved Bledsoe. 😁😁😁

Yes, Tyrod > Bledsoe. Put 2015 Tyrod on the 2004 Bills, and the Drought is over after 4 years.

 

Also,

Tyrod > RJ

Tyrod > JP

Tyrod > EJ

 

Thank you Tyrod! 

[dave mcbride]

1 hour ago, Doc said:

 

Both actually got credit for the start and the win, which is dumb.  So he's still 22-20. 

 

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/T/TaylTy00/gamelog/2015/

 

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/C/CassMa00/gamelog/2015/

 

 

Not true. He is listed as 7-6 on his player page for 2015, and if you scroll down on the second link, you'll see that while the Bills went 8-8, he is listed as having won 7 games and Cassell 1 game. All of the Bills 8 victories were ones in which Taylor was the starter. Hence he was 23-20, as I said.

 

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/T/TaylTy00.htm
 

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/buf/2015.htm

[LV Bills fan]

No hate for Tyrod from me, he did a lot of things well and got us to the playoffs, but I’m not gonna revere someone who absolutely refused to throw the ball downfield unless it was a bomb with no risk of being picked off. We could have lived with the turnovers if he had just tried to throw over the middle for first downs more. He made Trent Edwards look like a gunslinger. 

[JohnNord]

16 hours ago, ChronicAndKnuckles said:

I never ever understood the hate for Tyrod Taylor. He was a dynamic athlete that defenses had to properly game plan against and played a big role in breaking the 17 year drought. I think he is one of the better dual threats of all time and it’s cool seeing the contrast between TT and Allen as runners. Why is he not a bigger part of Bills’ lore? He got done what a **** load of previous QBs couldn’t. It’s not like Losman, Bledsoe, or Fitz didn’t have good defenses too. So I really don’t wanna hear how the defense alone propelled us there. It was also Tyrod’s legs and low turnover rate + big play ability as well. 

I’ve never bought into the fan narrative that Tyrod somehow disrespected by the fan base.  Some have even tried to play race which I think is complete BS.

 

Its not like fans look back at Tyrod and say “ugh, he sucked.”   But he’s mostly regarded for what he was during that era - a game manager at QB.  

 

He was in full game manager mode in 2017 which is why he doesn’t get credit for breaking the drought.  The offense was built around Shady running the ball.  The passing game was anemic both because of the Rick Dennison’s design and the lack of weapons.  Tyrod’s main objective seemed to be to play safe abs protect the football.  This was extremely frustrating to watch.

 

I would agree that Tyrod was the victim of both bad luck and elevated expectations from the Rex Ryan Era.  
 

Tyrod is not different than a Fitzpatrick or Flutie.  The difference is the optics around those QB’s.  Both presented themselves as underdogs and had an exciting style of play.  Tyrod did as well but he didn’t lean as hard into the underdog angle.  

[The Jokeman]

Tyrod was David Garrard. A game manager at best and for some reason after his first year starting he stopped throwing deep whether it be coaching or his wanting to avoid risks to keep his job etc. He just wasn't good enough as a passer to remain a starter. That Jacksonville playoff game was one of the most infuriating games to watch as we were a better team but Tyrod was at his worst that day. 

[JohnNord]

1 hour ago, RichRiderBills said:

He was solid, but his limitations were really visible in games like the Jags playoff game. We really could have won that game w some mediocre QB play. 

 

That being said, he's a class act. I thought we should have kept him as a back up, but they chose not to go that route. 

 

I think he's well remembered, but the fact that he did nothing of consequence after he left probably does not make us dwell on him. 

 

Was a good Bill for sure....

 

 

They were able to trade him for a 3rd round pick which is incredible considering that it’s the same value Jalen Ramsey was traded for

2 minutes ago, The Jokeman said:

Tyrod was David Garrard. A game manager at best and for some reason after his first year starting he stopped throwing deep whether it be coaching or his wanting to avoid risks to keep his job etc. He just wasn't good enough as a passer to remain a starter. That Jacksonville playoff game was one of the most infuriating games to watch as we were a better team but Tyrod was at his worst that day. 

There were many Jacksonville-like games that season and I think fans remember these games more so than the good moments from Taylor’s career

[The Jokeman]

3 minutes ago, JohnNord said:

They were able to trade him for a 3rd round pick which is incredible considering that it’s the same value Jalen Ramsey was traded for

There were many Jacksonville-like games that season and I think fans remember these games more so than the good moments from Taylor’s career

You're only as good as your last performance and his last performance was horrible. Yet ultimately he allowed to get us Josh Allen which was a great thing. 

[hondo in seattle]

8 hours ago, billsfan89 said:

 

Probably is insinuating that there was more love for Fitz due to the fact his is white. Which I honestly think could be true on some subconscious level. Not because fans are raging racists but rather the way Fitz was portrayed by the media was different than Tyrod possibly due to race. Fitz was a white QB who played for the Ivy League and was an underdog story. Tyrod had the same underdog story but was not portrayed as the same loveable hard-nosed player. 

 

But I think in addition to a different media portrayal due to who Fitz was (white QB from the Ivy League that played with his wedding ring on), Fitz also showed a love for the community that Tyrod didn't. Tyrod by almost any measure was a better QB for the Bills yet fans seem to remember Fitz more fondly. I hope that fans do show Tyrod some love down the line and I hope Tyrod shows some love back. But I think the disparity in fans perception is multi-faceted and race could be a part of that.

 

 

 

I know racism is real and has real effects on fandom.  But I don't think it's the operative thing here.  Fitz is loved because he's Fitz.  His personality makes him a very likable guy.  As you mention, Fitz showed a love for the community that TT didn't show.  How many times have we heard Fitz explain his deep appreciation for the fans of Buffalo?  What other QB has shown up in the stadium, shirtless, cheering his heart out for the Bills?

 

The love for Fitz transcends our love for (white) JP Losman, (white) Trent Edwards, (white) Doug Flutie, and (white) Drew Bledsoe not mainly because he was a better QB but because he's a more ebullient person.  If I was asked which QB from the drought era I'd want to quarterback the Bills again, of course, I'd say none of them.  But if forced to choose, I'd consider picking Tyrod because I do recognize the talents he possessed.  But if asked which QB I'd want to hang out with, it would be an easy decision: Fitz because of his fun-loving personality.  

 

Incidentally, in 2016, the Bills finished 10th in the league in scoring with TT under center.   It was an above-average offense.  2016 was the year Anthony Lynn started out as the RB coach, became the OC when Greg Roman was fired, and then finished the season as the HC when Rex was let go.  It seemed Roman's running concepts, together with ALynn's play calling, were an effective combination for a dual-threat QB like TT.  

[ChronicAndKnuckles]

12 hours ago, BigDingus said:

This thread is another symptom of the mindset "QB gets credited for everything," regardless of good or bad. 

 

To say "Tyrod got us to the playoffs" feels dirty.

 

He will always have my thanks for contributing to that, but leading the league's 1st or 2nd worst passing offense for years doesn't quite feel worthy of crediting him for sneaking into the playoffs, especially when it ultimately came down to a crazy upset that even made it possible. 

I said he was a big part. Not the sole reason. 

[buffalostu2]

Good post Tyrod

[Orlando Tim]

Part of the lack of love for Tyrod is he was kinda boring to watch unless he was running. I prefer Flutie and Fitz because they were exciting, sometimes really bad things for Fitz but exciting. The boring is why I could not stand watching Orton, he was so predictable and it was often not good enough. 

[pigpen65]

I have a ton of respect and appreciation for Tyrod and what he did for the Bills. My annoyance with Tyrod was that he had all the tools to ascend to the next level, but he just wouldn't pull the goddamn trigger. And it's completely possible he wasn't doing anything wrong. It may have been that he was doing what the coach was telling him to do. But check down, check down, check down. It was maddening to watch. 

Edited June 30, 2023 by pigpen65

[Robert Paulson]

18 hours ago, Capco said:

Ironically, I was just thinking about this yesterday.  Granted, the league wasn't as pass-friendly in the 80s and 90s as it is today, but Tyrod has a higher career passer rating (88.2) than Jim Kelly (84.4).  His passer rating during his three years as a Bill was 92.5, and he only committed 21 turnovers (16 INTs, 5 lost fumbles).

He almost broke the record for the highest single season passer rating by a Bills QB in his first year as a starter (99.6 vs Kelly's 101.2 in 1990), and I believe that season counts as the third-highest passer rating in team history (behind Kelly in 1990 and Allen in 2020).

skewed by the type of low risk/low reward passes he threw- there is a flaw in the ranking calculation that favours that

[kota]

He never took responsibility for his poor play.  

[ChronicAndKnuckles]

1 hour ago, The Jokeman said:

You're only as good as your last performance and his last performance was horrible. Yet ultimately he allowed to get us Josh Allen which was a great thing. 

His last performance was a W when he played for Houston. 340+ all purpose yards and 2 TDs. I watched it.  
 

 

[GaryPinC]

I liked Tyrod and he was an important bridge QB.  My optimism for him fizzled by the end of year 1.

 

On the field, for me, he was a slight step up from Kyle Orton. 

 

Both of them left me with vomit in the back of my throat.  They were never going to do what it took to win a game down the stretch.

 

Kyle, because he didn't give a crap to risk himself.  Tyrod, because he didn't seem to have a clue about when or the need to take risks.  

 

Fitz I have respect for on the field because he gave it all he had and took the risks as needed. 

 

I'll take losing while trying to win over cowardly losing 100x over.

[Manther]

18 hours ago, Capco said:

Ironically, I was just thinking about this yesterday.  Granted, the league wasn't as pass-friendly in the 80s and 90s as it is today, but Tyrod has a higher career passer rating (88.2) than Jim Kelly (84.4).  His passer rating during his three years as a Bill was 92.5, and he only committed 21 turnovers (16 INTs, 5 lost fumbles).

He almost broke the record for the highest single season passer rating by a Bills QB in his first year as a starter (99.6 vs Kelly's 101.2 in 1990), and I believe that season counts as the third-highest passer rating in team history (behind Kelly in 1990 and Allen in 2020).

Tyrod also averaged very low attempts per game.

[BuffaloMatt]

I know . . . . . . . . we all miss football. 

[Patrick Duffy]

12 hours ago, QB Bills said:

The fact that Ryan Fitzpatrick is revered here and Tyrod Taylor isn't should answer this question for you. Not very complicated.

 

 

Yup, not complicated at all simply just comparing only the performance between both of them. Even though Fitz and the INTs was frustrating he still was a gun slinger and a more exciting QB. 

 

 

[Nextmanup]

3 hours ago, RichRiderBills said:

He was solid, but his limitations were really visible in games like the Jags playoff game. We really could have won that game w some mediocre QB play. 

If only he had been capable of delivering mediocre play!

 

[The Firebaugh Kid]

Ty was extremely conservative, hence the reason he's not more revered. 

[947]

If Josh's career had turned out like Darnold's, and the drought was still in-effect today, there probably would be some reverence toward Tyrod. He did help break the drought, but that doesn't change the fact that he wasn't very good. Having a real QB & a legit offense now, helps us forget celebrating mediocrity during the Tyrod years.

 

It's like when your parents get you a used beat-up 89' Chevy Cavalier when you turn 16 & it's the greatest thing that ever happened to you. Then when you buy a new luxury car in your 30s, you laugh remembering about being so happy to drive that old POS.

Edited June 30, 2023 by 947

[The Jokeman]

1 hour ago, ChronicAndKnuckles said:

His last performance was a W when he played for Houston. 340+ all purpose yards and 2 TDs. I watched it.  
 

 

Last performance for the Bills*

[Airseven]

I’m not sure “revered” is the right term here…

[Iraq Vet]

Here is my thing about TT.... since he left the Bills.  Ummm....  nothing special   So he was just an average QB.  You would think with the high skill of OC's and QB coaches in the NFL someone would have made something great out of him, if he had elite talent in him.   Owners spend millions on amazing coaches, training staff, specialist, scouts.... everyone missed it over the last 10 years? 

 

To paraphrase Dennis Green  "He was... what we thought he was"....an average QB

 

Sometimes teams do miss out on a QB... but after 10 years of seeing him? 

[Iraq Vet]

I think he might be trying to beat Fitzmagic for the most teams played for....A career back-up, that can hold it together for a game or 2. 

 

TT.

Baltimore Ravens (2011–2014)
Buffalo Bills (2015–2017)
Cleveland Browns (2018)
Los Angeles Chargers (2019–2020)
Houston Texans (2021)
New York Giants (2022–present)

 

Fitz

St. Louis Rams (2005–2006)

Cincinnati Bengals (2007–2008)

Buffalo Bills (2009–2012)

Tennessee Titans (2013)

Houston Texans (2014)

New York Jets (2015–2016)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2017–2018)

Miami Dolphins (2019–2020)

Washington Football Team (2021)

 

 

 

[Freddie's Dead]

17 hours ago, GoBills808 said:

I'm mostly upset he never mentioned we were mispronouncing his name for 3 years

 

Exactly.  WTF allows the press to mispronounce his name for years?  Just gutless.

[mykidsdad]

I dont think there is any hate for TT. But most Bills fans think he was Meh. In the NFL that makes you millions of dollars as a qb, but just won't get you a lot of love from fans. We made the playoffs with him for which I will always be grateful, but we were there because of the D. Hate? no hate. Ambivalence, probably. 

[stuvian]

I'll have you know that I am a proud owner of a TT Fathead. That said, as great as Tyrod was, our hearts belong to Davis Webb

[Bobby Hooks]

20 hours ago, ChronicAndKnuckles said:

I never ever understood the hate for Tyrod Taylor. He was a dynamic athlete that defenses had to properly game plan against and played a big role in breaking the 17 year drought. I think he is one of the better dual threats of all time and it’s cool seeing the contrast between TT and Allen as runners. Why is he not a bigger part of Bills’ lore? He got done what a **** load of previous QBs couldn’t. It’s not like Losman, Bledsoe, or Fitz didn’t have good defenses too. So I really don’t wanna hear how the defense alone propelled us there. It was also Tyrod’s legs and low turnover rate + big play ability as well. 

 

I never “hated” Tyrod, but he was infuriating to watch. He’d just never let the ball go. Dudes would be wide open, and he’d just refuse to sling it. 
 

I remember screaming, “throw it!” 
 

He never would. That’s why I’ll never get down on Allen for turnovers as long as he keeps taking his shots. The alternative is playing safe, and boring football to limit mistakes. He lasted too long, and I hope I never have to watch that kind of football again. 
 

I have nothing against him, but I’m certainly not going to praise him either. 

[Lfod]

I sometimes wonder why people bring up Tyrod. People must like reading posts about how he was average. I know you can't have loved his time in Buffalo that much. 

 

Now we have more Dynamic versions of him around to say he was the broke mans Lamar Jackson. 

 

He was alright until he wasn't. It was cool at first, you hope for the guy then you get bored with how he plays. I'm glad he got a shot and did decent but after while it was time to move on. 

 

I've seen back ups come along and have a nice little run to the point people talk about them being the starter. Then they fizzle out for one reason or another. 

 

You can't be a hater if your not thinking about or talking about Tyrod. It's not hard to understand he was not that memorable. I've seen a backup win the Superbowl and the fans probably don't give him the love that some of you feel for Tyrod. 

 

He had some haters at the end of his run but that was more people hating on when people still talking about him being good making excuses for him. 

 

It's fandom. People hate on McDermott for getting us in the Playoffs every year since his arrival and he's done more than Tyrod did. 

Edited June 30, 2023 by Lfod

[folz]

I don't think anyone hated Tyrod then or hates Tyrod now. It's just that at the end of his tenure, most fans could see that he wasn't going to get us where we wanted to go and wanted a change, an upgrade. It had absolutely nothing to do with race (please). It had to do with football. We have wanted to move on from every QB, white or black (including Fitz), who couldn't get it done. Most were done with Fitz by the end of his run too (and Losman and Edwards and...). Fitz just had a bigger and more likable personality, so more fans were attached to him in that way. It's laughable for anyone to pull the race card when it comes to Tyrod.

 

2015 

League average of top 37 QBs (at least 200 pass attempts):

3,245 yards and 21 TDs

Tyrod: 3,035 yards and 20 TDs 

[21 QBs had more yards and 16 QBs had more TDs than the league average in 2015]

 

2016

League average of top 33 QBs (at least 200 pass attempts):

3,582 yards and 22 TDs

Tyrod: 3,023 yards and 17 TDs

[19 QBs had more yards and 16 QBs had more TDs than the league average in 2016]

 

2017

League average of top 35 QBs (at least 200 pass attempts)

3,132 yards and 19 TDs

Tyrod: 2,799 yards and 14 TDs

[21 QBs had more yards and TDs than the league average in 2017]

 

Tyrod was a below average passer:

2015: 25th in pass yards and 25th in passing TDs

2016: 25th in passing yards and 24th in passing TDs

2017: 21st in passing yards and 23rd in passing TDs

 

And even if you add in his rushing yards, he would still be:

2015: 20th in total yards by a QB (and that's not adding in other QB's rushing stats, so could be a touch lower still)

2016: 20th in total yards by a QB (again not counting other QB's rushing stats)

2017:  21st in total yards by a QB (not counting other QB rushing stats)

 

He was a bottom third of the league QB any way you crack it. Of course everyone was ready to move on after 3 years of that. And there was no hidden potential left to tap. That was his 5th, 6th, and 7th year in the league. That was his ceiling. I think everyone liked Tyrod as a person, just not as their starting QB. I like Tyrod and he will always be part of Bills history for being the QB when we broke the drought, but I don't revere him because his play wasn't good enough for that type of reverence.

 

 

[Patrick Duffy]

8 minutes ago, Bobby Hooks said:

 

I never “hated” Tyrod, but he was infuriating to watch. He’d just never let the ball go. Dudes would be wide open, and he’d just refuse to sling it. 
 

I remember screaming, “throw it!” 
 

He never would. That’s why I’ll never get down on Allen for turnovers as long as he keeps taking his shots. The alternative is playing safe, and boring football to limit mistakes. He lasted too long, and I hope I never have to watch that kind of football again. 
 

I have nothing against him, but I’m certainly not going to praise him either. 

 

Lol, such a familiar thing a whole lot of us went through and is likely the main thing if not the only thing that first comes to mind when his name is mentioned

[MarkyMannn]

19 hours ago, Dopey said:

THROW THE EFFIN BALL ALREADY!!!

Then throws a 3 yard pattern on 3rd & 8 🤬🤬🤬