Back with part 2 of my series on Tyrod.
Yes, I’m putting on my Tyrod shirt and taking on an optimistic (His agent) approach as to why the Bills should keep him. I already hit you guys up with the reasons why I think Tyrod should be released. However, I’ve always been a fan of getting both sides of the story and then having the reader and in certain cases, myself, decide on what I want.
After putting together my reasons to get rid of Tyrod, I thought it would behoove me to look at the other side of the story and see if there’s a way to change my mind. As I currently start plunging into this piece, my impulse is to still say they should let Tyrod leave. However, my apologist alter-ego might change my pessimistic side. Wait, did I just admit to being Bills-polar? Anyways, let’s roll the highlights.
5) Entertainment value
So the other day, I talked about how the alternative of losing Tyrod probably won’t change much in terms of the Bills win/loss record. I still stand by it, however, I can tell you that from an entertainment stand point, the Bills other realistic options at QB (It won’t be Romo) seem fucking horrible. Josh McCown and Nick Foles sound like the worst idea ever. We know exactly what we get with those QBs and it is not much.
Jay Cutler would have been an interesting idea 3-years ago, but he just reeks of sloppy seconds and someone whose been beaten up too many times. These sort of bridges to the next guy are about as sturdy as the Golden Gate Bridge in Superman after Lex Lugar’s missile hit the San Andreas Fault. When Tyrod is kind of on, he’s fun to watch. Running QBs tend to be more exciting because they are a dual threat. The veteran guys on the market are awful and it will be like signing Kevin Kolb, except without a floor mat derailing his career.
4) Philosophy change?
If we are going by what Pegula said as to why Rex Ryan was canned, it was because of the defense. If you’ve read this blog since Rex Ryan came to town, our biggest issue was how the defense regressed big time because a coach refused to let go of his archaic system and to match up the talents of his roster to a scheme they can adjust to.
So the solution to getting better is to basically rip apart an offense that finished 10th in scoring and tied for 6th in touchdowns? That seems weird since we basically blamed Rex for the team’s failures.
Now, I get it. The offense was spearheaded by an awesome rushing attack. However, I don’t think you can just dismiss Tyrod’s impact, especially since having a mobile QB can help your rushing game out. I’m not just talking about his 580 yards rushing which isn’t anything to sneeze at, but how teams have to prepare for a running QB. If he’s going back to pass, you may need a spy on him because you are worried he’d take off. It can change the dynamic of your team. Furthermore, who’s to say Tyrod won’t be better under a new OC and HC?
Aside from ONLY starting 29 games, the Bills never passed the ball all that much because Rex wanted and declared ground and pound. Sure, you can say they had to do that because Tyrod wasn’t a good passer, but look at how the Jets offense was run under Sanchez. It was run, run, and pass. The passing offense a lot of times had Taylor make only reads on half the field and then get the ball out. That doesn’t sound like throwing your QB in the deep end to learn to swim, does it?
3) Don’t fall in love with Dak Prescott narrative
While we are trying to figure out who the bridge to the next guy, we should probably figure out who exactly would be that guy we’d cross that bridge for? Is there a QB available in the draft this year to come in and play next year? I know draft prognosticators are about as accurate as the weatherman. I know the Dak Prescott narrative of “They found him in the 4th round, so, why can’t we do that?” is a POV, but if you are a betting man, it is going to be hard for ANY team to find a guy like that in those mid-rounds to be your next QB.
Consider this, from 2004-2016, 126 QBs were taken between rounds 2 through 7.
For their careers, 26 of those started at least 16+ games, while 18 of them won 10+ games. Only 3 of those QBs have an above .500 record who have started at least 16 games. 18 of them started for at least one more season and only 8 of them made the pro bowl. To quote C-3PO, the odds of successful finding your QB in those rounds are approximately 3,721 to 1 (Dak Solo fans: NEVER TELL ME THE ODDS!)…OK, its actually a 1 out of 15 chance to draft a QB who will make the pro bowl…and we all know EVERYONE makes the pro bowl this day and age. Aside from Dak, Russell Wilson, Derek Carr, and Andy Dalton, it is a real shit list when it comes to finding a QB you actually can live with. Tyrod Taylor, who is on the list, is probably in the top 5 for the list.
Lastly, you know who has the 4th and 5th most TD passes from that list? Kyle Orton and Matt Cassel. IF ONLY WE STILL HAD THEM AND DIDN’T LET THEM GET AWAY?!
2) Other areas of needs
The Buffalo Bills are swiss cheese aka they have a ton of holes on their roster. Their WR corps is the thinnest I’ve seen since probably the 60s. They don’t have a right tackle. Actually, it would be easier to mention what I don’t hate about this team: DL and RB. Everything else kind of blows. Tyrod might be the most interesting topic right now, but he is NOT the biggest issue on this football team. He may not even be in the top 5 at this point because they are so bad across the board.
So, let’s just say you go with one of the shitty journeyman guys I mentioned, does that mean you draft a QB high? Maybe even trade up for one? If you do that, you are killing other needs this team needs right now. Furthermore, you don’t want to get in a situation where you are just taking a QB in the first 2 rounds out of desperation (See: Buddy Nix/EJ Manuel) when you have other needs. When you have tons of holes, I’d rather pick the best player on my draft board. If you are one player away, then you can reach away for that type of player. In the Bills case, they are NOT a player away. If you want to believe the draft experts [Makes sign of the cross], this is not a good QB class, but next year’s supposed to be A LOT better. Maybe keep Tyrod and try to fix your QB dilemma next year.
1) Injuries to core guys
Out of Tyrod’s 29 starts, he’s only played with Clay/Sammy/McCoy/Woods for 15 of those starts. I know injuries happen to everyone, but when they happen to key guys, that’s when you should probably take notice. If you want to go individual, Tyrod and Sammy played together in 20 of those games. Charles Clay missed 4 games. McCoy and Woods missed 5 games each. If the infirmary report doesn’t do it for you, then check out Tyrod’s numbers when his crew makes the list:
- 15 games with his boys: 260 of 406 for 3,362 yards passing (224 per game) 26TDs and 6INTs
- 14 games without his boys: 251 of 410 for 2,697 yards passing (192 per game) 11TDs and 6INTs.
That’s a pretty substantial difference. I cannot stress to you how the Sammy injury affected Tyrod’s passing game. You all remember how Sammy was arguably one of the best WRs during the 2nd half of the 2015 season? Someone was throwing him the ball and it wasn’t EJ Manuel. When you lose that guy who didn’t play at 100% in his 7 starts last year, you have to put that into account.
- Tyrod’s five lowest passing games: 109, 111, 119, 124, and 149.
You know how many of those games Sammy played in? One.
- Tyrod’s five highest passing games: 329, 297, 291, 289, and 277.
You know how many of those games Sammy played? Four.
And let’s give some credit to Tyrod for his 291 yards passing game against the Seahawks. You know, the F’N SEAHAWKS AND THEIR #3 DEFENSE.
Yeah, that honeymoon for Tyrod’s Monday Night game lasted about as long as Donald Trump’s honeymoon in office. In other words, it was pretty fricken short. Injuries haven’t been discussed enough for the skill guys. The Bills had Marquise Goodwin as their #1 WR last year and he was #5 on the depth chart when Tyrod signed here. They were desperate enough to sign Percy Harvin who was sitting on his couch and that lasted about as long as Tyrod’s MNF honeymoon.
Justin Hunter was tied for the team lead in TD receptions (4) and Goodwin was third (3). If I were to tell you those would be your leaders in July of last year, you would have said “why is Goodwin on this team still and where the fuck did Justin Hunter come from?” It was a dogshit receiving corps in 2016.
Tyrod Taylor isn’t Tom Brady. He doesn’t have the ability to make my dog into a #1 WR. And guess what? Not many other QBs can do the same. Losing his skilled guys effected his play and it would be nice to see what he could do when everyone is healthy and the team adds to the WR core.
Final word:
I gotta admit, the injuries stuff really got to me. I still think Tyrod got a raw deal in terms of who he was throwing passes to last year. If the Bills can have Sammy at 100% and draft a WR within the first 2 rounds, it would help out Tyrod. Hell, if they keep Tyrod, I would probably draft 2 WRs within the first 3 rounds. Additionally, the QB list from rounds 2-7 is way more bust than hit by comparison to the 1st round round.
Still, what exactly is the ceiling for Tyrod? He’d be better with everyone healthy, but are we just talking about an extra couple of feet? This goes back to my con piece on how I was sick of trying to find other ways to figure out how the Bills can win in spite of the QB position.
After writing both pieces, I think I’m going to move on from Tyrod. But trust me, it is not a slam dunk for me. I want to move on because I just think this team needs to rebuild.
If you are a team rebuilding, is Tyrod the guy you want at QB to start all over again? The answer is no.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
