Tyrod Taylor, quiet buzz in Buffalo behind the draft and Brady stories

[ghz in pittsburgh]

http://buffalo.suntimes.com/buf-sports/buffalo-bills/7/116/120732/tyrod-taylor-making-big-push-starting-qb-job-bills/

I noticed that, too. Just the number of peer players, Graham, Goodwin, Watkins, ...when asked all paised a lot more than the usual words said about a perceived 3rd string QB. Of course no one other than the coaches/players has seen anything. This guy had the reputation being a Vick-ish runner; could he actually learned enough behind Flacco in all those years to be an adequate passer? I guess until he plays an actual game, not just pre-season game, we won't know.

[Skooby]

Informative.

[Shady25]

REXISM #1 always say something nice about at least one player on the team.

[Strongman]

http://buffalo.suntimes.com/buf-sports/buffalo-bills/7/116/120732/tyrod-taylor-making-big-push-starting-qb-job-bills/

I noticed that, too. Just the number of peer players, Graham, Goodwin, Watkins, ...when asked all paised a lot more than the usual words said about a perceived 3rd string QB. Of course no one other than the coaches/players has seen anything. This guy had the reputation being a Vick-ish runner; could he actually learned enough behind Flacco in all those years to be an adequate passer? I guess until he plays an actual game, not just pre-season game, we won't know.

It's encouraging. At any rate, it's good to see the organization bring in a guy with high upside like Taylor compared to the scrubs they used to bring in.

[Joe Fo Sho]

It's encouraging. At any rate, it's good to see the organization bring in a guy with high upside like Taylor compared to the scrubs they used to bring in.

What makes you think Taylor has more of an upside than say...Tarvaris Jackson or any of the other quarterback duds that we've brought in (Brohm, Vince Young, blah blah blah)?

I'm genuinely curious, I don't know much about the guy.

[EDS]

Rex brought Tebow in while with the Jets and we know how that turned out. Taylor does not have to do much to surpass that.

[Albany,n.y.]

What makes you think Taylor has more of an upside than say...Tarvaris Jackson or any of the other quarterback duds that we've brought in (Brohm, Vince Young, blah blah blah)?

I'm genuinely curious, I don't know much about the guy.

Brohm & Young both had cleared waivers without any claims. Jackson was traded for virtually nothing. Taylor has never been waived or dumped for a low draft pick & was wanted by his offensive coordinator from last year to join him in Denver.
If you can't see more upside than the bums you listed, you're trying not to see it.

[Joe Fo Sho]

Brohm & Young both had cleared waivers without any claims. Jackson was traded for virtually nothing. Taylor has never been waived or dumped for a low draft pick & was wanted by his offensive coordinator from last year to join him in Denver.
If you can't see more upside than the bums you listed, you're trying not to see it.

So the upside is that he hasn't been cut yet? The Ravens did let his contract expire though.

As far as clearing waivers...nobody wanted to take on Young's contract. How many teams wanted Tyrod? I only know of 2, us and Denver. That means 30 teams didn't want him, instead of 32.

You can say that we traded for Jackson for nothing, but it's still more than we gave up for Tyrod.

Is upside just proportional to how fast and unknown he is?

I'm not trying to argue, I just don't get how people use the term 'upside.' It seems to be related to how unknown his ability is and how athletic someone is. I just feel like Tyrod is going to be on the same list as Brohm and Young in 5 years when we bring in another unknown QB with upside.

[Strongman]

What makes you think Taylor has more of an upside than say...Tarvaris Jackson or any of the other quarterback duds that we've brought in (Brohm, Vince Young, blah blah blah)?

I'm genuinely curious, I don't know much about the guy.

Fair question. I think his speed, athleticism, age, and having a good head on his shoulders. I feel better about him than someone like Jordan Palmer who was brought in last year.

[Joe Fo Sho]

Fair question. I think his speed, athleticism, age, and having a good head on his shoulders. I feel better about him than someone like Jordan Palmer who was brought in last year.

I hope you're right. It would be nice to get a quality QB in free agency when it was so unexpected that we'd find one.

[justasportsfan]

Don't care how fast Taylor is. Not saying he isn't , but if he's not an above average passer I don't want him.

[ghz in pittsburgh]

Don't care how fast Taylor is. Not saying he isn't , but if he's not an above average passer I don't want him.

That might be a high bar. How about an average passer? With his athleticism which he demonstrated in college, if he's an average passer, he can be ... did Kap went to superbowl?

The truth is no one knows because he really hasn't played in NFL. I will say he's not as good as Flacco. Whether he is better than Cassel/Manuel is the question here.

[Strongman]

I'm hoping he turns out to be Kap-like. That would be a good problem to have.

[Ed]

The Broncos and Gary Kubiak made a hard push to bring in Taylor and actually offered him more money than the Bills, but he wanted an opportunity to compete. So we weren't the only team that was interested in him. The Ravens didn't let Taylor walk because they don't like him, they just couldn't offer him a situation with much upside since Flacco isn't going anywhere.

[Joe Fo Sho]

The Broncos and Gary Kubiak made a hard push to bring in Taylor and actually offered him more money than the Bills, but he wanted an opportunity to compete. So we weren't the only team that was interested in him. The Ravens didn't let Taylor walk because they don't like him, they just couldn't offer him a situation with much upside since Flacco isn't going anywhere.

I understand that, but having 2 teams interested in your services doesn't necessarily mean you have a ton of upside. A bunch of teams were after McCown, too.

Upside is all well and good, but if you don't turn that potential into success it doesn't mean anything. I know that's an obvious statement, but it's how I feel about Bills players with upside. More often than not, I get excited for nothing with these guys with potential. I'm rooting for Tyrod as much as the next guy, I just hope he wins the job and not that the other guys lose the job.

[better days]

So the upside is that he hasn't been cut yet? The Ravens did let his contract expire though.

As far as clearing waivers...nobody wanted to take on Young's contract. How many teams wanted Tyrod? I only know of 2, us and Denver. That means 30 teams didn't want him, instead of 32.

You can say that we traded for Jackson for nothing, but it's still more than we gave up for Tyrod.

Is upside just proportional to how fast and unknown he is?

I'm not trying to argue, I just don't get how people use the term 'upside.' It seems to be related to how unknown his ability is and how athletic someone is. I just feel like Tyrod is going to be on the same list as Brohm and Young in 5 years when we bring in another unknown QB with upside.

As Albany said, his OC in Baltimore wanted to bring him to Denver after being named HC of the Broncos.

I think that says a lot about how Taylor is thought of.

[better days]

I understand that, but having 2 teams interested in your services doesn't necessarily mean you have a ton of upside. A bunch of teams were after McCown, too.

Upside is all well and good, but if you don't turn that potential into success it doesn't mean anything. I know that's an obvious statement, but it's how I feel about Bills players with upside. More often than not, I get excited for nothing with these guys with potential. I'm rooting for Tyrod as much as the next guy, I just hope he wins the job and not that the other guys lose the job.

Rex has said all three (sorry about that Tuel) QB's competing for the QB job are NFL starting caliber QB's.

But someone is going to win that job. It is not going to anyone by default.

[Strongman]

I understand that, but having 2 teams interested in your services doesn't necessarily mean you have a ton of upside. A bunch of teams were after McCown, too.

Upside is all well and good, but if you don't turn that potential into success it doesn't mean anything. I know that's an obvious statement, but it's how I feel about Bills players with upside. More often than not, I get excited for nothing with these guys with potential. I'm rooting for Tyrod as much as the next guy, I just hope he wins the job and not that the other guys lose the job.

That's very true. On the flip side, you also have coaches that don't know how to use an athletic QB. The good news for us is we have Roman who worked succesfully with Kap.

BTW... I don't want to give the impression that I think Tyrod is the answer... I just really like what he's done in the limited playing time he has had.

[justasportsfan]

That might be a high bar. How about an average passer? With his athleticism which he demonstrated in college, if he's an average passer, he can be ... did Kap went to superbowl?

The truth is no one knows because he really hasn't played in NFL. I will say he's not as good as Flacco. Whether he is better than Cassel/Manuel is the question here.
I'd be ok if he ends up being better passer than Cassel. That would mean he's above average. If he ends up being Alex Smith like in the passing game, I'd be okay too. Better than Manuel wouldn't be saying much. Being like Kap had it's limits. Teams figured him out?

[ghz in pittsburgh]

I'd be ok if he ends up being better passer than Cassel. That would mean he's above average. If he ends up being Alex Smith like in the passing game, I'd be okay too. Better than Manuel wouldn't be saying much. Being like Kap had it's limits. Teams figured him out?

Passing better than Cassel and like Alex Smith? Sign me up (with Tyrod being Bills QB), especially with his mobility. I think better than the Manuel we have seen would make the Bills a playoff team. Kap, overall, is a step above all of the guys you mentionsed.

Like everyone else, I'm hoping. Other than the few snaps he had in the Redskins game when he came into the league, he hasn't played. All we know is players worked with him in scouting teams, training all speak highly of him, and the fact he is unable to unseat Flacco. I just think we are better with Manuel/Cassel/Taylor than Manuel/Orton/Tuel, potentially way better.

[trapezeus]

So the upside is that he hasn't been cut yet? The Ravens did let his contract expire though.

As far as clearing waivers...nobody wanted to take on Young's contract. How many teams wanted Tyrod? I only know of 2, us and Denver. That means 30 teams didn't want him, instead of 32.

You can say that we traded for Jackson for nothing, but it's still more than we gave up for Tyrod.

Is upside just proportional to how fast and unknown he is?

I'm not trying to argue, I just don't get how people use the term 'upside.' It seems to be related to how unknown his ability is and how athletic someone is. I just feel like Tyrod is going to be on the same list as Brohm and Young in 5 years when we bring in another unknown QB with upside.

To play devil's advocate, the ravens have traditionally been a good scouting team. they have a QB who has been fairly indestructable. He also performs well. in terms of managing cap space, if you trust your ability to bring people up, why overpay for a position you think you can find again at a lower cost.

it may not have to do with tyrod's capabilities, but simply the total cost put into a position. is it worth paying flacco $100MM and a back up more than back up wages?

i don't think the ravens walking from him is necessarily a sign that he's no good.

that being said, i also don't expect him to win the starting position. but it's also very early. we'll know who has a legit chance to start once the preseason games start.

[Joe Fo Sho]

To play devil's advocate, the ravens have traditionally been a good scouting team. they have a QB who has been fairly indestructable. He also performs well. in terms of managing cap space, if you trust your ability to bring people up, why overpay for a position you think you can find again at a lower cost.

it may not have to do with tyrod's capabilities, but simply the total cost put into a position. is it worth paying flacco $100MM and a back up more than back up wages?

i don't think the ravens walking from him is necessarily a sign that he's no good.

that being said, i also don't expect him to win the starting position. but it's also very early. we'll know who has a legit chance to start once the preseason games start.

Yeah. The only reason I said that the Ravens cut ties with him was in response to using the fact that he's never been cut as a sign of his upside.

I can see that he has upside, but so does everybody. These guys are all professional football players, they all have 'potential' and quality tape. You can spin a lot of background stories into positives about QBs. I hope he's going to be good, but I said the same thing about a dozen other free agent QB pickups the Bills had. I'm just going to save my excitement for when I see him do something in a Bills uniform.

[IlluminatusUIUC]

As Albany said, his OC in Baltimore wanted to bring him to Denver after being named HC of the Broncos.

I think that says a lot about how Taylor is thought of.

It doesn't really mean anything. Chan Gailey wanted to, and did, bring Tyler Thigpen to Buffalo when he became our head coach. He was a known quantity at an important position. Coaches do that all the time when they bring new systems, often signing a couple of their roster fodder players as a binkie to help explain the system. I suspect we would have seen more of that out of Ryan if so many of our guys hadn't played with Pettine already.


Rex has said all three (sorry about that Tuel) QB's competing for the QB job are NFL starting caliber QB's.

Rex says a lot of things.

[trapezeus]

how many times have we gone to cleveland's back up with holcomb or a bad st louis team with fitzy.

we finally are taking a backup from a good team. perhaps that is a sign of progress.

that being said, we signed minny's backup.

i think you have to see our QB play on a standalone basis has a ceiling of 9-7. If we had a regular defense, average running game, no name receivers, perhaps the best our crew of qb's could do is 9-7.

with a run focus, and a good d, maybe we get to 10-6. given what's happening in NE and their circumstances with the league, that might be all we need.

i don't think any of them have a chance to be 300+ yard passers consistently with 80+qbr. i think they'll be more volatile than that. but streaks happen. i'm all for a streak to happen in a positive way for the bills for a change.

[better days]

It doesn't really mean anything. Chan Gailey wanted to, and did, bring Tyler Thigpen to Buffalo when he became our head coach. He was a known quantity at an important position. Coaches do that all the time when they bring new systems, often signing a couple of their roster fodder players as a binkie to help explain the system. I suspect we would have seen more of that out of Ryan if so many of our guys hadn't played with Pettine already.



Rex says a lot of things.

It does mean something. A QB is much different than any other position player.

And I believe the Ravens wanted to resign Taylor as well.

And yes, Rex says a lot of things.

IMO, that is much better than a Coach like Jauron or Marrone that hem & haw & never really say anything.

[Ed]

I understand that, but having 2 teams interested in your services doesn't necessarily mean you have a ton of upside. A bunch of teams were after McCown, too.

Upside is all well and good, but if you don't turn that potential into success it doesn't mean anything. I know that's an obvious statement, but it's how I feel about Bills players with upside. More often than not, I get excited for nothing with these guys with potential. I'm rooting for Tyrod as much as the next guy, I just hope he wins the job and not that the other guys lose the job.
I don't know that anyone is saying he has a ton of upside. I personally don't know much about him either and I don't realistically expect him to win the job, but he's an intriguing player. I'm just pointing out that there are at least other people around the league that seem to like him. It's not like he's just some scrub street free agent. All I know is he's small and has pretty limited experience, but I think the Bills are at least being genuine in saying he has a legitimate shot to win the job. I don't expect him to win it though.

[BuffaloRedleg]

He's going to be our starter I'm calling it now.

[BillsImpossible]

He's going to be our starter I'm calling it now.

You said so about 2 months ago and were one of the few who dared to say it.

According to BZ logic, that makes you, 'stupid.'

[Tatonka]

i said the same as well. sorry if im repeating prior posts, but as a virginia tech alum, i watched every single game tyrod played in college. ive seen as much of him as anyone here. He was a very good qb in college. alot is made of the fact that he is fast and he is. i dont know what his clocked times were but he played as fast as a young vick. that said, he was not a runner like vick was. scrambling wasnt his first response. he used his feet to create time more times that not. the way he plays is much more like russel wilson than mike vick. he has good arm strength and is a good passer, at least in college. i feel confident that he has more than enough of an arm to be a good passer in the pros. his accuracy was also never an issue, again, in college. he could put touch on the ball and didnt try to throw a rocket all the time like vick used to. hes a heady player that doesnt give up on a play because of pressure.

as a VT homer, im really pulling for him. trying to be completely objective though, i also believe he has a different skill set than the other two options because of his ability to create time in the pocket. based on how successful the offense was with kaeps ability in san fran, and if thats the same ability that roman is looking for currently, tyrod may very well be the best option.

[better days]

If Tyrod can throw the ball as well as EJ or Cassel & read a defense, he could well be the starter.

I can't wait for training camp & preseason games this year.

More than any other year, preseason games will have meaning.

[Jeff1220]

Having lived in the Baltimore area fr most of the past 15 years, I can attest to the fanbase wishing they could have kept him. Most Ravens fans really liked his character and potential and how he performed in (very) limited duty, TC, and PS. Taylor wants to start. That's why he's in Buffalo and not Baltimore or Denver. You've got to like that. Also, Rex liked him enough to try to trade for him when he was with the Jets. I think he has as much chance to win the job as anyone.

[Night Train]

I wish to see him throw in camp and the pre-season games. Pretending we actually know anything about him is laughable.

May the best QB win. Bills have many weapons at the skill position and someone needs to get them the ball. If it's Taylor, that's great.

[Goobylal]

He's like Vick in that he's a better runner than passer. But he's not as good as Vick as a runner and probably a little better as a passer. I think he's got the smallest chance of the 3 to start.

[chernobylwraiths]

Did I miss the quiet buzz behind the draft and Brady stories?

[Tatonka]

i said the same as well. sorry if im repeating prior posts, but as a virginia tech alum, i watched every single game tyrod played in college. ive seen as much of him as anyone here. He was a very good qb in college. alot is made of the fact that he is fast and he is. i dont know what his clocked times were but he played as fast as a young vick. that said, he was not a runner like vick was. scrambling wasnt his first response. he used his feet to create time more times that not. the way he plays is much more like russel wilson than mike vick. he has good arm strength and is a good passer, at least in college. i feel confident that he has more than enough of an arm to be a good passer in the pros. his accuracy was also never an issue, again, in college. he could put touch on the ball and didnt try to throw a rocket all the time like vick used to. hes a heady player that doesnt give up on a play because of pressure.

as a VT homer, im really pulling for him. trying to be completely objective though, i also believe he has a different skill set than the other two options because of his ability to create time in the pocket. based on how successful the offense was with kaeps ability in san fran, and if thats the same ability that roman is looking for currently, tyrod may very well be the best option.

I couldn't be happier after one game...

[BuffaloRedleg]

He's going to be our starter I'm calling it now.

Hey looks like it is true what they say, even a stopped clock is right twice a day!

[Joe Fo Sho]

I just feel like Tyrod is going to be on the same list as Brohm and Young in 5 years when we bring in another unknown QB with upside.

NAILED IT.

[Meathead]

just look at that poise

... we said about trentative checkwards

awesome freakin first game for ty. close to meaningless at this point but awesome first game

[notacon]

Now we can see why Denver was interested in him. Looking ahead to Peyton's retirement.

It finally may look like the Bills made a good QB decision.

That's going to take some getting used to.

[BillsImpossible]

Now we can see why Denver was interested in him. Looking ahead to Peyton's retirement.

It finally may look like the Bills made a good QB decision.

That's going to take some getting used to.

I can tell. Bills fans aren't used to being WINNERS.

[POTLAND PSILBYLO]

Dude's a stud.

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