| Tyrod Taylor making his Case for Bills Starting Job | |
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Paul Banach |
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Appearing in a Buffalo Bills uniform for the very first time this past Friday night, Tyrod Taylor gave the fans just a glimpse of his playmaking abilities. And what an exciting look it was.
Then on Sunday after the team’s day off, Taylor was back at it making plays on the practice field. The fifth-year quarterback is still working to improve passing from the pocket but if he keeps playing well it’ll be awfully hard for Rex Ryan not to make his “guy” the starter.
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Taylor entered Friday’s preseason contest against the Carolina Panthers after Matt Cassel led the offense to three points on the first two drives. He immediately got a rise out of the 60,000 plus fans at Ralph Wilson Stadium with his speedy scrambling and heads up play. Overall, the quarterback led the offense on two long touchdown drives and finished 5-8 for 49 passing yards with six carries for 47 rushing yards in his Bills debut.
Tyrod was definitely the most electric player on the field Friday night and had arguably the best professional performance of his career. Even with that there are still legitimate concerns about his run-first style of play and durability each and every week as an NFL starter. Once teams start to game plan around his scrambling ability, can he adjust and pass the ball well enough?
His counterparts did their best to further the competition as Cassel started the game and totaled 45 yards on 7-8 passing. Most of the veteran’s passes were short reads but he took what the offense gave him, didn’t make any mistakes and was accurate. Exactly what the Bills coaching staff wants to see.
E.J. Manuel on the other hand had the best play of the night on a 51-yard deep touchdown throw to Dionte Thompson. The third-year quarterback finished 4-8 for 77 yards and one score but was plagued by bad snaps and dropped balls as his receivers couldn’t haul in three passes that would have prolonged the drive.
Following that 24-25 loss to the Panthers however, Rex’s postgame comments put Taylor back in the spotlight as they hinted at a two-man race between he and Cassel. The head coach also said #5 would get the start against the Cleveland Browns in this Thursday’s preseason game. How did the explosive quarterback respond to the news? With another solid day of practice on Sunday in which his aerial attack was on display.
Tyrod worked the ball all over the field completing passes to multiple receivers. Among those was tight end Charles Clay, who caught a couple nice balls including a 60-yard touchdown up the seam. Taylor also hit Robert Woods for a deep touchdown on the left sideline after Stephon Gilmore slipped at the line of scrimmage. Another highlight was on a touch pass to Sammy Watkins in which the receiver made a catch just over his shoulder with the defender draped all over.
Everyone knows the man can run but seeing him continue to improve in the passing game is encouraging. Now, fast forward to Monday’s joint practice with the Browns and we are reminded as to why Taylor is still fighting for his first NFL starting gig.
He made some nice throws in the individual drills as Bills receivers were burning the defensive backs, but overall was ineffective against Cleveland’s defense. Tyrod went 1-4 and was sacked four times in the team drills which saw him taking reps against Cleveland’s first and second string.
Despite being brought down to earth today Tyrod is still in the thick of Buffalo’s quarterback competition. Cassel provides the Bills with the safest option under center, but he also slightly limits what offensive coordinator Greg Roman can dial up.
This Thursday’s game against Cleveland will be a big test for the mobile quarterback to see how he can perform against a first team defense. If Tyrod Taylor continues to make plays and shows the ability to throw from the pocket, Buffalo may be awfully tempted to name him the week one starter.