Loose Talk: The Editors’ Take
“Tyrod Taylor is under pressure on 42.1 percent of his dropbacks, the highest amount in the NFL, but completes 75 percent of his passes under pressure, also the highest amount in the NFL. He also rates 3rd among QBs in Yards per Attempt and leads the NFL in pass attempts of 20+ yards.”
I’ll take NFL sabermetrics I would’ve never believed a month ago for $200, Alex.
If your last name isn’t Cosgrove or you weren’t a Virginia Tech football fan half a decade ago (Go Hokies!), then odds are that you, like me, had no clue who the hell Tyrod Taylor was going into this year’s preseason games. After being heralded as the tuck-and-run/deep bomb Golden Boy of VT for his junior and senior years, he finished with slightly under an 80 percent career win rate and an appearance in the Orange Bowl. Unfortunately, T-Mobile fell to the sixth round of the 2011 draft where he was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens to be Joe Flacco’s safety net.
Thirty-five attempted passes, nineteen completions and four years of riding the bench later, the Buffalo Bills announced that they were signing what was described as a “poor man’s slower, turnover-prone Michael Vick” to join in the brouhaha taking place for their starting QB position. Fans and analysts alike chalked TT up to tinder used to light a fire under EJ Manuel’s ass and accelerate his progression into a franchise quarterback. However, what most armchair GMs neglected to take into consideration were two crucial factors that played into T-Mobile’s ascention to starting QB.
Firstly: Greg Roman. This past January, months before there was even a whiff of a former Hokie in Buffalo, the Bills took on former offensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers Greg Roman to run their offense. Roman’s offensive schemes were/are/will continue to be notorious for two things. The most notable aspect of the Roman offense that excited Bills fans was its tendency to rack up dink-and-dunk TE passes that would churn up short yardage plays, as seen in its success with Pro Bowler Vernon Davis. Since Buffalo also touted a TE, Charles Clay, who could see huge success in the right plan, fans were eager to see their offensive weapons properly utilized. However, people forgot another trademark of the Greg Roman offense, a facet that would solidify his position as the starter.
Mobility. Roman’s offense is what catapulted Colin Kaepernick into the starting position after Alex Smith’s injury; Kaep was able to show off his dual-threat playmaking ability. However, Taylor’s fortune didn’t stop there. It’s a well-known fact in the NFL world that the only thing Rex Ryan loves more than feet is the Wildcat offense, an offense that relies heavily on a quarterback that can audible into a sneak at a moment’s notice. Since EJ Manuel and Matt Cassel —the two other QBs that TT was competing against— are about as respectively agile as a skyscraper and 100-year-old oak tree, he was given an inherent advantage just by being able to run the ball.
So after a surprise preseason cut of longtime fan favorite RB Fred Jackson, the Bills’ front office made a feeble attempt to divert attention from the heartbreak by announcing that Tyrod Taylor would start Week 1 against the Indianapolis Colts. To make a long story short, it didn’t work. Fans questioned his reliability due to a small sample size, his less-than-stellar performances when he DID get playing time, his size, his “weak” arm and his tendency to keep his head down and miss open options when he runs. However, people were able to generally agree that provided he didn’t mess up too much, handed the ball off to new star RB LeSean “Shady” McCoy and dumped it off to Clay, then he shouldn’t get in the way of the defense carrying the team to an AFC Wildcard slot.
It’s funny what someone can learn after being mentored by a Super Bowl Champion QB and top-notch QB coaches (Jim Caldwell, Gary Kubiak, Hue Jackson and Jim Zorn) for five years. T-Mobile came out firing on all cylinders against the Colts, going 14/19 with 195 yards (<10 YPA/70% completion), gaining 41 yards rushing on 9 attempts (<4 YPC), tossing a 51-yard needle-threader to Percy Harvin for a TD: all with excellent composure against a swarming pass rush.
In the weeks that followed, Taylor threw for another 6 TDs against the New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins, rushed for another, has racked up an aggregate passer rating of 117.9 and has led the league in passing under pressure and long yardage situations. For the past two seasons, Buffalo fans have bemoaned the lack of an adequate quarterback, claiming that with even a serviceable QB, their defense would lead them to the playoffs. Well, it looks like the Bills have found their answer in the form of Tyrod Taylor. Currently ranked somewhere in the 7-10 range in most NFL power rankings, perhaps Bills fans will be able to put down their razorcakes and start getting excited for this season. Rex Ryan claimed to have “built a defensive bully,” and T-Mobile and Greg Roman seem to have formed the offensive juggernaut to match it. Beware Pats fans, there’s a new gunslinger in town.