BILLS’ TAYLOR EMBRACES OPPORTUNITY
Reed says he saw QB’s potential with Ravens
Ed Reed can think back to several times during his last two years as a member of the Baltimore Ravens — which coincided with Tyrod Taylor’s first two years there — when he’d tell the young and energetic quarterback that if he worked hard, stayed patient and remained confident, his time in the NFL was going to come.
“I remember days — and we were talking about it the other day — and I’m saying, ‘Man, I remember I was telling you to just keep doing what you’re doing and it will work out for you,’ ” said Reed, a sure-fire Hall of Famer as a player who is now reunited with Taylor in his role as an assistant coach for the Bills. “And he was like, ‘Look at us now, we’re here.’ ”
To Reed, it’s no surprise that Taylor is firmly entrenched as the Bills’ starting quarterback. Reed saw his potential back in their Baltimore days, and what he witnessed during the spring workouts only reinforced his faith in Taylor.
“I’ve just seen his growth, his maturity and his leadership,” Reed said at the end of the mandatory minicamp in June. “Tyrod has come a long way; he’s been through a lot. Just seeing his work ethic. Tyrod’s one of the first guys here. I’m here like 6 o’clock some mornings, and he’s walking in there — him, Jerry (Hughes) and a couple other guys. So to see that, you know he’s had some growth.”
When Reed and Taylor were in Baltimore together in 2011 and 2012, Taylor was never going to play for the Ravens, not with Joe Flacco in his way. So when the 2011 sixth-round draft pick out of Virginia Tech hit free agency in 2015, the only teams Taylor considered signing with were those where he’d have the opportunity to win a starting job. Hello, Buffalo. Taylor easily won a three-man competition with EJ Manuel and Matt Cassel to become the Bills’ starting quarterback. After a solid first season during which he threw 20 touchdowns compared with just six interceptions and set a franchise record for rushing yards by a quarterback (568), Taylor is poised to take the next step in his career arc, that of becoming a bona fide star in the NFL.
Whether that happens in Buffalo or elsewhere remains to be seen.
Because he played more than 50% of snaps in 2015, the final year of the three-year deal he signed is voided, meaning the 27-year-old is eligible for free agency in 2017.
To date, management has opted for a wait-and-see approach on signing Taylor to a long-term contract. General manager Doug Whaley, while happy with last year’s performance, basically said Taylor has more to prove before he’s worthy of a deal that includes eight digits. It’s a fair point, and Taylor gets it.
“I just focus on the stuff I can control,” Taylor said. “I’m not necessarily into the contract stuff. I let my agent handle that. I know I’m under contract for another year. Whether they choose to extend me or not, that’s out of my reach right now. I definitely think I showed what I can do, and I definitely think that I showed that I’m going to continue to get better.
“I would love to be the longterm answer, but I understand the business side of it. If something happens (with the contract) this year, I’m happy for it, but if not, we’ll wait it out and see what happens.”
If he gets off to a great start in 2016 and convinces the Bills he’s their man, perhaps the organization will try to complete an inseason extension and prevent Taylor from hitting free agency in March, similar to what it did with Ryan Fitzpatrick in 2011. On the flip side, maybe Taylor will bet on himself by playing the season out and then jumping into free agency to see what he can get from someone else.
During the spring, Taylor did a commendable job of deflecting talk about his contract while focusing on working to take his game to the next level. The universal belief is he is primed to do that.
“If you’re looking for a grade, I’m going A, A-plus, or whatever,” coach Rex Ryan said. “What he did to prepare — the learning thing, studying the tapes, studying the plays — this guy has got it nailed. He wants to be the leader of this team, but you have to earn it. I think he has clearly done it.”
Offensive coordinator Greg Roman was able to utilize Taylor’s strengths effectively last season; he allowed him freedom to use his legs to make plays, and he dialed up a bunch of downfield passes because Taylor throws one of the best deep balls in the league. Upon that base, the offseason emphasis was on expanding Taylor’s repertoire and broadening the scope of the offensive scheme, and Roman said Taylor soaked it in like a sponge.
“I think it goes back to a Year 1 to Year 2 thing, and Tyrod had the ability to get a body of work underneath him and really study it hard throughout the offseason,” Roman said. “I think we pinpointed some things we wanted to work on and tried to orchestrate those situations in practice as much as possible.
“Bottom line, I don’t care who you are as a coach, I don’t care if you’ve been coaching five years, 30 years, in order to take those steps it has to come from the player. The player has to embrace the challenge of self-examination, self-awareness. He has done that A-plus, plus. I couldn’t be happier with his commitment to that process.”
Experience is vital and now Taylor has some, but just as important this year is what that experience provided: Team cred. He’s “The Guy,” the unquestioned leader on offense.
“Yeah, it’s a huge differencemaker for us going into the season knowing that Tyrod’s the guy,” guard Richie Incognito said. “I’m excited to have Tyrod back. I love playing with him; he’s a fierce competitor, and he’s a dynamic playmaker for us, and having him entrenched as the starter is nothing but a benefit.”
Said Taylor: “I definitely feel more in charge, more of a command, being able to speak up. And guys listen because they know the preparation that I put in, the preparation we put in as a unit, and they see the vision of what we want to be.”
Reed had a vision of what Taylor could be when he was running the scout team for the Ravens, and he thinks this is merely the start of a great career.
“He appreciates where he’s at right now,” Reed said. “The kid has no worries; he just wants to play ball. Always did.”
The Bills gave him that chance, and they can only hope their search for a franchise quarterback finally is over.
Maiorana writes for the Rochester (N.Y.) Democrat & Chronicle, part of the USA TODAY NETWORK