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Saturday, August 5, 2017 | BataviasBest.org
Tyrod Taylor hasn’t exactly been a raving success in Buffalo throughout his time on the Bills’ roster, however, expectations remain high for the team’s signal-caller heading into 2017. Sammy Watkins is now healthy by all accounts, LeSean McCoy seems ready to surpass his impressive 2016 campaign, the Bills offensive line is steadily improving as a unit – and the time is now for Taylor to make the most of all three this season.
That is if the team hopes to keep their heads above water for longer than two weeks.
A multi-faceted, multi-talented QB, Tyrod just hasn’t put it all together throughout his NFL career, and after two seasons in Buffalo, he remains a run-of-the-mill quarterback, in need of a breakout year before stepping into the rarefied air which is breathed by the top-gunslingers in the NFL. And that breakout year needs to be 2017.
With Ryan Tannehill going down in Miami, and the Jets QB situation looking like a mosh pit, Taylor is clearly the second-best QB within the AFC East – which should give the Bills a leg up on the Dolphins, and NY, within the Divisional race. But, when it comes to the Patriots, and outside of the East, it’s going to take a big year from the Buffalo QB if the team hopes to have any chance of rising to the top of the AFC.
Passing for over 3,000 yards, and rushing for over 500 each of the past two seasons, many would look at those numbers and say that Tyrod hasn’t been the problem in Buffalo throughout 2015 and 2016. But when you look deeper, Taylor’s ability to move down the field isn’t necessarily the concern – it’s getting his team in the end zone.
Tyrod connected on just 17 passing touchdowns in 2016, which ranked the Bills’ QB 24th in the NFL in that category – behind names such as Blake Bottles, Trevor Siemian, Andy Dalton, among other below-average talents. And although he did find the end zone for 6 rushing TDs last year, the combined 23 scores still was only good for around 20th in the league for quarterbacks. That’s simply not enough production for a quarterback on a team which has aspirations of playing in the postseason.
This season, the Bills offense will look to Taylor to produce, and produce consistently at a high-level. If he fails to do so, expect this team’s playoff drought to extend into the 2018 offseason, and perhaps beyond. Because this is the final straw for the Bills quarterback.
It’s sink or swim for Tyrod in 2017.
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