The Buffalo Bills probably aren't going to break their long playoff drought this winter, but don't hang that failure on Tyrod Taylor.
The quarterback has been pretty much everything Rex Ryan could have asked for after spending the first four years of his career in relative anonymity in Baltimore and Buffalo. Taylor has delivered above average production in yards per attempt (7.94) and touchdown-to-interception ratio (3.6). He's on pace to throw for 3,000 yards and rush for 500 more despite missing a month with a knee injury. His 100.9 passer rating ranks fifth in the NFL and is higher than any Bills quarterback since Rob Johnson in 1998.
On Wednesday, a reporter began a question for Bills running back Karlos Williams with "Do you think Tyrod Taylor is" before Williams cut him off.
"He's the G.O.A.T.," Williams interrupted, according to ESPN.com. "He's the G.O.A.T., in my opinion."
For the uninitiated, G.O.A.T. is a popular acronym that stands for "Greatest Of All-Time". I'd imagine Jerry Rice's people attempt to file a copyright on it in the last 10 years.
"Obviously, Tyrod played at Virginia Tech, and my brother (Steelers linebacker Vince Williams) played at Florida State for a while," Williams continued. "And the first ACC Championship (in 2010) my brother played in, he played against Tyrod. They beat Florida State -- they killed Florida State -- and they went on to play in the Orange Bowl.
"So I've seen him play at a high level. Here, he had a chance to be that leader. He's been that leader, to be able to make plays. He has, what, one of the best (passer ratings) in the NFL? He makes plays when they have to be made. When we had a lot of guys out vs. Tennessee (in Week 5), he took over that game. ... He takes things when they're not supposed to be for him, and that's the kind of thing that you need in the locker room."
Strong words that might indicate that Taylor has the support of the Bills' locker room in a way few passers have since Jim Kelly left town.
The Bills will have a decision to make on Taylor in the not-so-distant future. By playing at least 50 percent of his team's snaps this year, Taylor voided the third year of his contract he signed this year. That means the quarterback will enter the final year of his deal in 2016.
Buffalo hasn't handed out a big extension to a quarterback since Ryan Fitzpatrick in 2011. That deal did not work out. Is Taylor a safer bet than Fitzpatrick? Has Taylor offered up enough of a sample size this season to earn Buffalo's long-term trust?
We'd know the answer if Williams was the GM. Less clear is what Doug Whaley believes.
