Rex Ryan is not trying to box himself into a statement he'll make in December but potentially regret the following April.
After Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor posted another subpar performance against the Raiders in Oakland, Ryan was asked if he could commit to the 27-year-old beyond this season.
"I think first off, I'm pleased with Tyrod Taylor. I think he gives us the best chance to win," Ryan said Monday, via The Buffalo News. "I think he's a good quarterback, but our focus is strictly on Pittsburgh, so anything past that ... I don't think it's even an appropriate conversation right now."
He added, when asked about rookie quarterback Cardale Jones: "Well, I can tell you this right now. As much as it doesn't feel like it, we're still in the hunt here. We're going to do whatever we can to win. We know we have to win these four games. We've got a hot Pittsburgh team here that's loaded. It's playing well on defense. Their offense is about as good as it gets.
"That's a huge challenge in front of us. At no time are we looking at that. We're trying to win these next four games."
Ryan's backup quarterbacks have long been the most popular players on his roster. It was true of Mark Brunell, just like it was true of Geno Smith, Tim Tebow, Greg McElroy, Michael Vick and Matt Simms. His offensive staff has always struggled to develop a capable passer even if this year's version has done the best job of masking that shortcoming.
Taylor has not thrown multiple touchdowns in a game since Oct. 16 in a win over the 49ers. His last six starts have yielded an average quarterback rating in the upper 70s and a completion percentage below 60. He looks to be on pace to post slightly worse versions of the numbers he put up a year ago, which earned him a trip to the Pro Bowl.
We understand Ryan's hesitation to get into this now. The Bills (6-6) have a massive amount of money due to Taylor as soon as the league year turns over and would have to make any serious decisions well before that time. Should the Bills drop from playoff contention, would Ryan like a good look at Cardale Jones first? Time will tell, but for now Ryan is just hoping to avoid that question altogether and get a win.
