Why I'm Still Watching (Besides the fact that I'm an NFL Junkie)
Tyrod Taylor –He needs to use the remainder of this season to work on several things:
His intermediate throws
Being able to sustain drives better (part of the issue on that has been penalties)
Going through his progressions faster so that he can make better and quicker decisions with the football
Not getting hit as much. He has done a much better job than earlier in the year at avoiding hits by getting down or out of bounds but he needs to continue to work on this due to his small stature. He will most likely always be an injury risk due to how often he runs and his lack of size.
Continue to build chemistry with Watkins, Woods and Hogan (assuming he is resigned) which can hopefully carryover into more success next season.
Running a more effective two minute drill
In my opinion he has earned the right to be the starter next season for the Bills.I do not think the Bills should extend Tyrod this offseason no matter how he plays over the next three games.Let him play next year and let’s see if he really is worth signing long term.If he plays well then I have no problem paying him (especially since it’s not me cutting the check) the very large sum of money he would be due to receive.I don’t think it makes sense to try to save a few bucks long term by signing him now in the hopes that he will progress into a franchise QB.It certainly did not work out for Buffalo when they tried to do that with Fitzpatrick.
2. Showing discipline by cutting down on penalties – The team needs to continue to make this a priority after last week. It was trending the right way for several games but this is something that needs to be continually worked on especially since Jerry Hughes will be on the team for the foreseeable future and someone needs to teach him something I like to call “controlled chaos”. Jerry is very emotional and talented and he makes huge plays but he still needs to focus on channeling his emotions and energy into trying to only make a positive impact for the team rather than the several times he has committed stupid penalties or jumped the gun and gotten called for a neutral zone infractions.
3. The Offensive Line – The Bills need to figure out who the best five are that are currently on their roster and decide who to move forward with next year at right guard (Urbik or Miller) and right tackle (Henderson, Mills, Kouandjio). Admittedly I am not good at judging OL talent but from what I have seen I would go with Miller and Henderson as the starters and try to add more talent that could potentially start right away in the draft with our early picks (not likely since Rex teams usually use early picks on DEF). They also need to continue to evaluate Cordy Glenn to make sure he is worth extending a contract to this offseason but from everything I can see he is worth it and there isn’t a better option available to the Bills via free agency or the draft. They also need to make sure to resign Richie Incognito as he was their best player on the OL this year and will be vital to the success of this unit next year.
4. Personnel for the Defense – They need to use the remainder of the season to evaluate the current talent on the defensive side of the ball and see how each player fits into how they want to execute their scheme going forward. Is it worth keeping Mario Williams around or is it time to cut him?(I say cut him based on his attitude alone) Can their linebackers be effective in Rex Ryan’s system or do we need to overhaul that position to get players who fit into Rex’s scheme better? The cornerbacks are set for now but they need to evaluate how they want to proceed at safety for next season and if they are comfortable with their former CB’s playing safety or if it’s time to bring in some fresh talent at that position.
While there is still a shot at the playoffs, it’s a very, very slim shot and I am not going to even consider it a possibility until Pittsburgh at least loses a game. However, there are still plenty of reasons why I want to watch this team besides the fact that I need an excuse to have wings and beers, yell at my TV and spend my Sunday on the couch over the remainder of the season. So while I watch these last three games I will be focusing most of my attention to the above mentioned parts of the team.
