The Backup QB Situation ...

**akashicrecorder** · 08-17-2012, 10:00 PM

Is rather troubling.

Tyrod has had good preseason games (see: the Redskins come-from-behind win from last year) and bad ones (see: tonight). But even if his "real talent" is somewhere in the middle of that, what a bad spot we are in. No, backup QBs are not supposed to be superstars, but we are a long way from Marc Bulger.

If Curtis Painter were our #2 QB, we might be in trouble anyway. But if Painter is better than our supposed #2, then we are not in a good place.

**alienrace** · 08-17-2012, 10:10 PM

Taylor is horrible. He is not an NFL qb by any stretch of the imagination. I know I mentioned it before, but McNabb is out there.

**rharris1986** · 08-17-2012, 10:20 PM

If we have to rely on Tyrod Taylor for quarterback play we might as well forfeit the game when he comes its - because its quite pointless to continue.

**esmd** · 08-17-2012, 10:23 PM

Originally Posted by alienrace

Taylor is horrible. He is not an NFL qb by any stretch of the imagination. I know I mentioned it before, but McNabb is out there.

Not that I'm sold on Taylor, but McNabb is shot, IMO. They guy can't play, and he still thinks he should be a starter. He's not worth the headache he might be.

**akashicrecorder** · 08-17-2012, 10:27 PM

Where is Matt Hasselbeck?

**wickedsolo** · 08-17-2012, 10:40 PM

Originally Posted by akashicrecorder

Where is Matt Hasselbeck?

Tennessee.

**Stealthbirds80** · 08-17-2012, 10:49 PM

Truth be told that most NFL teams with a good to elite QB's would crap themselves if the starter went down. We were fortunate when we had Bulger back at #2. That is a rarity.

**HoustonRaven** · 08-17-2012, 10:51 PM

McNabb still thinks he's the shit, thus wants more money.

And if Flacco went down we'd be fucked anyway.

This is a non-issue.

**Haloti92** · 08-17-2012, 10:53 PM

I would rather Taylor than McNabb. McNabb probably isn't any better, and unlike Taylor he will think he is way better than he is playing (and possibly cop a 'tude).

Taylor is playing with 2nd teamers etc. Sure they are against 2nd teamers also but that just means everyone looks worse or at least more inconsistent. He also is running stuff he and the team (his 2nd string teammates) need to work on. He isn't running the plays that would be called if he had to spot start a regular season game, imo. In a spot start the playcalling would be more conservative, his running ability would help move the chains, and we would hope to win a low-scoring game. If we needed him to score 27 points to win, we would lose, but we lose games like that with our starting QB sometimes as well.

Again, I would love to upgrade our backup to a veteran (Bulgeresque), but I think plenty of teams have backups as bad as Taylor even if they don't look quite as bad as Taylor did tonight (which was bad even for Taylor).

**akashicrecorder** · 08-17-2012, 10:53 PM

Originally Posted by wickedsolo

Tennessee.

Oh, OK, I thought maybe he had left or was floating around after last season.

**Corey** · 08-17-2012, 10:56 PM

Yeah, I don't really care about a backup QB. If you have a starting QB worth a damn, anything less than another starter caliber QB is going to be a serious downgrade. Having a top notch backup is not the norm around the NFL. It's very rare. You can probably count on one hand the teams that have a player with starter potential on the bench.

**akashicrecorder** · 08-17-2012, 10:56 PM

Originally Posted by HoustonRaven

This is a non-issue.

I disagree whole-heartedly. If Taylor looks as bad in a regular season game as he did tonight, he will not even be able to do the minimum that a back-up is supposed to be able to do: preserve a lead at least, or hold down the fort for two games at best. He looked like hot garbage tonight.

**wickedsolo** · 08-17-2012, 11:08 PM

Prob will be some interesting guys potentially cut...

Josh Johnson, Tarvaris Jackson, Matt Moore, Kevin Kolb, Vince Young/Tyler Thigpen...

**HoustonRaven** · 08-17-2012, 11:15 PM

Originally Posted by akashicrecorder

I disagree whole-heartedly. If Taylor looks as bad in a regular season game as he did tonight, he will not even be able to do the minimum that a back-up is supposed to be able to do: preserve a lead at least, or hold down the fort for two games at best. He looked like hot garbage tonight.

It's a non issue because if Flacco goes, the season is toast anyway.

Guys like Yates are a rarity so to assume there is a QB out there that can give us the same talent is just silly.

**Tspot-D-Ravenator** · 08-17-2012, 11:40 PM

I like Painter and I seen enough of him to make him our back-up QB..He's decisive with his passes and he's pretty accurate except for that INT tonight. He stands in the pocket and can SEE OVER HIS O-LINEMEN, something Taylor CANNOT DO. Tyrod would be a GREAT back-up for M. Vick, but not Joe Flacco and this offense. Cut the cord with Taylor and move on. Maybe trade him to the Eagles for a draft pick?

**duffybr** · 08-17-2012, 11:45 PM

+1

**akashicrecorder** · 08-17-2012, 11:48 PM

Originally Posted by Tspot-D-Ravenator

I like Painter and I seen enough of him to make him our back-up QB..He's decisive with his passes and he's pretty accurate except for that INT tonight. He stands in the pocket and can SEE OVER HIS O-LINEMEN, something Taylor CANNOT DO. Tyrod would be a GREAT back-up for M. Vick, but not Joe Flacco and this offense. Cut the cord with Taylor and move on. Maybe trade him to the Eagles for a draft pick?

Painter has looked serviceable against the twos and threes, even though that pick that ended the game tonight was pretty bad. Better option than Taylor at this point, I agree. We've seen what he wrought as a starter in Indy, but as a stopgap he might be OK.

I never got why people seemed to prefer Taylor as a backup because he is so different from Flacco. Wouldn't we want someone similar to Flacco, who is more easily plugged into the normal offense? Or was this sentiment coming from a more gadget play perspective?

**Tspot-D-Ravenator** · 08-17-2012, 11:59 PM

Originally Posted by akashicrecorder

I never got why people seemed to prefer Taylor as a backup because he is so different from Flacco. Wouldn't we want someone similar to Flacco, who is more easily plugged into the normal offense? Or was this sentiment coming from a more gadget play perspective?

This

**Beerracuda** · 08-18-2012, 06:34 AM

Totally unimpressed with Tyrod's play. Last year, I was warm to his style, thinking that he might be a good alternative with his speed. However, our offense is not built for a scrambler, and his arm is woefully below NFL standards. He was also very lucky to avoid that safety. Had there been starters in on defense, that definitely would've been 2 points for the Lions. Poor tackling saved his ass on that one.

I realize we're talking about a backup position here, and if Flacco goes down, we're in trouble no matter who's back there, as most NFL teams would. But if we're looking for speed at that position, we'd be just as good to use a RB or WR in a gadget play from time to time.

Painter's not much of an improvement, but he has shown some veteran presence, and his arm is much more accurate, which are the 2 most important things to look for in a backup QB.