(Editors's Note: Mark F. Barnes was thoughtful enough to compose a breakdown of new Browns QB Tyrod Taylor for Browns Bloggers and Friends discussion group on Facebook. I've compiled it into a single blog. This is the kind of stuff you just can't find anywhere else, folks. Thank you, Mark).
Bringing in Tyrod Taylor was in part pushed by Hue, but ultimately Dorsey makes the decisions now, but I can see he's attempting to give the HC part of what he wants, but the leash is short and Dorsey is being careful it appears. But for those that think we need to pass on a QB this draft need to really rethink that. This draft has some really good QB talent in it and two very probable, possibly 3, franchise player QBs. I'm an Allen guy and I make no bones about it. He's six-foot-five, 240 pounds and wielding a howitzer on his right arm.
Now this is not meant to be a blast Tyrod Taylor piece, because it's not, but it is a full breakdown on what to expect, because if you think he's going to come in and light up the AFC North, you better get ready to be disappointed. Is he going to be better than Kizer? Absolutely.
A big ding in Taylors game is his ability to ready and anticipate his receivers. He's been on a team with better talkent than the Browns have so he's starting against a stacked deck. Dorsey signing Landry is a big plus. This guy gets open quickly, makes separation and after he catches the ball he's dangerous, so he makes DBs play him a little soft so he can't get behind them, because if he does. he's gone.
Taylor holds the ball a long time, longer than average.
Here are the NFL’s average throw times in 2017, you lovers of PFF can likely verify this quickly. I use PFR because it's free stats and no nonsense internal rating BS.
Snap to throw=2.65 seconds (Taylor: 3.13, 2nd-highest)
Snap to attempt=2.50 seconds (Taylor: 2.73, 5th-highest)
Snap to sack=3.35 seconds (Taylor: 3.98, 3rd-highest)
Taylor has struggled in the drop back game, registering in the low 60's completion percentage and a 56.4 NFL QB rating. Now don't let that low 60's completion percentage fool you, it's worse off than that, and I will explain later. His 62% +/- is very misleading. His struggles from the pocket are mainly due to his tendency to hold the ball and, ultimately, not pull the trigger. That tendency has led to him to take 46 sacks in 2017! That is the 4th-most in the NFL. Now, not all of them are on Taylor. Sure, there are many factors as to why he took that many last season, I want to focus on the context of sacks that I believe were on him. I have watched every game from last year and he has tendencies, and I will post videos and critique on what I think is causing them.
When watching the following clips, pay attention to a few things: down and distance, shotgun vs under center, the defensive pre-snap and post-snap picture. Is it a single or two-high safety look? Depth of the QB’s drop (3-5-7 steps), where are the QB’s eyes from snap to sack? Was it a straight drop back or play action (this affects the depth of the drop AND how long he is holding onto the ball). Is he working right-to-left or left-to-right? The route concepts and depth of the routes; is the QB reading high-to-low or low-to-high? Man or zone coverage?
Understand, Taylor didn't play under center in college and he's struggled in the transition to the NFL, it matters and it makes a big difference. So from the tight camera angle shots focus on the protection. Which side does the center slide to? Did they have enough guys to block each defender? Depth of the pocket (remember, the interior offensive line sets the depth of the pocket, and the tackles and tight ends manage the width of the pocket). Did he have enough space to climb or slide in the pocket? How much time did he have from the time he hit the top of his drop?
All these things are going to factor into his success or lack thereof. The Browns struggling OL isn't going to be fun I promise you, if they can manage to get him 3 seconds I will be highly impressed and Taylor is going to have to man up and make the throws. The running game is going to be critical as well. Taylor has a league leading low INT% for a reason. He holds the ball and takes sacks, and this also leads to a misleading completion percentage. If he threw the ball away instead of taking a sack, his COMP% would be in the 50's and that's a fact.
Case Study 1: Tyrod Taylor Flees the Pocket Too Soon Versus Panthers.
Taylor completed 68% of his passes in this game against the Panthers, a good defensive team, but was sacked three times. This play was completely on Taylor. Bills are in 22 package and they have McCoy in motion out of the backfield right and Jones wide right. They run a smash against a cover 3, this should be a boom boom timing play and Taylor gets happy feet and flees the pocket into a sack, he runs right into pressure separating off their blockers and get him in pursuit. Now to be fair the receivers spacing is off from the beginning but if Taylor holds the ball a half a tick longer the routes developed and there are two open receivers. He left the pocket in 2 seconds, had he waited 2.5 he would have seen the separation develop and bang first down move the chains.
Case Study 2: Tyrod Taylor Needs to Throw it Away versus Broncos.
(Editor's note: from here on out I have not included the direct link to the associated video, in order that your computer not have to deal with too many videos on the same page. However, you may click on the link below each case study and it will play the youtube video on a separate page).
Here's a play where he should have thrown it away. I get it it's only first down but taking a sack or failing to throw it away on first down leads to predictability on second down and, more than likely, 3rd-and-long situations. Here the Bills are going after a big play right after the second half KO and Denver has decent coverage. One thousand one, one thousand two, one thousand three, time to get rid of the ball. He bails out left and instead of throwing the ball away he takes a sack and now it's 2nd a 16. This is all on Taylor, once he clears that tackle box, throw the ball out of bounds. He doesn't and he puts the Bills back against the wall.
Case Study 3: Tyrod Taylor Fails to Climb Pocket
Let's concentrate on a team he will see at least twice a season if he stays in Cleveland and he has a terrible game, 54% CP sacked 6 times, 1 INT and ZERO TDs. Here he fails to step up into the pocket first and foremost, and then he holds the ball way too long. The cover 3 is average at best and he completely misses his read. Step up into the pocket and deliver the ball into space. Pretty plain and simple. This is on Taylor. He has to understand that those tackles are one on one out on a island and he has to be aware of his pocket and what's going on around him. That's not something you can coach. Instincts you are born with. There were a lot of knocks on Johnny but he had eyes in the back of his head and great pocket presence. Taylor has neither.
Case Study 4: Tyrod Taylor Moves Too Quickly Through Progressions vs Bengals
3rd-and-6 and Taylor completely bails on his read progressions and it's looking like single high Man, and they are showing a possible backside robber, however the blocking is pretty good and the robber peels to the flat. At the 2 second mark Jones is open at his cut and breaks wide open over the middle. Taylor in this instance steps up too far when the Geno Atkins is taking an inside move and he pulls the ball down and steps into a sack at 3.5 seconds. Instead of sticking to his progressions he stared down a covered receiver on a deep comeback route and got sacked on a play that was an easy first down and a momentum changer. Had he paid attention and kept his head, made the right reads following his progression he would have seen Jones open at the top of his route and bang first down and a missed tackle could be six points.
Case Study 5: Tyrod Taylor Fails to Pull the Trigger vs Bengals
1st-and-10 3 minutes left in the game, it's go time, game on the line. Move the chains and keep going. Cleveland is once again in the Marv Lewis favorite single high man, and they have Clay on the hot dig route at the sticks. Pre-snap read should be to him, boom move the chains. Instead Taylor holds the ball, looks around to Jones, who is breaking over the middle past the sticks, and could have been thrown into space, but Taylor again holds the ball. Shady McCoy was in a play flake and drifts to the left flat. But Taylor holds the ball over FIVE SECONDS, that's a death sentence in the NFL. The DE sacks Taylor, and two plays later in 3rd and 16 throws an INT when he sails it over the middle. Game over.
Case Study 6: Tyrod Taylor Misses TE Logan Thomas in MOF vs Falcons
Here's the Falcons in the same look Single High Man, he has three receivers running quick digs, and Thomas in a dig up the seam on the middle of the field is never looked at at all. The play fake bites the LBs which opens up the Middle of the field, the Single High safety was in a deep drop since he's last man standing in coverage. He makes one look to his left, looks hime down and in 3.5 seconds is sacked. Ball should have been gone a two, over the middle to Thomas. Maybe it's debatable as to if Thomas was even part of the read, but it was pass all the way and he was wide open, in the middle of the field, that's QB101.
Case Study 7: Tyrod Taylor Bails Out of the Pocket on 3rd and Long vs Falcons
3rd and a long 15 working out of his endzone in the shotgun. Cover two in tight trips left 00 personnel empty backfield so the DE's are coming. WR to the right is running an 8 step bang route over the middle slant, and the nickel releases at the cut realizing he has cover two behind him. Taylor completely misses him open in space. They ran out routes from both sides to purposely open up the middle by design. Left slot runs a bang seven over the middle but is covered somewhat, he does separate late. However Taylor first leave the pocket right, for whatever reason, and breaks back left because he hung his right tackle out to dry. He's now destroyed the pocket and not looking up field. He scrambles left and instead of again throwing the ball away he runs out of bounds and now puts his punter's heels on the back line in the endzone.
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