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ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- How good is Tyrod Taylor? Well, hes better than you think he is. Yes, seriously. He ranked seventh in Total QBR last year and is No. 8 so far this season. That complicated metric makes the Buffalo Bills quarterback look like one of the better quarterback bargains around.But while he might be better than you think, Taylor still isnt as good as he thinks he could be.To be one of the best -- if not the best -- to play this game, Taylor said last month in response to the question of what drives him. I think, with my skill set, if I maximize the potential that I have, I can definitely be remembered as one of the best this league has had.Is he crazy? Taylor isnt in anyones top 10 of current QBs. He has started 22 NFL games and thrown for 300 yards in none of them. Because he was behind Joe Flacco in Baltimore, he didnt get to start until he was 26 years old, and only when two guys in front of him on the 2015 Bills depth chart flopped.Yet Taylor, whose Bills take on the Seahawks in a Monday Night Football matchup in Seattle, is the guy Buffalo considers to be its franchise quarterback. Sort of.We feel like, if we have a good defense and a running game to support him, we can do kind of what Seattle did with Russell Wilson, Bills offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn said last week. He knows that the formula to win here may not be throwing for 400 yards per game. But when hes had people around him, he has made plays.The Wilson comparison has come up throughout the past week thanks to the Monday night meeting. For some, it fits because Taylors running ability is such a big part of his game -- as it was with Wilson prior to this season -- and because Wilson has always had a strong defense and run game to support him.The comparison falls apart, though, when you look at records. Wilson has won at the very highest level on a consistent basis for a number of years. He has elevated a substandard receiver corps. He has delivered in the fourth quarter -- an area in which Taylor has so far fallen woefully short. Comparing Buffalos defense in Taylors tenure to the defense Wilson has had in Seattle is ridiculous. But, at this point, Taylors ability to win with a high-quality defense is still a matter of speculation, whereas with Wilson there is proof.Theres a learning curve, and a year and a half into being a starter, hes still going through some things, Lynn said. But if youre able to move around, that gives you some time to figure some things out. Theres a lot of upside to him.The way Taylor is viewed inside the Bills building might not match up with the mezza-mezza perception the outside world has of him, but in a lot of ways its the only perspective that matters. Buffalo gave Taylor a new contract in the offseason that raised his 2016 salary over $9 million and established a series of option years beginning in 2017. If Taylor flops, the Bills can walk away. They could pick over a free-agent crop that includes the likes of Kirk Cousins, Jay Cutler and Ryan Fitzpatrick (whos already been through there), or they could turn to a trade market that might feature Tony Romo.If he doesnt, and they pick up his option, his 2017 salary cap number would be just over $15.9 million -- the 20th highest among quarterbacks currently signed for next season. His 2018 cap number would be only $16.78 million. What that actually means, believe it or not, is that its likely a no-brainer for the Bills to pick up Taylors option.[Taylor] is an interesting guy, said one NFL talent evaluator whose team will not be in the offseason quarterback market. He throws a good deep ball, and the legs are obviously a big plus. I think it helped him being in Baltimore those years. You can see he has that veteran cool about him.Taylor agrees with the notion that spending his early years as a backup in a winning environment in Baltimore was a benefit to him. He says he learned a lot being around veterans like Ray Lewis, Haloti Ngata and Ed Reed (whos now a member of the Buffalo coaching staff) that prepared him to take advantage of his chance to start when it arrived.Watching those guys come to work every day with their mindset, even after years of being in the league, seeing what drove those guys made me better as a player, Taylor said. It encouraged me in the days when I thought, Oh, man, maybe the opportunity wont come.The Bills are pleased they gave Taylor his opportunity. The way they look at it, he works for them -- or would, if they could get their running back corps and wide receiver group healthy.Taylor has barely had Sammy Watkins, who missed three games last year then another six this year, and has played hurt much of the time hes been on the field. Taylor has also played the past couple of weeks without feature back LeSean McCoy. Robert Woods has been in and out. Keep in mind that Total QBR stat in which Taylor looks so good favors quarterbacks whose supporting casts are substandard. And while Taylors offensive line has actually performed well this year, the skill position group around him has been an injury-riddled mess.Tyrods going to be fine, Bills coach Rex Ryan said after a loss Oct. 30 to New England, in which Taylor was a somewhat miserable 19-for-38 for 183 yards but chipped in 48 yards and a touchdown as a runner. It seems like every week Im defending him, and I dont understand why.Its because Taylor doesnt give off the impression of a very good NFL quarterback, but there are numbers that say otherwise. In todays NFL, where there arent 32 perfect quarterback solutions, hes a better long-term solution for the Bills than you might think he is. Fake Vans For Sale . DAmigo scored twice in regulation and added the shootout winner as the Toronto Marlies edged the San Antonio Rampage 5-4 in American Hockey League action. Fake Vans Website . -- Edmontons Val Sweeting is two wins away from a trip to Winnipeg to play in Canadas Road of the Rings in December. https://www.vansfake.com/ .Y. -- Sabres defenceman Tyler Myers had no intention of changing his hard-hitting style before taking part in a disciplinary hearing for his illegal check to New Jersey forward Dainius Zubrus head. Fake Vans . The 26-year-old Ireland striker, who has four goals this season, has signed a three-and-a-half year contract with his new club. Fake Vans Cheap . Coach Mike Munchak says Fokou stretched ligaments in his left knee Oct. 13 against Seattle, which could keep out up to five weeks even though the linebacker didnt need surgery. Top-ranked Alabama already wrapped up the SEC West and plays East winner Florida for the conference championship Dec. 3, but that doesnt mean the Crimson Tide is looking past Auburn.Alabama coach Nick Saban said the Iron Bowl rivalry will define the legacy of the season in terms of what the Crimson Tide is trying to accomplish.I think this is one of the greatest rivalry games in the country, Saban said. I know it means a lot to a lot of people in this state as well as nationally and the competitors in the game probably enjoy this kind of competition, this kind of rivalry as much as any game that they play.The Crimson Tide host the No. 16 Tigers at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa on Saturday (3:30 p.m. ET, CBS).Alabama (11-0, 7-0 SEC) goes into the game with the nations No. 1 defense against the run, holding foes to fewer than 69 yards per game rushing, and No. 2 in scoring defense (11.4 points). The defense scored nine touchdowns on five fumble returns and four interception runbacks this season.Add in three punt returns for touchdowns and the Tide scored 12 non-offensive touchdowns, twice as many as the next two FBS teams on the list (Ohio State and Houston).Offensively, the Tide averages nearly 478 yards in total offense with freshman quarterback Jalen Hurts passing for 197 per game and rushing for 73. Running backs Damien Harris and Josh Jacobs combined to average more than 121 yards rushing.Auburns defense, however, allowed only 15 touchdowns in 11 games, limited opponents to about 118 rushing yards per game, and allowed an average of 334.5 yards in total offense, which is 18th-best in the country and fifth in the SEC.The Tigers (8-3, 5-2) can also to put pressure on opposing passers (25 sacks, 82 quarterback hurries) and when they cant get to the quarterback, they have a knack for batting the ball down at the line of scrimmage. Defensive linemen Montravius Adams, Marlon Davidson, Dontavius Russell, Maurice Swain and Derrick Brown have combined for 10 pass breakups.Obviously, were working for sackks, Auburn defensive coordinator Kevin Steele said.ddddddddddddBut more importantly, were working to affect the quarterback, and one of the ways to affect the quarterback is to get your hands up and bat balls.But the Tigers are unsettled on the offensive side of things. Though running back Kamryn Pettway, their leading rusher with 1,108 yards, is expected to play after missing the last two games with a leg injury and starter Kerryon Johnsons ankle seems to get better each week, the situation at quarterback remains a mystery.Sophomore Sean White sat out last weeks victory over Alabama A&M with a sore shoulder and senior Jeremy Johnson started. Johnson was effective in only his third game this season, completing 14 of 19 passes for 147 yards in the 55-0 rout.But that was against an overmatched FCS foe. Need it even be said that Alabamas defense presents a much bigger challenge?White, who is 129 of 198 passing for 1,644 yards and nine touchdowns, has been on and off the field in recent games. He didnt start against Vanderbilt but came in to rally the Tigers from a three-point halftime deficit to a 23-16 victory.The next week, he started against Georgia but re-injured his shoulder and was largely ineffective as the Tigers lost 13-7. He didnt play at all last week as Johnson and John Franklin III took over.Offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee said that Johnson could start again with Franklin as an alternative.I thought Jeremy and John both did a good job, Lashless said of their performance last week. Theyve been repping for us the last couple of weeks of practice when Sean hasnt been practicing. Well see where Sean is in the process.Well try to make a call, at least on our end, earlier in the week so we can prepare the way we need to, but I wouldnt rule any of them out right now.Alabama prevailed 29-13 last year and won six of the last eight meetings to take a 44-35-1 series lead. ' ' '