Browns quarterback Tyrod Taylor has seen both sides of practice games. He's never been in one that will include him turning the ball over to a No. 1 overall draft pick. A dive into what happens now.
In the words of Tyrod Taylor's friend Allen Iverson (and Taylor does say the former NBA showman is his pal) ...
"Practice? We're talking about ... practice?"
Now that Browns spring practice is over, who wants to talk about ... practice?
It's time to talk about what's next. Everyone who cares about the Browns wants to see how Taylor will look in a game.
Everyone has an opinion on whether it is THAT necessary for Taylor to steer the ship while rookie Baker Mayfield "sits and soaks," like Jared Goff did behind Case Keenum. What if Mayfield was allowed to play, like Carson Wentz did ahead of Chase Daniel?
As minicamp broke up this past week, someone asked offensive coordinator Todd Haley if there is wiggle room for Mayfield passing the announced No. 1, Taylor, in training camp.
Haley gave a nine-sentence answer so hazy it was hard to tell whether he was even close to saying, "Maybe."
One strain of thought is that people will be able to tell whether the veteran should be the man by studying him in preseason games.
Another strain: "Maybe not."
If Taylor performs as he did last August in Buffalo, there will be a clamor to have Mayfield's status revisited.
Taylor's 2017 practice games were semi-alarming. He posted a 27.9 passer rating across three of them. In his longest stint, five series against Philadelphia, he threw two interceptions and took two sacks.
His first series against the Eagles ended with a pick by Mychal Kendricks, leading to a quick touchdown. (Taylor and Kendricks both have changed teams, of course, Cleveland being their new one. They will face defending Super Bowl champ Philadelphia on Aug. 23 in Cleveland.)
In Buffalo's next preseason game, at Baltimore, Taylor's first series was a three-and-out. In his second series, he recovered his own fumble on one play and a short while later suffered a concussion while taking a sack. He was replaced by rookie Nathan Peterman.
Imagine Taylor putting together such a preseason this August. The enthusiasm he generated in minicamp would turn to same-old-Browns eye rolling. Turning to a rookie No. 1 overall draft pick, as teams with such picks often do, would be appealing.
For the 2017 Bills, new head coach Sean McDermott didn't have much of a Plan B (it was Peterman). For a while, McDermott did just fine when he was able to stick with Plan A. Taylor recovered from the concussion, started the opener, and presided over a 5-2 start.
The fun stopped there. The Bills hit a 1-4 slump. Taylor was benched in favor of Peterman during a 47-10 home loss to the Saints. Peterman threw five interceptions in the first half of a 54-24 loss to the Chargers. The Bills scored some points after Taylor replaced Peterman in the second half. From then on, though, Taylor's grip on the job was tenuous.
Buffalo reached the postseason. For the first time in seven NFL seasons, Taylor got a playoff start, at Jacksonville. He moved the Bills a bit but couldn't generate points against th Jaguars' nasty defense. He had the Bills near midfield, trailing 10-3 just inside the two-minute warning, before the end of a scramble sent him to concussion protocol.
Peterman came on and threw an interception. He remains in Buffalo as a third-stringer behind free agency pick-up AJ McCarron and first-round draft pick Josh Allen.
Taylor and his 22-21 record (including that playoff loss) were traded to Cleveland.
Taylor is a bridge quarterback, but one bridge might span the Nimishillen Creek, another the Golden Gate. If Taylor gets to the season and becomes breathtaking, people will want to hang out on the bridge and enjoy the view.
The consensus, though, is that Taylor, going on 29, has come close to being all that he can be. Unless he proves otherwise, crossing the bridge to Mayfield will speed up.
If Taylor struggles again in the preseason while Mayfield lights it up, it doesn't take a prophet to predict what the conversation will be.
But supposing Mayfield does sizzle in August. We'll still be talking about practice.
Yet, does practice count for nothing?
There was this young quarterback who cemented his grip on a starting job in 2015. In preseason wins over Cleveland and Pittsburgh, the kid completed 19 of 23 passes. The organization thought it meant he was ready.
His team was Buffalo. The QB was Tyrod Taylor.
As the 2015 preseason ended, head coach Rex Ryan announced Taylor had won a competition against Matt Cassel and EJ Manuel.
For now, Browns head coach Hue Jackson is sticking to what he said when Taylor was acquired in March, that the ex-Bill is his No. 1, even on a team with a rookie No. 1 overall.
"Tyrod has been a real good find for us," Jackson said. "He is very steady, very competitive. He has really taken to the way that we coach him. I think he likes the system."
That was coming off spring practice. The practice games haven't even begun.
Reach Steve at 330-580-8347 or
steve.doerschuk@cantonrep.com
On Twitter: @sdoerschukREP