Buffalo Bills head coach Rex Ryan opted to sit most of his first-stringers for Friday night’s preseason loss to the Washington Redskins.
“I’m doing what’s best for our team,” Ryan told the team’s TV broadcast at halftime, per Mike Rodak of ESPN. “We want to show up at the starting game of the regular season.”
Unfortunately however, starting quarterback Tyrod Taylor was not afforded the same courtesy.
Taylor played the first two drives of the game and went 2-for-5 with 11 yards passing. But the Pro Bowler took a beating, getting sacked on the first possession and taking another hard hit before being replaced by EJ Manuel about halfway through the first quarter. Afterwards, Ryan openly lamented the decision to even put Taylor out there in the first place.
“Looks like a stupid decision to play [Taylor] because I never expected him to get hit,” Ryan said.
Though Cardale Jones being out with shoulder soreness may have factored into the decision to play Taylor, it’s still not a great look. With all the injuries that have shredded the Bills this offseason, it’s obvious why Ryan wanted to rest the majority of this starters. But at the same time, you would think that logic might extend to a guy they’re paying to be their franchise quarterback.
Taylor just signed a six-year extension with the team earlier this month, so hopefully Ryan and the Bills learned their lesson on Friday night.
H/T theScore
