Tyrod Taylor's Long-Term Deal Won't Mask Bills' Short-Term Problem

The Buffalo Bills are attempting to cover a mistake by signing quarterback Tyrod Taylor to a contract extension. The mistake will only grow in magnitude if the organization resets after the upcoming season. 

This isn't an indictment of Taylor's skills. Rather, the end result speaks to how poorly the Bills handled him throughout the process. 

Last season, the mobile quarterback earned the starting job by beating out veteran Matt Cassel and former first-round pick EJ Manuel. Taylor went on to throw for 3,035 yards, 20 touchdowns and only six interceptions in 14 games. He also added 568 rushing yards and four more scores. 

Was Taylor perfect? Of course not. There are still areas of his game where the sixth-year quarterback can improve, but he earned his first Pro Bowl berth and entered rarefied territory, per the Buffalo Bills' media relations department: 

Yet, the Bills didn't want to commit to him at the time. By mid-December, the organization still wasn't fully convinced Taylor was its franchise quarterback despite stellar early-season play. 

"Is he the long-term starter?" general manager Doug Whaley said, per the MMQB's Jenny Vrentas. "Let's put it this way: He's shown us enough that we can obviously keep trying with him. But it won't preclude us from going out and protecting ourselves [in case] he's not."

Nearly nine months later, the organization signed Taylor to a potential $90 million-plus deal, according to the Buffalo News' Tim Graham: 

It's a massive investment in a player Whaley didn't view as a franchise quarterback less than a year ago. 

According to Bleacher Report's Matt Miller, the organization didn't envision him as anything more than an "average long-term starter" as the NFL draft approached: 

Whaley even hedged his bet by drafting a very talented, albeit raw, quarterback in Ohio State's Cardale Jones with a fourth-round pick. 

What happened between these points to fully convince the front office to accept last year's free-agent find as the franchise's new face? 

Not much.

Whaley's comments after the announcement didn't exactly inspire confidence, per New York Upstate's Matthew Fairburn: 

Whaley said Taylor eventually proved enough to warrant the contract, per the Buffalo News' Vic Carucci: 

The coaching staff almost certainly had its say in the matter, though.

Offensive coordinator Greg Roman spoke glowingly about his quarterback in recent weeks. After watching Taylor through the first two weeks of training camp, Roman gave him the highest praise possible. 

"It's where you expect an elite player to be," Roman said, per Fairburn. 

Upon the team's announcement of the contract extension, the offensive coach gave his signal-caller another major seal of approval. 

"He's taken this team by the reins," Roman said, per Chris Brown of the team's official site. "I feel great about it. He gets better every day. There’s nobody else I’d rather have at quarterback than him."

No more questions surround the former sixth-round pick. He's now the Bills' starting quarterback moving forward with the full support of his coaching staff. 

Herein lies the problem and where the issue can be exacerbated: Buffalo's current coaching staff might not be around for too long. 

After only one season, head coach Rex Ryan's keister resides on the hot seat. It appears to be playoffs or bust. If Buffalo doesn't make the postseason for the first time in 17 years, Ryan might be on his way out after two campaigns. 

"I think Rex will probably be looking for another job," Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly said on The Jim Rome Show. "I think everybody knows that, including Rex."

This creates a conundrum when the recently extended general manager appears to be lukewarm about his quarterback and another staff could be taking over during the bulk of the 27-year-old signal-caller's contract. 

Taylor's work ethic speaks for itself, and, per Brown, Roman elaborated on his growing presence since becoming the starter: 

"

I decided that we were going to have him run meetings on Thursdays and all the coaches would be in there. He’s running the show and that’s what you want. You want a coach on the field at the quarterback position ultimately, because that person is always going to have the best interest of the team in mind. He’s the one who is an extension of the coaching staff. He’s the one who has got to do it and you want a guy who takes that kind of ownership.

"

This type of leadership, work ethic and intelligence extends to any situation, but it doesn't equate to being a great fit in whatever system may be brought along with a new staff. 

Of course, we're getting ahead of ourselves, and there is still a season to play. The Bills could make the playoffs for the first time since the 1999 campaign with Ryan at the helm and Taylor leading the way. 

If this doesn't occur, the Bills will be at another crossroads with a decision to make about its coaching staff and a newly minted $90 million quarterback who might not feel fully accepted by the front office. 

Brent Sobleski covers the NFL and NFL draft for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @brentsobleski.