ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Rex Ryan is rolling the dice again.
In naming Tyrod Taylor the Buffalo Bills' starting quarterback Monday, Ryan is doing exactly what we've become known to expect from him: Bucking NFL norms and putting his own mark on his team -- for better or for worse.
Ryan is making the riskier decision than Bill O'Brien's pick of Brian Hoyer as the Houston Texans' starter over Ryan Mallett, the other quarterback competition in the NFL that lingered until late August.
When O'Brien met with his coaches before the Texans' third preseason game, he explained his philosophy in choosing a starter to his coaches.
"I think early in the season you go with the guy who's been the most consistent, that you trust the most," O'Brien said on "Hard Knocks" last week. "And if he doesn't play well -- it's not a short leash -- but if he's not getting [it] done, he's putting us in bad situations -- you yank him. You go with the other guy."
Going with Matt Cassel would have been the safe move for the Bills, like Hoyer for the Texans. Cassel went 13-for-15 passing in the preseason, averaging 5.5 yards per attempt. His short, controlled passing game would have minimized mistakes and put the Bills in position for their running game and defense to win games.
But instead of choosing the predictability of Cassel, Ryan has opted to take a gamble and give Taylor his first NFL start.
You get the sense that Ryan wants to prove something. As the New York Jets' head coach, Ryan tried to trade for Taylor, whom he believes is the fastest quarterback in the NFL. If the Bills are in "quarterback purgatory" -- as general manager Doug Whaley told head-coaching candidates in January -- then the Bills need to find a creative solution to their problem.
Taylor is Ryan's answer. Cassel had the potential to win the Bills games this season and put them in the playoffs for the first time since 1999, but Taylor's ceiling is much higher. He could become the Bills' franchise quarterback. If Ryan gets this right, he would have plucked a career backup quarterback from relative obscurity and made him a star.
The risk-reward factor to picking Taylor offers the sizzle that Ryan loves.
However, the downside of choosing Taylor can't be ignored. The Bills open their schedule by hosting the two teams that competed in the AFC Championship game last season -- the Indianapolis Colts and New England Patriots -- and then travel for a division tilt with the Miami Dolphins in Week 3.
Taylor has been poised and accurate in extended playing time this preseason but still has plenty to prove when games actually count. Even though Ryan and fans are intrigued by Taylor's explosiveness as a runner, his playing style leaves the Bills more prone to sacks, fumbles and interceptions -- exactly what their ball-control offense must avoid.
That's not to say Cassel -- whose unevenftul four possessions at the helm this preseason were mostly boring -- was the better option. There is just less known about Taylor and more of a risk involved with the decision, which is just Ryan's style.