The Buffalo Bills coaching staff put Nathan Peterman in an impossible situation and he was never going to succeed with this team.
The Buffalo Bills finally did the right thing and cut ties with Nathan Peterman yesterday.
He leaves as one of the worst quarterbacks, statistically speaking, in NFL history after throwing 12 interceptions in 130 passing attempts during his time in Buffalo.
But the kid should have never been on the field in the first place.
Peterman was forced into action last year in a tough spot. The fifth-round draft pick came in to start over Tyrod Taylor last year when the team was sitting with a 5-4 record. It did come after a blowout loss in New Orleans, but the move seemed bold at the time.
Then Peterman threw five interceptions in a half of football. Not as a first-round pick who could use his natural abilities to turn it around. But as a fifth-round pick who probably shouldn’t have started in his first season in the NFL. Or in his second or third and so on.
That first start didn’t have to define Peterman’s career. But it did. He never got better and fans witnessed him struggle mightily in 2018 before his release.
It is easy to pile on Peterman and say he is terrible. Yet the anger should be directed at the front office and the coaches for putting him on the field. He clearly was not ready to be an NFL starter and just doesn’t have what it takes to succeed.
I look at his pick-six against the Houston Texans this year as a prime example of his abilities. The game was tied 13-13 with just under 1:30 to play in the fourth quarter. It is a time to be careful and definitely not turn the ball over.
Peterman proceeded to stare down a receiver across the field and throw a pass that may have been one of the most predictable and easiest pick-sixes of all time. To be fair, he came into this game due to Josh Allen leaving with an injury. Yet he should not have been an option in the first place.
The NFL is a crazy place so it is possible Peterman ends up on another team as a third-string guy next year. Coaches who initially liked him coming out of the draft may take a shot to see if they can make him successful. I just don’t know if that is possible.