When the Bills offseason program came to an end this month, word from Buffalo was that Nathan Peterman has a real chance to win the team’s starting quarterback job.
That didn’t seem to be the likeliest turn of events when Peterman threw five interceptions in his first NFL start last season and the additions of AJ McCarron and Josh Allen provided further suggestion that the Bills would look in a different direction. In an interview with Matthew Fairburn of The Athletic, however, General Manager Brandon Beane praised Peterman’s steadiness as well as his resilience after the rough opening to his pro career.
“That’s why I love football ... it’s not how hard you get knocked down, it’s how quickly you get back up,” Beane said. “And you know, the things I’ve said to him, I can go through a lot of rookies. Troy Aikman, Peyton Manning, a lot of these guys, there are miserable games and miserable opening seasons. Peyton was 3-13 in his rookie season. It’s just, you know, it’s not easy. ... I admire his toughness. He comes back in his next [starting] opportunity [against the Colts] and it’s snowing like crazy. If the guy had any luck last year it was bad luck. And yet you haven’t seen it carry over out here. I know, probably more than anybody, he’s wanting to say, ‘Let me get out there and show you what I can do. Give me another chance here.’”
Beane stressed that all three quarterbacks have displayed strengths this offseason and that the Bills are going to let things play out this summer before making any calls about who will be under center against the Ravens on September 9. Should Peterman build on his spring work, that call may wind up being one that few expected when the offseason started.
