Start the kid

By Brandon J. Koch

It’s not football season in Buffalo without having the quarterback be at the top of the conversation list.

After a disaster of an opener, Sean McDermott is faced with a decision to make under center. Stick with Peterman or play the future of the franchise?

Nathan Peterman was terrible against the Ravens: This is a chart from NFL Next Gen Stats. Out of Peterman’s five completions, three of them were behind the line of scrimmage. There was only five attempts that were over ten yards. It’s obviously more than just the quarterback, the line was terrible, receivers struggling.

But you can tell Peterman is not a starting quarterback in this league. He was the best in training camp and the preseason, but as soon as the regular season lights come on he just doesn’t have it.

The starter for Sunday’s game against the Chargers should be Josh Allen. You can say this is a dicey call, the kid is the future and why put him in if he’s not ready. But if the head coach is preaching winning culture and starting the best players, how can you put out someone who had the worst start in an NFL game since 2008? A passer rating of 0.0?

The rookie gives this team the best chance to win. He may be a raw prospect, but there are signs from the first game that already has him better than Nathan Peterman.

Allen’s footwork in the pocket helps him extend plays, he has the feel of when to move and get out of pressure. His eyes are always looking down the field to make a play.

Only one attempt was behind the line of scrimmage, Allen takes chances for big plays down the field. That’s how you score points in the NFL. It’s first and foremost a match-up league, getting speed into space and making in-game adjustments. Do the Bills really have the personnel to create favorable match-ups or real speed to get in space? No.

What can happen is Daboll has to make in week adjustments to help Allen, combined with Allen’s ability to extend plays. Should we be worried about Allen getting into early and creating bad mental and in-game habits? Maybe. At this point, any playing time will help the kid.

Just play him.