Buffalo Bills Coaching Staff Lost Credibility on Taylor Debacle

The responsibility of the Buffalo Bills coaching staff is simple:  do what it takes to win football games. It’s not a complicated idea.

Yet they went out of their way to make it one. The team started out well at 5-2 but then struggled the past two weeks against the Jets and Saints. A division rival and a Super Bowl contender. That’s not a crime. Buffalo was still 5-4 and very much in the playoff hunt. So their decision to bench starting quarterback Tyrod Taylor was way out of left field.

It’s not like both losses were his fault. He had a good game against the Jets, throwing for 285 yards and two touchdowns and running for a third. He didn’t give up 47 points to New Orleans despite having a difficult afternoon. So what compelled the Bills coaches into the decision to bench him in favor of rookie Nathan Peterman?

Decision had disastrous consequences right away

There was confidence among Bills fans, some Bills fans that this was the right call. Peterman was excellent at Pitt. Many felt he could be the next Kirk Cousins. In other words an overlooked mid round quarterback with underrated skills. It took the Los Angeles Chargers 30 minutes to stamp those visions into the mud. Peterman looked like more than a rookie. He looked like a high school senior thrown against the 1970s Steelers.

In two quarters of football he threw five interceptions. L.A. blew the game open before the Bills even realized what was happening. Prior to getting benched Taylor had three interceptions in all of 2017. He’s had one multi-interception game in three years as Bills starter. How Buffalo though dumping him for a rookie was a good idea is one of the great puzzles of this season.

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It also doesn’t paint the coaches in the best light. One really has to question such a lack of common sense, especially after such a strong start to the season. The fact they were willing to bench one of their most efficient, reliable players due to a slight two-game slump? One has to wonder if Sean McDermott can truly handle the highs and lows of that job.