ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — You’ve gotta give this to Sean McDermott, he’s got guts.
After his routine announcement of who would be missing from Wednesday’s practice he started his weekly press conference with this eye-opener: “As I continue to evaluate our roster and our goal to get better, I’ve decided to start Nate Peterman as our quarterback this week.”
Oh, that’s all.
He might as well have said “We’ve completed plans for a downtown stadium,” such was the level of shock for the two dozen-plus members of the press expecting a routine media session before Sunday’s game against the Chargers in Los Angeles.
The reason, of course, is that at 5-4 the Bills are still in the sixth and final AFC playoff spot despite coming off consecutive blowout losses — 34-21 to the Jets at the Meadowlands and 47-10, four days ago, to New Orleans at New Era Field. And though starting QB Tyrod Taylor played fairly well against New York despite being sacked seven times (29-of-40, 285 yards, two TDs, 108.9 passer rating), he was perfectly awful against the Saints (9-of-18, 56 yards, two sacks, an interception and a 33.6 passer rating), but so was the rest of the team.
In explaining the QB switch to Buffalo’s fifth-round draft choice, McDermott said, “It was a decision made by myself … really it’s about becoming a better team. Like any other position, quarterback is no different. I understand the headline part of it, but every position is evaluated.
“We’re 5-4 and are in the playoff hunt at this point, but in the time that I’m here it will always be about becoming the best team we can possibly be. We were made for more than 5-4 and I didn’t come here to be 5-4.”
He admitted, after declaring Taylor the starter both following Sunday’s loss to New Orleans and in Monday afternoon’s media session, “I thought about it and slept on it and felt like we had to go in a different direction … and made the decision (Tuesday) morning.
“As a decision-maker, you’ve got to be willing to take calculated risks for where we’re trying to go. That’s my responsibility and I’m comfortable doing that.”
And the reality is, this decision is McDermott’s biggest in his 10 months as Bills coach.
He said all the right things about his deposed QB.
“ I remain confident in Tyrod Taylor and his ability to help our football team,” McDermott said. “This is not an indictment of Tyrod, he’s made improvements and a significant contribution to our team … he’s an important part of our football team and continues to be.
“Tyrod and I met yesterday … he’s a competitor and a professional. He was certainly disappointed, but he handled the conversation well, which I would have expected.
“I have confidence in Tyrod, (he’s) part of the reason we’re, where we are … five wins and in the playoff hunt. It’s not a reflection on Tyrod, it’s a reflection on all of us that we’ve got to do our job better and that we’re here for more than where we are. Once in awhile you have to take a risk to get where you’re trying to go.”
McDermott took that risk and pointed out, “When you transition quarterbacks, I don’t know if there’s ever a good time. I make very few decisions from knee-jerk reaction. This was methodical … I took my time on this and I make every decision in the best interest of this football team. (I) look at the body of work of our team every week … it’s not about one game.”
And that’s why we know Taylor’s days as a Bill are over at season’s end.
As McDermott pointed out several times on Wednesday, he’s here to win for the future, but also win now.
Clearly he decided Tyrod had peaked and that a rookie QB gave them just as much of a chance to win as did a 7-year veteran.
Thus, unless Peterman is injured, we’ve seen the last of Taylor on the field in a Buffalo uniform.
That’s the only reason McDermott would switch back. Even if the Bills unravel in the second half of the season, Peterman will continue to play, if only so that the coach and first-year general manager Brandon Beane can prioritize their draft needs. Do they still need a “franchise quarterback” more than an offensive lineman, defensive tackle, speed wide receiver or outside linebacker?
McDermott declined to compare Peterman and Taylor, but noted, “I’ve been impressed with Nate and his maturity as a rookie. When you look at what he was able to do through OTAs (Organized Team Activities) and training camp, then in preseason and again (Sunday when the game was decided and the Saints’ reserve defenders were playing soft) he did some good things albeit a small sample size.”
And though it’s pretty obvious the job is Peterman’s for the rest of the season, McDermott hedged.
“We’ll see how we play … look at our team and the combination of players on the field and see if this is going to make us a better football team,” he said. “Nate’s come in and handled himself well … he handled himself well in the game the other day. He’s poised, he’s mature beyond his years and he’s worked hard. The success he’s had to this point … he’s ready.
“We discussed (the change) as a team this morning. As we move in the direction we want to move, there’s difficult decisions, that’s why I’m here, taking us where we want to go … to win a championship.”
McDermott concluded, “Everyone wants to get to the playoffs … that’s important and I understand that. But at the end of the day it’s about trying to become the football team that the fans of Western New York, and Buffalo Bills fans of the world, have dreamed of for years.”
And it won’t be with Tyrod Taylor at quarterback.
(Chuck Pollock, a Times Herald sports columnist, can be reached at cpollock@oleantimesherald.com)
