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Nathan Peterman is growing on Jon Gruden and now we can see why. The Oakland Raiders‘ backup quarterback showed off an impressive motor with a 50-yard run on the team’s first drive of the second half of their game versus the Los Angeles Rams.
Pretty impressive wheels for a guy that ran a 4.82 40-yard dash at his combine. The other backup, Mike Glennon, started off strong leading the Raiders to a touchdown on their first drive of the game, but fell off and threw two bad interceptions. That opens up an excellent opportunity for Peterman to play well and take away the second spot from Glennon. Glennon is more experienced and has been more impressive in the regular season. Peterman has been very bad during his regular-season chances. He was great for the Buffalo Bills in last year’s preseason, so he’s still got a lot to do to prove that he can play in the regular season if Derek Carr goes down.
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Peterman Leads Team to Touchdown
Not long after his long run, Peterman led the Raiders to the endzone for their second touchdown of the game. Undrafted rookie wide receiver Keelan Doss, who happens to be an Alameda native, brought in a pass from Peterman and muscled it across the goal line for the touchdown.
There was a delay for a moment because it was unclear if Doss’ knee was down before he crossed the goal line, but a review showed that he did get the touchdown. Jon Gruden has sung the praise of Doss at a couple points during this offseason. He’ll have a tough time making the roster because the Raiders are loaded at wide receiver, but he could possibly make his way to the practice squad.
Gruden-Peterman Love Affair
It’s been very highly publicized that Jon Gruden has a weird affection for Nathan Peterman. Gruden recently took over the news cycle when he decided to heap light praise upon Peterman in an interview with the NFL Network.
“This Nate Peterman is growing on me,” said Gruden. “He’s athletic. I know he’s had some nightmare performances in the NFL, but when you watch the film you can see why: It’s not his fault. But he’s got some talent. He’s got some athletism. He has some experience. He was an opening day starter for the Buffalo Bills last year. I take that very seriously. He’s smart he’s done a good job. He’s been consistent, and I think he’s starting to get his confidence back. We all need that.”
This comment drew the ire of many media pundits that questioned why Gruden doesn’t share the same love for Derek Carr.
“Derek Carr is the only one of the top 15 QBs where don’t you kind of feel like the coach doesn’t like him?” said Fox Sports commentator Colin Cowherd after he heard the comments.
The problem is, in that same interview, Gruden praises Carr on several occasions. Two things can be true at one: Gruden can like Carr and Peterman. No matter how much Peterman impresses in the preseason, Carr’s job is safe.
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