Peters no longer petering away his talent in Buffalo

By Anthony Bialy  |   Monday, April 20, 2009  |  Comments( 179 )

Buffalo Bills
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Jason Peters can slack his way to phony glory elsewhere. The former Buffalo Bills left tackle is a current nuisance for the Philadelphia Eagles, as a new franchise has to potentially deal with him pouting right out of shape. The Bills got what they could out of him until he decided not to give anything else; now, they’ve proven themselves wise enough to send away Peters before he again proved that he valued his own reputation over hard work.

In the worst sense, Peters looked like a former tight end playing tackle last season. He played in slow-motion replays at regular speed, as he rarely provided glimpses of the dominant play he teased fans with in the previous few years. It happened because he spent the summer thinking about how much money someone as great as himself should receive; unfortunately, he should have used the time to actually make himself great.

Of course, the Bills must now find a new left tackle starter. But the 28th overall pick the Eagles sent in return may presumably be used draft Peters’ replacement. Or not: they could use this as an opportunity to pick up both a tight end and defensive end before the second round. The compensation for Peters might allow them to deal with another roster chasm.

It might depend on how highly this team regards Kirk Chambers, a blocker who has looked somewhat promising in a handful of starts. Demetrius Bell is a candidate, too: he’s nearly as raw as Peters once was, and he could conceivably bloom into a starting-caliber tackle. That said, it’d be nice if he didn’t also acquire Peters’ colossal attitude.

Those two aren’t the only current Bills who could be considered a left tackle option: the right tackle is an option, too. Langston Walker is now the team’s most important lineman, and the Bills may accordingly switch him to the most important line position. Chambers or Bell could then be used on the right if they choose not to use a high pick on a new exterior blocker.

Whatever course they pursue, Buffalo is at least not scrambling through training camp to compensate for an absent whiner. The Bills did a good job dealing with a bad kid. They reacted as shrewdly as possible to miserable circumstances they didn’t create. In an ideal world, Peters would have had the sense and decency to honor his own signature; but, here on a rather imperfect planet named Earth, management turned the situation to their benefit.

That doesn’t excuse Peters’ hideous posture and actions. He should have remembered that nobody wanted him. The Arkansas project was a wholly unrefined athletic lump when the Bills signed him after nobody decided he was worth a draft pick. His first team not only saw his potential as a guardian but also invested time and resources into molding him.

He shamefully responded by squandering their investment. But they were in turn smart enough to make an unappreciative lout part of their past. In the end, it’s a long-term gain for Buffalo: they flipped an undrafted player into a first-round pick and two later choices. Plus, they pulled off the wisest move given Peters’ stance. The Bills sent an ingrate where he belongs, namely hundreds of miles away.
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About Anthony Bialy

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