Nathan Peterman had worst starting debut for a QB. Here are all 5 of his interceptions, ranked

If you want to celebrate something in the record book, look for the trash records, the kind that come with more notoriety than celebration. Those are the records I prefer. And that’s why we’re here talking about a guy you’ve already forgotten and one you’ll forget a year from now.

Keith Null and Nathan Peterman will never have the name recognition of most of the quarterbacks in the NFL record book, but have their own special place in it — the record for most interceptions thrown in their NFL starting debut.

But before we can celebrate one of these record-breaking debuts, we have to settle something:

Keith Null: A rookie sixth-round pick that year, Null was never supposed to start as the Rams’ third quarterback, but in 2009 the Rams had a knack for finding innovative ways to suck. Starting QB Marc Bulger broke his leg in November. Backup Kyle Boller was terrible.

At 1-11, the Rams had nothing to lose. Might as well start the kid from West Texas A&M against the 5-7 Titans in Week 14 (the Titans were on their way to an 8-8 season under Jeff Fisher, who’d be coaching these Rams in a just a few years time).

It was hopeless. The Rams had no talent on the roster, except for running back Steven Jackson. The offensive line was giving up almost three sacks a game. Null entered the game a dead man walking.

Nathan Peterman: You don’t have to have a long memory to recall Peterman’s start for the Bills. It was just last season. In case you forgot the circumstances surrounding his five-pick debut, let me remind you it was not an emergency move by the Bills. No, they decided, at 5-4 and in the middle of a playoff chase, to hand over starting duties a rookie fifth-round pick JUST BECAUSE.

Head coach Sean McDermott never seemed to take a liking to incumbent starter Tyrod Taylor from his first day in Buffalo. Why? Who knows. All Taylor had done prior to McDermott’s arrival was throw 37 touchdowns and just 12 picks, with a 94.2 rating and 10 rushing touchdowns, in 29 starts for the Bills the two season prior.

He wasn’t Cam Newton, but he sure as hell wasn’t pretty much any of the other hapless schmucks the Bills had been starting before his arrival in 2015.

McDermott offered some dumb excuse about trying to get better at the QB position, evaluating his options there, etc. Basically, he was punishing Taylor for a rough outing the week before against the Saints.

“We were made for more than 5-4 and I’ve come here to be more than 5-4,” he said when explaining the decision.

Maybe he lacked the proper context: It’s the Bills, dude, and you’re in a playoff race.

His coach speak got even worse after Peterman’s disastrous game.

“I don’t regret my decision,” he said after the 54-24 loss to the Chargers. “I regret the result ... This is in part about winning now and in part about winning in the future.”

OK, as much fun as we’re having at McDermott’s expense, it’s not what I set out to do here. (Besides, with Peterman AJ McCarron and Josh Allen on the roster, we’ll have plenty more chances to snicker at Buffalo’s quarterback play.)

Winner: Though the record book says they’re tied, Peterman is the most notable of the two quarterbacks with the most interceptions in their debut as a starting quarterback. He only lasted one half, and should’ve never been in there in the first place.

Now, let’s rank some interceptions! All five of them.

Opening drive, Peterman’s off to a good start, completing his first two passes to help the Bills get 34 yards up the field.

It’s a dumpoff to the fullback (exciting!), and this one is not really Peterman’s fault. Patrick DiMarco just can’t catch it, so it bounces off his hands and into Korey Toomer’s waiting arms. He returns it 59 yards for a touchdown.

The first drive of Peterman’s first career NFL start ended with a pick-six. And it got worse from there.

The play before this one was a deep shot down the right side to Andre Holmes. Peterman overthrew him by a mile. Cut to the broadcasters talked about getting back to quick, easy passes, something to help steady him.

That’s exactly what the Bills did not do.

“OK, Tate’s going to run down there and be in the deep middle. Easy enough. I got this!

Right?”

Maybe he didn’t mean to underthrow it. Maybe it was the twin fists of the Chargers pass rush pummeling him.

It’s an easy pick for Casey Hayward (his first of two on the day).

“Huh. Probably should’ve just thrown that one away.”

Somehow, miraculously, the Bills are only trailing, 10-7. Not for long. Whoever’s calling the plays seems to be adamant about turning Peterman into some kind of gunslinging deep passer ... in his very first pro start.

This is pretty much a carbon copy of his second interception. Nobody really bothered to block Chargers pass-rushing sensation Joey Bosa. Well, someone tried, but ... LOL.

It’s easy to say Peterman should’ve thrown it away, but maybe he didn’t have time on this one.

The Chargers score on the resulting drive and it’s officially out of control.

It’d be easy to blame pressure from Bosa again for this pick. But look at where Peterman’s throwing it. Deonte Thompson is waiting for the ball to the outside of his man. Peterman puts it on the inside.

“It’s OK, son. Not your fault.”

The one thing Peterman’s avoided so far in this game is throwing an INT on his very first snap of the drive. Until now.

And this one is all on him, not the pressure, not the fullback bobbling an easy catch. Peterman goes right to his man, overlooking another open option.

This is one of those easy passes the announcers were urging Buffalo to go back to before the second interception. At this point, there’s no pass easy enough to get Peterman out of his own way. Not even a pair of three-and-outs after this pick would prevent a fifth interception and, ultimately, the hook for the second half.

Hayward worked hard to make that pick, his second of the game, so I don’t want to takeaway from his effort here. But ...

This is who McDermott thought would give the Bills a better chance to win than Tyrod Taylor? This is what “winning now and in part about winning in the future” looks like? Yeesh.

After this game, McDermott went back to thinking about the “now” part of the season, putting Taylor back in the starting QB role the rest of the way. It worked, kinda. The Bills went 4-2 the rest of the way and made the playoffs for the first time since 1999.

Taylor only threw one pick over his last five games (and one in a playoff loss to the Jaguars). But it was a much more conservative game plan the Bills were leaning on than what they called to start the season.

It’s easy to look at a career debut like Peterman’s and think that’s more typical of what you get out of a late-round pick forced into a starting job way before he’s ready.

Peterman got one more start, this time in place of an injured Taylor for a Week 14 against the Colts. He threw for 57 yards and a touchdown, but left the game with a concussion. The Bills won, 13-7, in overtime with Joe Webb under center.

Don’t let McDermott and the Bills coaches off the hook for his starting debut, though. Peterman would have never have been in position to be the first quarterback in eight years to throw five picks in his debut if not for his coach’s rash decision.