i dont think nate should play. why throw him to the wolves and possibly damage his confidence. i think letting him learn from the bench is a plus for him. i like hium as a player, and think he has the intangibles to be a good qb in the nfl, but i do not want him to end up like alex smith or jamarcus russel on some gun shy mind fucked shit. let him compete and earn that job next season.
watching from the sidelines this year is great for him. and 4 full games or partial for that matter with the 1st offense next pre season will do wonders for him.
my 2 pennies.