ghz in pittsburgh
09-18-2006, 09:16 AM
in NFL.
Seeing what Losman the 1st two games this year, it just reminded me watching Big Ben's rookie season, especially the first few games. I know some of you, especially those anto-JP crowd, would say wait a minute, wait for at least half a season before you compare him to the great Big Ben. But I'm just recounting what people in Pittsburgh saw back in 2004 when Ben was pressed into action due to Maddox's injury - no one knew at that time Roethlisberger would be this good then.
If you ask anyone then what was special about Big Ben, almost unanomously you got the answer of composure, not getting frustrated whether he threw a TD or pick. I still remember Parcells praised Ben as the most poised rookie QB he ever saw.
Folks, I saw the same thing from Losman, albeit 2 years later. Belichick and Saban threw a lot of things at him the last two games. And unlike Roethlisberger who got a great O-Line throughout his career, Losman faced more bodies in front his face when he tried to deliver a pass. That one thing I see is there: poise. He'd move on to the next play regardless what happened before, and he learned to rely on his teamates, not just his receivers/running backs to make plays for him, but also trust his defenses as well. That's probably the hardest part for a young QB to grasp, to master being a game manager. When you see a chance to make a play, make a play. When you don't see that, don't force it.
Someone just has to learn it the hard way, or takes much longer to get that down. At least Losman is on his way. He'll still make mistakes, even the great Roethlisberger did, too. I'll be content to see Losman gets comfortable in this role this year. If I recall Tom Brady's career back in 2000, I don't think he was used much more than a game manager either. Now where Losman can go from that point onwards is anyone's guess (and is much more difficult to be coached out; it's really about himself than anything else), but we are shaping up as a team that a game managing QB should thrive on: strong defense, top special team. Didn't Trent Dilfer/Brad Johnson win superbowls in that kind of environment?
Seeing what Losman the 1st two games this year, it just reminded me watching Big Ben's rookie season, especially the first few games. I know some of you, especially those anto-JP crowd, would say wait a minute, wait for at least half a season before you compare him to the great Big Ben. But I'm just recounting what people in Pittsburgh saw back in 2004 when Ben was pressed into action due to Maddox's injury - no one knew at that time Roethlisberger would be this good then.
If you ask anyone then what was special about Big Ben, almost unanomously you got the answer of composure, not getting frustrated whether he threw a TD or pick. I still remember Parcells praised Ben as the most poised rookie QB he ever saw.
Folks, I saw the same thing from Losman, albeit 2 years later. Belichick and Saban threw a lot of things at him the last two games. And unlike Roethlisberger who got a great O-Line throughout his career, Losman faced more bodies in front his face when he tried to deliver a pass. That one thing I see is there: poise. He'd move on to the next play regardless what happened before, and he learned to rely on his teamates, not just his receivers/running backs to make plays for him, but also trust his defenses as well. That's probably the hardest part for a young QB to grasp, to master being a game manager. When you see a chance to make a play, make a play. When you don't see that, don't force it.
Someone just has to learn it the hard way, or takes much longer to get that down. At least Losman is on his way. He'll still make mistakes, even the great Roethlisberger did, too. I'll be content to see Losman gets comfortable in this role this year. If I recall Tom Brady's career back in 2000, I don't think he was used much more than a game manager either. Now where Losman can go from that point onwards is anyone's guess (and is much more difficult to be coached out; it's really about himself than anything else), but we are shaping up as a team that a game managing QB should thrive on: strong defense, top special team. Didn't Trent Dilfer/Brad Johnson win superbowls in that kind of environment?