John Clayton article on J.P. Losman and the Bills

[BlackMetalNinja]

Sorry if it's been posted already but I didn't see it on the first page and didn't really have time to look....





Losman feeling comfortable in Bills' offense

http://assets.espn.go.com/i/columnists/Clayton_John_30.jpg (http://x.go.com/cgi/x.pl?goto=http://search.espn.go.com/keyword/search?searchString=john_clayton&name=SEARCH_m_archive&srvc=sz) By John Clayton
ESPN.com
(Archive (http://x.go.com/cgi/x.pl?goto=http://search.espn.go.com/keyword/search?searchString=john_clayton&name=SEARCH_m_archive&srvc=sz))



Updated: June 11, 2007, 5:30 PM ET

Comment (http://myespn.go.com/conversation/story?id=2900861)
Email (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=clayton_john&id=2900861&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab2pos1#)
Print (http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/print?id=2900861&type=story)
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- A year ago, Bills quarterback J.P. Losman (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=6781) was at a loss.
He was competing against Kelly Holcomb (http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?statsId=3873) for the starting job and there were no guarantees. The Bills were coming off a 6-10 season, and the fan base wasn't totally in his corner. Worse, his teammates weren't sure about his presence and leadership ability, particularly after he completed only 49 percent of his passes in 2005.

http://assets.espn.go.com/photo/2007/0611/nfl_a_jpl_195.jpgAP Photo/David Duprey
J. P. Losman started all 16 games for the Bills in 2006.


What a difference a year makes. Bills minicamp opened Monday and Losman looked like a winner. His passes looked crisp and accurate. Receivers ran sharp routes and Losman hit them just as they separated from defenders. On Monday, he was particularly sharp in blitz drills. The ball rarely hit the ground. Receivers caught almost everything.

The rest of the article can be found here:
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=clayton_john&id=2900861&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab2pos1

[Pinkerton Security]

Sorry if it's been posted already but I didn't see it on the first page and didn't really have time to look....






The rest of the article can be found here:
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=clayton_john&id=2900861&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab2pos1



Great read, makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside until that tidbit at the end reminds you that defense is part of the game too. Still, we are gonna be fun to watch and if our D can have a couple big games, I can see us stealing some big wins away from teams most think we'll lose to.

[don137]

Good article and Clayton is seeing what many have been saying about this offense. Many expect good things from this offense with the two key components of continuity of the coaching staff and a rebuilt OL.
The defense is ripe for criticism because they have so many unknowns but the potential is there if the young guys step up especially McCargo and Webster can be a steal at DB.

[Don't Panic]

Most telling piece in that article:


The biggest reason for the comfort zone is continuity. This is only the second time in eight years the Bills' offense returned the same starting quarterback (Losman) and offensive coordinator (Steve Fairchild). Continuous change on offense is one of the reasons the Bills have been out of the playoffs seven consecutive years, tying the franchise's longest streak.


Very easy to overlook by the average fan, but a huge determinant of the consistency of the offense. Twice in 8 years? Wow. We've been cheering for a continuos learning curve during the millenium.

[Jan Reimers]

It's a reason-able article. We have every reason to expect big things from our offense, and every reason to keep our fingers crossed on defense.

[justasportsfan]

If they didn't have the pads on the O is gonna look good and the D shaky.

Anyone ever notice that the performances of Kyllle Williams, Whitner , Simpson, Kelsay, Schobel ,etc weren't mentioned throught OTa's and 1st day of mini camp?


Wait til' the pads come on and the D will start looking better and the O worse.

[HAMMER]

Nice article Kazoo! It is nice to hear all the positive comments, it seems the players are far more confident then last year.

[cocamide]

I'm glad we finally have some continuity, and it will be great if we can finally get a core offense that's together for the next 6-7 years. Losman, Evans, Lynch, and hopefully our O-Line can be with us for many years to come. It'd also be real nice if a TE could step up and have a pretty big impact. This truly is JP's year to prove himself.

[HHURRICANE]

Fairchild finally rolled McGahee under the bus in the video clip!!

[Meathead]

:rockout: wenches

[bernielivsey_1]

:candle: Considering how John Clayton is never wrong....that means were gonna be grrrrrrrreat. :box:

[xXSpIkes5IXx]

i laughed when he called mcgahee a 1200 yard rusher, when he has only had 1 1200 yard season and is coming off a 990 yard campaign.