Losman's feel-good play won't change big picture

[shelby]

Jerry Sullivan's take:


Give J.P. Losman credit. He said he would continue to prepare as if he were the starter, despite having his job taken away and despite his suspicions that the decision had been dictated from up high in the Bills' organization. As a captain and a leader, Losman felt he owed it to his teammates to be ready if the call came.
And sure enough, Losman's chance came late Sunday afternoon, late in the third quarter of a dull, unsightly struggle with the Jets in the Meadowlands. With the game tied, 3-3, rookie Trent Edwards left the game with a sprained right wrist, reopening the door for the Bills' deposed quarterback to restake his claim for the job.
Losman made the most of it. Early in the fourth quarter, he led the Bills to a go-ahead field goal, completing a 19-yard pass to his main supporter, Lee Evans, on the drive. Then, with 3:52 to play, Losman underthrew a bomb to Evans, who ripped the ball away from Jets rookie cornerback Darrelle Revis and raced 85 yards for a touchdown.
Evans' TD was a welcome bit of drama on a day when two AFC East offenses put forth one of the most uninspiring shows imaginable. It was also a nice reward for a surging young Bills defense that turned in another terrific performance and held an opponent to three points in a road game for the first time in 17 years.
.......
No doubt, Sunday's dramatic events will rekindle the controversy among Bills fans — and to some extent, within the team. There was a report on ESPN that said a number of players were upset by the notion that Losman's job had been taken away so he wouldn't meet performance incentives, which would have raised his base salary by $5 million next season.
But the real issue is whether the Bills intend to extend Losman's contract after the season and give him a signing bonus in the $15 million range. An extension would make any incentive clauses moot, and there's virtually no chance that owner Ralph Wilson will sign Losman to a lucrative extension.
Edwards is the quarterback. When his wrist heals, the starting job is his. Why would the circumstances change because Losman came into a game and completed three passes? You're telling me they should go back to Losman because he underthrew a long pass and Evans somehow snatched it from a Jets cornerback and escaped for a long touchdown?
The fact is, the pass should have been intercepted. It was a bold move by Steve Fairchild, calling the bomb on first down from the Bills' 15-yard line with 3:52 to play. I didn't care for the call at the time, but it worked, and it'll remind the coaches that good things can happen when you throw the ball downfield.
Maybe they'll actually allow Edwards to throw the ball down the field more often in the future. Edwards is equally capable of underthrowing a long pass and having one of his receivers rip it free from a defender and score an improbable touchdown.
Losman's remaining supporters can point to the Evans TD as evidence that J.P. deserves to start. Fine, make your case. But don't expect me to be swayed by such flimsy reasoning. It's ludicrous to think that anyone who favors Edwards would change his mind because Losman made one big play — on a pass that should have been picked off.

http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/story/194532.html

[Forward_Lateral]

Maybe they'll actually allow Edwards to throw the ball down the field more often in the future. Edwards is equally capable of underthrowing a long pass and having one of his receivers rip it free from a defender and score an improbable touchdown.

:bf1:

[B-DON]

It was also a nice reward for a surging young Bills defense that turned in another terrific performance and held an opponent to three points in a road game for the first time in 17 years.


That is a long time. I can not tell you how proud i am of these overachieving guys. They fly around and play with heart. The way football should be played

[THE END OF ALL DAYS]

yeah,
but

its

the

jets


but still, its a win

[dannyek71]

Only bills fans could rip their QB for throwing an 80+ yard TD pass off the bench to win the game.

[TacklingDummy]

Good Article.

[Historian]

Imagine how good the D would be with a healthy Poz in there...

[Mahdi]

This article is way to biased. I have supported JP and when Edwards was playing I supported him too. But this is a little too one sided. Jp gave his best WR a chance to make a play and he made it. Does anyone watch Panther games or Bengals games or Patriot games for that matter? I doubt anyone said that Brady's passes to Moss in the endzone against Miami were bad decisions or "lucky catches." And for those of you who will say that Moss has a better chance of making that because he's 6'4, then Steve Smith is another example. Delhomme just tosses balls up to Smith and he goes and makes plays. Evans has been doing the same for the last 2 years with JP. I like Edwards and what he has shown in terms of poise, but, I think JP should get his job back and an opportunity to show the job is his. I think it would also open things up for Lynch, poor guy is getting killed with these 9 man fronts.

[Michael82]

This article is way to biased. I have supported JP and when Edwards was playing I supported him too. But this is a little too one sided. Jp gave his best WR a chance to make a play and he made it. Does anyone watch Panther games or Bengals games or Patriot games for that matter? I doubt anyone said that Brady's passes to Moss in the endzone against Miami were bad decisions or "lucky catches." And for those of you who will say that Moss has a better chance of making that because he's 6'4, then Steve Smith is another example. Delhomme just tosses balls up to Smith and he goes and makes plays. Evans has been doing the same for the last 2 years with JP. I like Edwards and what he has shown in terms of poise, but, I think JP should get his job back and an opportunity to show the job is his. I think it would also open things up for Lynch, poor guy is getting killed with these 9 man fronts.
Excellent post! :bf1:

[HHURRICANE]

Edwards is the quarterback. When his wrist heals, the starting job is his. Why would the circumstances change because Losman came into a game and completed three passes? You’re telling me they should go back to Losman because he underthrew a long pass and Evans somehow snatched it from a Jets cornerback and escaped for a long touchdown?

The fact is, the pass should have been intercepted. It was a bold move by Steve Fairchild, calling the bomb on first down from the Bills’ 15-yard line with 3:52 to play. I didn’t care for the call at the time, but it worked, and it’ll remind the coaches that good things can happen when you throw the ball downfield.

Maybe they’ll actually allow Edwards to throw the ball down the field more often in the future. Edwards is equally capable of underthrowing a long pass and having one of his receivers rip it free from a defender and score an improbable touchdown.

http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/story/194720.html

[acehole]

You need to ask this question in reverse. Why did T Edwards win the Starting job now having 5 picks to every 3 yards td. He should have never been named to begin with as he was never that good. Jets game is proof enough.


Edwards is the quarterback. When his wrist heals, the starting job is his. Why would the circumstances change because Losman came into a game and completed three passes? You’re telling me they should go back to Losman because he underthrew a long pass and Evans somehow snatched it from a Jets cornerback and escaped for a long touchdown?

The fact is, the pass should have been intercepted. It was a bold move by Steve Fairchild, calling the bomb on first down from the Bills’ 15-yard line with 3:52 to play. I didn’t care for the call at the time, but it worked, and it’ll remind the coaches that good things can happen when you throw the ball downfield.

Maybe they’ll actually allow Edwards to throw the ball down the field more often in the future. Edwards is equally capable of underthrowing a long pass and having one of his receivers rip it free from a defender and score an improbable touchdown.

http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/story/194720.html

[HHURRICANE]

You need to ask this question in reverse. Why did T Edwards win the Starting job now having 5 picks to every 3 yards td. He should have never been named to begin with as he was never that good. Jets game is proof enough.

Maybe because he has a knack for keeping long drives alive and keeps our D off the field. Isn't any coincidence that our D is playing better because there not on the field as much.

Undersized fast Ds need the O to sustain drives.

[LtFinFan66]

Too late Hurricane. Shelby already posted this

[LtFinFan66]

http://www.billszone.com/fanzone/showthread.php?t=138218

[HHURRICANE]

Too late Hurricane. Shelby already posted this

No, that was the Gaughn article.

[Carlton Bailey]

Sullivan left out how Parrish dropped one of Losman's passes that might have been a 40-yard TD. I still say stick with Edwards, but it's not really fair to sort of bash Losman, as Sullivan did. He did a great job in relief.

[HHURRICANE]

http://www.billszone.com/fanzone/showthread.php?t=138218

I guess it was so far down I missed it. My title's better but merge if you must.

[LtFinFan66]

No, that was the Gaughn article.Did you bother to look at it??


Jerry Sullivan's take:

<!-- BEGIN TEMPLATE: bbcode_quote -->
Quote:
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=3 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=alt2 style="BORDER-RIGHT: 1px inset; BORDER-TOP: 1px inset; BORDER-LEFT: 1px inset; BORDER-BOTTOM: 1px inset">Give J.P. Losman credit. He said he would continue to prepare as if he were the starter, despite having his job taken away and despite his suspicions that the decision had been dictated from up high in the Bills' organization. As a captain and a leader, Losman felt he owed it to his teammates to be ready if the call came.
And sure enough, Losman's chance came late Sunday afternoon, late in the third quarter of a dull, unsightly struggle with the Jets in the Meadowlands. With the game tied, 3-3, rookie Trent Edwards left the game with a sprained right wrist, reopening the door for the Bills' deposed quarterback to restake his claim for the job.
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

[HHURRICANE]

Maybe because he has a knack for keeping long drives alive and keeps our D off the field. Isn't any coincidence that our D is playing better because there not on the field as much.

Undersized fast Ds need the O to sustain drives.

Read over and over again for you JP enthusiasts!!

[acehole]

You got to love this line"
In his final comment to the media, Losman couldn’t resist taking another shot at upper management and suggesting that his fate was being decided “on the second floor of any of these athletic buildings” at One Bills Drive. Jauron was gracious after this win, but it has to gall him to hear Losman insinuating that the decision is out of the coach’s hands."

Ralphy is too cheap and that is the main thrust of this QB debate.
Unforunatly we cant build a winner this way.



Edwards is the quarterback. When his wrist heals, the starting job is his. Why would the circumstances change because Losman came into a game and completed three passes? You’re telling me they should go back to Losman because he underthrew a long pass and Evans somehow snatched it from a Jets cornerback and escaped for a long touchdown?

The fact is, the pass should have been intercepted. It was a bold move by Steve Fairchild, calling the bomb on first down from the Bills’ 15-yard line with 3:52 to play. I didn’t care for the call at the time, but it worked, and it’ll remind the coaches that good things can happen when you throw the ball downfield.

Maybe they’ll actually allow Edwards to throw the ball down the field more often in the future. Edwards is equally capable of underthrowing a long pass and having one of his receivers rip it free from a defender and score an improbable touchdown.

http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/story/194720.html

[TacklingDummy]

Maybe because he has a knack for keeping long drives alive and keeps our D off the field. Isn't any coincidence that our D is playing better because there not on the field as much.



The 4 games (Dal, Balt., Jets, Jets) that the Bills have won the TOP battle in they are 3-1 and should have been 4-0. Who was the starting QB?

The 3 games the Bills have lost the TOP battle in the Bills are 0-3. Who was the starting QB?

[acehole]

Read over and over again for you JP enthusiasts!!

Actually agree with this. I also agree they would love a lead as well so they can tee off on the opposing Qb's. If JP starts next week lets hope he improves in this area. I bet the d enjoys scoring pionts as well...but not the only ones in the game. And that is were T Edwards needs to improve.

[LtFinFan66]

I guess it was so far down I missed it. My title's better but merge if you must.Nah....I was just letting you know

[HHURRICANE]

The 4 games (Dal, Balt., Jets, Jets) that the Bills have won the TOP battle in they are 3-1 and should have been 4-0. Who was the starting QB?

The 3 games the Bills have lost the TOP battle in the Bills are 0-3. Who was the starting QB?

Yep, exactly.

[HHURRICANE]

Actually agree with this. I also agree they would love a lead as well so they can tee off on the opposing Qb's. If JP starts next week lets hope he improves in this area. I bet the d enjoys scoring pionts as well...but not the only ones in the game. And that is were T Edwards needs to improve.

Thanks for being objective!! I wish more posters took the same approach.

[acehole]

Thanks for being objective!! I wish more posters took the same approach.

I never had a problem with you H and that is cool. Lets debate without the persoal attacks. I know JP was not perfect. I also know he wasnt the problem with this team. JP to Evans was exciting last year..and I want to build on that with Lynch. We allmost fell asleep as a stadium on Sunday with Edwards. I cant take marching 90 yards only to end in an INT of a field goal.

At least the Bills managed to drum up interest once again with these events.

cant wait for next week.

[Wys Guy]

Maybe they’ll actually allow Edwards to throw the ball down the field more often in the future. Edwards is equally capable of underthrowing a long pass and having one of his receivers rip it free from a defender and score an improbable touchdown.

http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/story/194720.html

Maybe Edwards can't throw long well just like Pennington. Even on his deeper throws this year he hasn't been overly accurate. Just a thought.

Here's the problem that I have with Sullivan's reasoning;

You’re telling me they should go back to Losman because he underthrew a long pass and Evans somehow snatched it from a Jets cornerback and escaped for a long touchdown?

The fact is, the pass should have been intercepted. It was a bold move by Steve Fairchild, calling the bomb on first down from the Bills’ 15-yard line with 3:52 to play. I didn’t care for the call at the time, but it worked, and it’ll remind the coaches that good things can happen when you throw the ball downfield.

Maybe they’ll actually allow Edwards to throw the ball down the field more often in the future. Edwards is equally capable of underthrowing a long pass and having one of his receivers rip it free from a defender and score an improbable touchdown.

This is all that JP did last season and I pointed it out. Just about every one of his deep throws had minor to major issues with it w/ Evans usually having to make a more than minor adjustment in catching them.

Yet, everyone ranted, raved, and googawed over it while my suggestions of "luck" or the notion that Evans really was much better in that equation than he was given credit for, JP not nearly as good, and y'all insisted JP was well on his way to improving our offense. I mentioned that if one stripped away all of those deep balls that what would be left is essentially what we have this season since that lack of deep balls would render "what was left" even less effective as a result.

Now most of the fans that are actually left want JP discarded, and for what? A QB that hasn't even proven that he can even play in the NFL yet? Not that JP has, at least beyond the backup level effectively, but he's barely had a season and a half and if continuity is factored in he hasn't even had that having had only one full season with anything even approaching continuity.

Some of you here are so incredibly fickle and shortsighted that it's amusing to watch, truly.

Either way, for someone looking at this objectively, it's a real hoot.

Yes, Edwards is equally capable of underthrowing balls downfield. But why wasn't it recognized last year that most of JP's deep balls having resulted in TDs were also either underthrown or just thrown inaccurately accross the field???

Many of you see what you want to see quite frankly and to be honest.

[Mahdi]

Maybe Edwards can't throw long well just like Pennington. Even on his deeper throws this year he hasn't been overly accurate. Just a thought.

Here's the problem that I have with Sullivan's reasoning;

You’re telling me they should go back to Losman because he underthrew a long pass and Evans somehow snatched it from a Jets cornerback and escaped for a long touchdown?

The fact is, the pass should have been intercepted. It was a bold move by Steve Fairchild, calling the bomb on first down from the Bills’ 15-yard line with 3:52 to play. I didn’t care for the call at the time, but it worked, and it’ll remind the coaches that good things can happen when you throw the ball downfield.

Maybe they’ll actually allow Edwards to throw the ball down the field more often in the future. Edwards is equally capable of underthrowing a long pass and having one of his receivers rip it free from a defender and score an improbable touchdown.

This is all that JP did last season and I pointed it out. Just about every one of his deep throws had minor to major issues with it w/ Evans usually having to make a more than minor adjustment in catching them.

Yet, everyone ranted, raved, and googawed over it while my suggestions of "luck" or the notion that Evans really was much better in that equation than he was given credit for, JP not nearly as good, and y'all insisted JP was well on his way to improving our offense. I mentioned that if one stripped away all of those deep balls that what would be left is essentially what we have this season since that lack of deep balls would render "what was left" even less effective as a result.

Now most of the fans that are actually left want JP discarded, and for what? A QB that hasn't even proven that he can even play in the NFL yet? Not that JP has, at least beyond the backup level effectively, but he's barely had a season and a half and if continuity is factored in he hasn't even had that having had only one full season with anything even approaching continuity.

Some of you here are so incredibly fickle and shortsighted that it's amusing to watch, truly.

Either way, for someone looking at this objectively, it's a real hoot.

Yes, Edwards is equally capable of underthrowing balls downfield. But why wasn't it recognized last year that most of JP's deep balls having resulted in TDs were also either underthrown or just thrown inaccurately accross the field???

Many of you see what you want to see quite frankly and to be honest.

This is all that JP did last season and I pointed it out. Just about every one of his deep throws had minor to major issues with it w/ Evans usually having to make a more than minor adjustment in catching them.


Ok you cant just make things up for the sake of arguement. I dont think Evans had to battle for SINGLE TD last year. Every one of his TDs were thrown perfectly over his shoulder, in stride, where all he had to do was keep running. Houston is a perfect example of that, Baltimore is another if you have a short memory. Give credit where credit is due. Losman is the one who did the hard part for all of Evans TDs. All he had to do was run, JP had to hit him pinpoint and many times with pressure in his face. Evans TD yesterday was the first time I saw him have to battle for a TD and to his credit he did a great job. And to clarify I do still believe that Evans is a premier receiver, but not if his deep ability is not used.

[Ed]

The 4 games (Dal, Balt., Jets, Jets) that the Bills have won the TOP battle in they are 3-1 and should have been 4-0. Who was the starting QB?

The 3 games the Bills have lost the TOP battle in the Bills are 0-3. Who was the starting QB?
What does Losman have to do with losing the TOP battle against New England?

[The Answer]

Jerry Sullivan's take:



http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/story/194532.html

Good read - Losman did what a backup QB is expected to do: manage the game and don't make costly mistakes - even though that bomb to Evans should have been Intercepted we still won the game so it don't matter.

Congrats JP - but your going back to the bench if Edwards is ready this week.

~The Answer

[Mr. Cynical]

Perfect assessment of the situation. :up:

[justasportsfan]

Good read - Losman did what a backup QB is expected to do: manage the game and don't make costly mistakes - even though that bomb to Evans should have been Intercepted we still won the game so it don't matter.

Congrats JP - but your going back to the bench if Edwards is ready this week.

~The Answer


Welcome to the DF vs. Robosack era. The back up comes in and plays better than the starter.