Will Grant's Thoughts
2004 Outlook
Drew Bledsoe was holding out for a better deal. When the Bills drafted Losman, he wisely re-negotiated his contract, saving Buffalo about $4 Million against the cap this year. By doing that he has all but guaranteed that he will be the starter in 2004 and Losman will spend the year on the bench. The Bills have further stated that third year man Travis Brown will be the #1 backup for the team. Even if Losman beats out Brown for the backup role, he won't see the field in 2004 unless Bledsoe is seriously injured, or the Bills self-destruct early in the season and have no chance of making the playoffs. If the Bills season is in the tank, they may allow Losman to play during some garbage games at the end of the season just to get his feet wet, but it probably won't help your fantasy squad much this year.
2007 Outlook
Drew Bledsoe is entering his 12th season in the NFL. He'll have over 6000 career pass attempts by the end of 2004. Despite starting every game last year for the Bills, Bledsoe only passed for 2800 yards, 11 TDs and 12 INTs. By the 2007 season, if Bledsoe is still playing in the NFL, he will be 35 years old. Given that his cap value is $6.5 Million in 2005 and $8.3 Million in 2006, it's a good bet that he will not be on Buffalo's roster by 2007. Losman has a golden opportunity to become a full time starter as early as next year, and certainly by 2007.
The 2007 season will be Losman's fourth in the NFL, and he should be hitting his prime at that time. With at least one year to learn from Bledsoe and three years of solid coaching, Losman should be one of the more talented QBs in the NFL by 2007. His supporting cast should be pretty solid as well.
The Bills used the #13 overall pick this year on wide receiver Lee Evans from Wisconsin. He has shown some good skills in the early mini camps, and should be pushing for a starting role by the end of the 2004 season. By 2007, he too will be entering the prime of his career, and if he can live up the expectations of a high first round draft pick, Losman will have a top notch WR as his primary target.
Second year man Josh Reed only averaged 10.1 YPC last season, but he still caught 58 balls. If Reed can improve his YPC over the next few seasons, by 2007 the Bills will have a solid one-two punch at wide receiver, and give Losman plenty of targets to throw to.
The team's 2003 first round draft pick, running back Willis McGahee, should be fully recovered from his knee injury by the start of the 2005 season. He will probably split carries with Travis Henry this year, but by 2005 McGahee should be ready to take over the starting role. If he can live up to the first round expectations that everyone had for him coming out of college, by 2007 he could be a top ten running back, and Losman would have another weapon at his disposal.
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2004 Outlook
Drew Bledsoe was holding out for a better deal. When the Bills drafted Losman, he wisely re-negotiated his contract, saving Buffalo about $4 Million against the cap this year. By doing that he has all but guaranteed that he will be the starter in 2004 and Losman will spend the year on the bench. The Bills have further stated that third year man Travis Brown will be the #1 backup for the team. Even if Losman beats out Brown for the backup role, he won't see the field in 2004 unless Bledsoe is seriously injured, or the Bills self-destruct early in the season and have no chance of making the playoffs. If the Bills season is in the tank, they may allow Losman to play during some garbage games at the end of the season just to get his feet wet, but it probably won't help your fantasy squad much this year.
2007 Outlook
Drew Bledsoe is entering his 12th season in the NFL. He'll have over 6000 career pass attempts by the end of 2004. Despite starting every game last year for the Bills, Bledsoe only passed for 2800 yards, 11 TDs and 12 INTs. By the 2007 season, if Bledsoe is still playing in the NFL, he will be 35 years old. Given that his cap value is $6.5 Million in 2005 and $8.3 Million in 2006, it's a good bet that he will not be on Buffalo's roster by 2007. Losman has a golden opportunity to become a full time starter as early as next year, and certainly by 2007.
The 2007 season will be Losman's fourth in the NFL, and he should be hitting his prime at that time. With at least one year to learn from Bledsoe and three years of solid coaching, Losman should be one of the more talented QBs in the NFL by 2007. His supporting cast should be pretty solid as well.
The Bills used the #13 overall pick this year on wide receiver Lee Evans from Wisconsin. He has shown some good skills in the early mini camps, and should be pushing for a starting role by the end of the 2004 season. By 2007, he too will be entering the prime of his career, and if he can live up the expectations of a high first round draft pick, Losman will have a top notch WR as his primary target.
Second year man Josh Reed only averaged 10.1 YPC last season, but he still caught 58 balls. If Reed can improve his YPC over the next few seasons, by 2007 the Bills will have a solid one-two punch at wide receiver, and give Losman plenty of targets to throw to.
The team's 2003 first round draft pick, running back Willis McGahee, should be fully recovered from his knee injury by the start of the 2005 season. He will probably split carries with Travis Henry this year, but by 2005 McGahee should be ready to take over the starting role. If he can live up to the first round expectations that everyone had for him coming out of college, by 2007 he could be a top ten running back, and Losman would have another weapon at his disposal.
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