About the Losman hype

[ghz in pittsburgh]

I'm a more realistic guy and I did mentioned on the D&C board before the start of the 2004 season that be prepared if the Bill stumbed in the season because of the new coaching staff.

Right now I'll say the same thing if they do switch to Losman and let go of Bledsoe. Are you prepared to live through another 0-4 start?

From the little we saw from Losman in 2004, especially the NE game, he's not ready. By the start of 2005 season, he may but he may not be ready. History is against him. There is only one Marino, one Brady (who played well enough in his second year), and one Big Ben. Actually I'm not sold on Big Ben yet. When teams were able to take away Steeler's running attack near the end of the season, Big Ben struggled to beat them and getting progressively worse. Still he's way ahead of the Manning, Losman's world.

Some may argue that we have a great cast around him so he can well pull a Big Ben for us. I'm not so sure. Steelers' success in 2004 is largely due to the unstoppable running attack even when teams focused on that. The OLine played lights out for I can remember. That and Big Ben's level headed mental state made a huge difference. I don't think the Bills running attack is at the some level of the Steelers and I just don't think Losman's mental state is at the Big Ben's level.

My best hope is that Bledsoe accepts a pay cut and be willing to compete for the starting job. I want the best QB to start for my team, not to just give the job to someone.

[justasportsfan]

who's to say Drew is the best qb for this team? Sometimes I really wonder if he was only our starting qb because TD didn't want to make it look that Drew was a mistake. Travis Brown looked way better at camp and pre-season. Not saying he was better but I sometimes wonder.

It's up to JP to get ready this off season. He knows he will be called soon. He has everything that Drew has to offer except experience. then again even w/ Drew's experience he still made stupid rookie decisions so I'm not sure if that is an advantage.

I doubt we will go 0-4. If Jp can play conservative for the first few games depending on who we play, we'll be fine.

[FTG]

I'm realistic too. I know he will struggle. I still want him over Drew :up:

[TheBrownBear]

I can live with a 4-12 to 6-10 season next year if that investment means 12-4 seasons in the near future with Losman.

[Devin]

I think given our defense, and WM we have a talented core of recievers. With our OL and a mobile QB I think most people underestimate him. I dont think he will go 15-1 or anything but it isnt a stretch to say 9-7/10-6.

[THATHURMANATOR]

I'm a more realistic guy and I did mentioned on the D&C board before the start of the 2004 season that be prepared if the Bill stumbed in the season because of the new coaching staff.

Right now I'll say the same thing if they do switch to Losman and let go of Bledsoe. Are you prepared to live through another 0-4 start?

From the little we saw from Losman in 2004, especially the NE game, he's not ready. By the start of 2005 season, he may but he may not be ready. History is against him. There is only one Marino, one Brady (who played well enough in his second year), and one Big Ben. Actually I'm not sold on Big Ben yet. When teams were able to take away Steeler's running attack near the end of the season, Big Ben struggled to beat them and getting progressively worse. Still he's way ahead of the Manning, Losman's world.

Some may argue that we have a great cast around him so he can well pull a Big Ben for us. I'm not so sure. Steelers' success in 2004 is largely due to the unstoppable running attack even when teams focused on that. The OLine played lights out for I can remember. That and Big Ben's level headed mental state made a huge difference. I don't think the Bills running attack is at the some level of the Steelers and I just don't think Losman's mental state is at the Big Ben's level.

My best hope is that Bledsoe accepts a pay cut and be willing to compete for the starting job. I want the best QB to start for my team, not to just give the job to someone.

I am with you here.

[jamze132]

People want to mention JP's first game against NE as a catilyst to start *****. JP never even thought he would see the other side of the sideline when he woke up that morning. He even mentioned that in an interview (sorry no link) He was also scoulded by management for not being at least ready to take the field if need be. Thats behind him and I don't think we should hold that game against him. It was a rookie mistake. Don't forget that Big Ben's first pass of his career and first pass on his first play ever was an interception. JP didn't do that. He fumbled. LOL No dout in my mind that JP could start next year out of the gate and be just as effective if not more effective than Drew. Remember JP has 2 legs that move him so he can pick up that 3rd and short when ther pocket collapses.

[ShadowHawk7]

I can live with a 4-12 to 6-10 season next year if that investment means 12-4 seasons in the near future with Losman.

I want to win now, with the current best QB on our team. I'm sure Clements, Mularky, and Whyse, and NOT TD, will make the right decision.


I am with you here.

Ditto. :up:

[BillsFever21]

What's the difference if we lose with Losman or Bledsoe? At least Losman is getting the experience he needs for the future.

[mybills]

I'd rather see Losman & Matthews compete.

[mybills]

For the humor impaired, that was a joke.

[ScottLawrence]

I think we all know Losman will struggle.


But, so would Drew.

[wazz]

I can live with a 4-12 to 6-10 season next year if that investment means 12-4 seasons in the near future with Losman.


U serious?

The team is in an enviabl position where they are not going to have any major changes this offseason heading to the next season. The Players AND caches will stay together primarily and as such the scheme stays the same, and in return the palyers know the scheme better the coaches can call the scheme more confidently knowing the players are on the right page, and and creases can be ironed out before they become and issue.

We can't under ANY circumstances throw away next season and like TD said in his press conference end of season "i will not make any decisions that involve this team going backwards" (or words to that effect). If Losman is ready, he WILL start, if he's more ready, but Bledsoe is still SLIGHTLY better, Bledsoe will start. The best fit for the team will paly, and the staff showed this year they are not afraid to make changes for the team good (look at the o-line, travis henry, bobby shaw cut, Sam Adams pulled etc etc). This team will be ready and had NO intentions of deliberately sacrificing ANY games for the greater good. A team in 'Rebuilding' Will do this type of thing, we are not one of these teams. we are a 10,000 piece puzzle, in need of the middle odd shaped bit.

To me, the only way to enter a season is believing this year will be are year. even if there's a chance it might not be, u have to BILLieve it will. Losman palys ONLY if he's the best option to get the win column increased, the same as Bledsoe plays ONLY as the best option

[ScottLawrence]

I can live with a 4-12 to 6-10 season next year if that investment means 12-4 seasons in the near future with Losman.



I can't.


If we go 4-12 next year, it won't be because of Losman.

This team can be a playoff team even with Losman, IMO.

[OpIv37]

I'm sick of slow starts and I'm sick of not being in the playoffs. This past year, we got screwed because Mularkey and McGahee were still learning at the beginning of the season- I don't want another slow start only to come up one game short (actually one knocked down pass short) of being in the playoffs.

If JP's ready to lead this team, hand the reigns over. But age and FA will kill our D and ST before too long- we don't have time to continue struggling while he learns.

[ScottLawrence]

If JP's ready to lead this team, hand the reigns over. But age and FA will kill our D and ST before too long- we don't have time to continue struggling while he learns.


We also don't have the time to put up with Bledsoes garbage every time we go up against a great team.

[jmb1099]

Aside from the debacle in Pitsburgh, the team really started to gel toward the end of the season. MM has a year under his belt, Willis will be very healthy, the defense and st will be even better. With Lossman at QB we will at the worst start 2 and 2 and get better from there. We still need o line help, however a mobile qb will help put a band aid on this until a more long term solution can be realized. I don't want to be too optimistic, but I believe TD has an eye for rare talent (Evans, McGahee) and I think given a chance, Lossman will put up some very nice numbers. Oh...one other factor that I think is very important...he is a fierce competitor who hates to lose, so much so that many consider him a bit cocky. He has killer instinct which is what the entire team started to develop toward the end of the year. This is something Bledsoe has never had nor will he ever. JP will impress...now the hard part...waiting till next season.

[mybills]

We also don't have the time to put up with Bledsoes garbage every time we go up against a great team.
:bf1: :mex:

[The King]

I can live with a 4-12 to 6-10 season next year if that investment means 12-4 seasons in the near future with Losman.

Our defense is again and the cap and FA's will begin to set in we cant afford a losing season.


We also don't have the time to put up with Bledsoes garbage every time we go up against a great team.

Where we a great team last year? You implying that Bledsoe should play his best against great teams? What? How does that make sense, they are great teams for a reason, I am sure New England and Baltimore got to some other QB's as well. I just dont get this argument.

But besides that we did click as a team towards the end of the season and bringing in Losman could hurt that chemistry as well. The difference between JP and Drew will be about 2-3 wins which could mean playoffs or not. I still feel you gotta go with Drew.

[ghz in pittsburgh]

It is unthinkable that anyone would be willing to let 2005 to go as a development year where in fact, I think the Bills brass is gearing it up for a super bowl run. We have so many vets that are nearing the end of their prime (Spikes, Moulds, Fletcher, Admas, Milloy, Vincent, Pat Williams, Villariel, Bledsoe), a bunch in their prime (Schoebel, Clements, Henry, M Williams, Campbell), and a couple just getting into their prime (McGahee, Evans, McGee). I don't see this team as geared for the future. This is a now team that we must take our chances in the next two years before the first group of players above fade away.

Experience counts a lot for a QB. It is a component in evaluating a QB. I maintain that after considering all the components, I want the best QB to start for my team, no other way around that.

And don't even mentioning bringing another vet QA on the street looking in. Then we have to go through another learning process. For Bledsoe to start in 2005, he must compete in camp to beat Losman (not the kind of "this is my team" BS). For Losman to start in 2005, he must make big improvement this offseason and show that he's better than Bledsoe.

[finsrclowns]

I'm a more realistic guy and I did mentioned on the D&C board before the start of the 2004 season that be prepared if the Bill stumbed in the season because of the new coaching staff.

Right now I'll say the same thing if they do switch to Losman and let go of Bledsoe. Are you prepared to live through another 0-4 start?

From the little we saw from Losman in 2004, especially the NE game, he's not ready. By the start of 2005 season, he may but he may not be ready. History is against him. There is only one Marino, one Brady (who played well enough in his second year), and one Big Ben. Actually I'm not sold on Big Ben yet. When teams were able to take away Steeler's running attack near the end of the season, Big Ben struggled to beat them and getting progressively worse. Still he's way ahead of the Manning, Losman's world.

Some may argue that we have a great cast around him so he can well pull a Big Ben for us. I'm not so sure. Steelers' success in 2004 is largely due to the unstoppable running attack even when teams focused on that. The OLine played lights out for I can remember. That and Big Ben's level headed mental state made a huge difference. I don't think the Bills running attack is at the some level of the Steelers and I just don't think Losman's mental state is at the Big Ben's level.

My best hope is that Bledsoe accepts a pay cut and be willing to compete for the starting job. I want the best QB to start for my team, not to just give the job to someone.

Nice post. But I don't hold anything at all against Losman for his cameo vs. NE. On the other hand, after watching NE's D dismantle Manning and the Colts and Rothlisberger and Pitt, teams with far more overall talent on offense than we have, I don't hold that game much against Drew either. If the coaches and TD say Losman is ready I will believe them. But "ready" still means rookie, which IMO translates to uneven in terms of performance, particularly against teams with better defenses which ironically is the main knock on Drew. But we will see. My biggest concern for Losman is he seems to want to run a lot. He had better be careful because running QB's tend to get hurt. Again I trust the guys that do this for a living to decide. If they go with Losman, I think you have to cut the kid some slack and hope for the best.

[mysticsoto]

I really don't think you guys give Losman enough credit. Sure what we've seen of him hasn't been great up to now. But how have we seen him? Thrown in to that New England game? You can't count that. He wasn't ready and NE is a superbowl team. Any quarterback could look terrible playing them. Truth of the matter is, we really don't know what Losman is capable of, so we shouldn't be quick to dismiss him. If Wyche, Donahoe and MM think he has potential to be a great QB, then let's go with it. I mean, what did Drew do for us last year? We got a little happy b'cse we won a bunch in a row. But go back and look what the offense did for us? In many of those high scoring games, ST, Def or both scored for us maybe more than once! And even when they didn't, both ST & DEF generally gave the offense good field position. And still, in some of those games, the offense only had a touchdown or two. This unfortunately serves to mask that the Offense is still not great. Good teams will load up to stop McGahee, who is a legitimate threat, and Drew has not been able to beat the likes of the Ravens, NE or Pittsburgh on his own.

So how does Losman help us? He will not be any worse than Bledsoe in handing off the ball to McGahee - which we plan to do often as a smash mouth football team. Additionally, his mobility may buy him the few extra seconds he needs to find somebody open for teams that stack up 9 or even 10 against McGahee.

In my mind, there really is no question - we drafted him as a 1st rd pick for a reason and we should begin using him. He will gain experience as he plays and not by watching or holding a clipboard. And quite frankly, every year, we are going to want to win. So putting it off any longer doesn't really make any sense.

Let's bite the bullet and do it. We may find ourselves pleasantly surprised.

[NJFINSFAN1]

Being from the outside looking in, I wanted the Fin's to draft Losman, I think he will be a good QB. But he will go thru struggles starting next year. Do you want to have that happen with the way your team played down the end of the season? Your best bet is to start Bledsoe, and if or when he starts to Struggle, then make the change!

[ghz in pittsburgh]

Forget about the stats, didn't you guys feel Losman's nervousness in that NE game? I watched the Steelers at Ravens game (because the Bills played the Raiders at 4pm) where Roethlisberger made his first appearance. Even though his 1st pass is an INT, everyone watched that game can tell his level-headed maturity; it's like he's been in NFL for awhile. That, my friend, is the difference separating Roethlisberger from other rookies.

Believe it or not, there is some under current in Pittsburgh about Big Ben after his playoff flop. Some sports analysts already predicted in the radio that should him play a couple of games next year throwing 5 INTs and have a couple returned for TDs, the media and fan could very well turn on him quickly -- I guess the heat on QB does not limit to Buffalo Bills only.

Back to that Ravens game, Roethlisberger threw a TD, but it was a duck, a floating path to ARE. I think he has some serious mechanic flaws that need to be corrected. He can scramble some, but I'm already predicting that in couple of years, he'll be more of a statue because he's not really a runner, though he's as big as Culpepper so he can take some hits. He can rollout and throw, but the accuracy may be a problem. That's why I'm not completely sold on him yet. But I'm impressed by his mental readiness. Just by that mental component alone, I think he'll not be a flop in NFL.

Losman, from my view, is the opposite. It seems that he can really throw, scramble, rollout, etc. But he looked to be someone whose head is going at 100 miles per hour to figure things out when he drops back. Mularkey & Co. has made things simple for him for the most part.

Anyone who read Brady's story knows that Belichick assumed nothing and give him nothing when he joined the Pats. It is Brady himself worked hard in the film room, weight room, attention to details (something Bledsoe allegedly not good at) that earned him the #2 spot and finally took over when a freakish injury give him the chance. In a way, Roethlisberger worked his way from #3 in the camp to the #2 in the second game to get himself a chance at the ultimate job.

I'd prefer nothing but the same approach for Losman: work your way up, not having someone hand your the rein, especially without competition. The fact that Losman could not work his way to the #2 spot at the end of last season tell us a little bit of his progress. I don't know how anyone can claim that just by giving the starting QB job to Losman, he'll do no worse than Bledsoe and start 2005 no worse than 2-2.

[Gunzlingr]

For what little I know, I was very impressed with JP when they had him on ESPN. He worked his ass off getting into the combines and workouts that the "Big 3" were invited to. I think that if he works half as hard during the off season, he could be a good QB. I agree that he will have to earn it, and I think that is what the team needs: A QB that works as hard as the people who cheer for him. They need to be able to relate to their QB, and know that he wants to win, and works towards that goal at every opportunity.

[justasportsfan]

On the other hand, after watching NE's D dismantle Manning and the Colts and Rothlisberger and Pitt, teams with far more overall talent on offense than we have, I don't hold that game much against Drew either. .
Difference is that Ben and Manning have won or played great games against stronger teams other than the Pats. Drew hasn't. To Drew it's become a habit w/ Ben and Manning, their team was just outcoached.

[Iehoshua]

Being from the outside looking in, I wanted the Fin's to draft Losman, I think he will be a good QB. But he will go thru struggles starting next year. Do you want to have that happen with the way your team played down the end of the season? Your best bet is to start Bledsoe, and if or when he starts to Struggle, then make the change!
If I were a Fin fan, I'd want the Bills to start Bledsoe too! ;)

[jamze132]

Being from the outside looking in, I wanted the Fin's to draft Losman, I think he will be a good QB. But he will go thru struggles starting next year. Do you want to have that happen with the way your team played down the end of the season? Your best bet is to start Bledsoe, and if or when he starts to Struggle, then make the change!
You just wanna see Drew lose the game for us.

[finsrclowns]

Difference is that Ben and Manning have won or played great games against stronger teams other than the Pats. Drew hasn't. To Drew it's become a habit w/ Ben and Manning, their team was just outcoached.

Or how about Indy has one of the top 3 offensive units of all time and Peyton took the gas pipe AGAIN when it counted? Yes, Big Ben is a rookie, and it's amazing he did what he did, but it wasn't all coaching that caused him to throw 3 picks- he had a rough game in a big game. If that were DB he'd be ripped, and rightly so. Why try to spin this? NOONE is comparing Bledsoe to Manning or BR but you can't get around the fact that BOTH played on much better offensive teams yet crashed in the big game. Why do they get a hall pass but DB doesn't?

I will agree coaching is a big factor though. Our game plan in the Pitt game was very similar to Indy's game plan against NE- amazingly conservative. NE showed that the way to beat Pitt is to throw it downfield, which given decent pass protection, Bledsoe can do. But we never did it until the game was lost. People have written off DB in large measure because of the Pitt game but IMO the coaching staff played that game not to lose. And if we had won that game I doubt some people would have the same attitudes.