The real problem with the Bledsoe/Losman situation...

[OpIv37]

... is that this team ended up in it in the first place. They were forced to choose between a washed-up, mistake-prone veteran who can't win the big game and a raw 2nd-year QB with no starts or significant NFL experience. This never should have happened. What could have been done?

1. Never trade for Bledsoe- I think this would have been the wrong move. We desperately needed a QB and TD got back the first round pick that we traded for him (Peerless Price for Willis McGahee? That's like a Madden trade).

2. Cut Bledsoe after the '03 season. At this point, Bledsoe had struggled for a year and a half. But all the QB's available would have been Bledsoe with a different name (Warner, Brunnel, Henson- these guys couldn't have done any better). Also, Gilbride's system was so bad that it was difficult to evaluate Drew. Looking back on it, this may not have been such a bad idea.

3. Bench Bledsoe during the '03 season. Looking back, I think this would have been our best option. Mularkey was in a tough position- I'm sure he didn't want to make the same mistake the Giants did with Eli Manning and ruin a shot at the playoffs. Plus it's tough to pull a QB when the team's winning. But putting Losman in would have given him some more meaningful experience and this season would start smoother. As much as I enjoyed the late-season winning streak and playoff run, it may have cost us the '05 season. We ended up with the worst of both worlds- no playoffs and no playing time for Losman.

But I digress. I'm not a GM or a football coach, so I'm not entirely sure what all the options were. But the point is that we ended up in a QB situation where they were forced to choose the lesser of two evils (the coaches decided it was Losman and I think they're right). With better planning, this never would have happened in the first place- either choice would have put the upcoming season at risk for different reasons, and I resent that.

[Iehoshua]

2. Cut Bledsoe after the '03 season.

This is what I wanted done. :D

[Ebenezer]

This is what I wanted done. :D
as many of us wanted...but (and here we go again) the replacement would have been? give a viable alternative.

[Iehoshua]

as many of us wanted...but (and here we go again) the replacement would have been? give a viable alternative.
I'd have taken Warner or Garcia over Bledsoe as a backup. This is all assuming what ifs and other intangibles but it's pointless debate.

[Ebenezer]

I'd have taken Warner or Garcia over Bledsoe as a backup. This is all assuming what ifs and other intangibles but it's pointless debate.
:scratch: Bledsoe was the starter in '04 not the back up...Warner and Garcia panned out really well in NY and Cleveland didn't they...one is already on the street and the other could still be released...again, give me an alternative to Bledsoe for the '04 season. We had this debate last year...and the year before that...everybody *****es but nobody has a solution...

[Jan Reimers]

Why do we continue to dwell on the past? What purpose does it serve?

Hindsight makes geniuses of us all.

[BAM]

This is all assuming what ifs and other intangibles but it's pointless debate.

:up:

[mybills]

"Bench Bledsoe during the '03 season. Looking back, I think this would have been our best option."

contradicting your other thread? :scratch:

[chernobylwraiths]

I thought all along that Losman should have been given some plays in the games in the second half of the season. Give him some reps under normal conditions instead of garbage time. Of all the gimmick plays Mularkey ran, he never did that.

[Buckets]

[QUOTE=mybills]"Bench Bledsoe during the '03 season. Looking back, I think this would have been our best option."QUOTE]

Wasn'nt Lossman injured that year?

[Ebenezer]

[QUOTE=mybills]"Bench Bledsoe during the '03 season. Looking back, I think this would have been our best option."QUOTE]

Wasn'nt Lossman injured that year?
no...Losman was in college in '03.

[ExWNYer]

3. Bench Bledsoe during the '03 season. Looking back, I think this would have been our best option. Mularkey was in a tough position- I'm sure he didn't want to make the same mistake the Giants did with Eli Manning and ruin a shot at the playoffs. Plus it's tough to pull a QB when the team's winning. But putting Losman in would have given him some more meaningful experience and this season would start smoother. As much as I enjoyed the late-season winning streak and playoff run, it may have cost us the '05 season. We ended up with the worst of both worlds- no playoffs and no playing time for Losman.

This would NOT have been the best option, especially with Losman not available. As it is, the Bills missed the playoffs by one game...a game they could have, and should have won at home in the last week. Bledsoe was not great but he's not the sole reason this team missed the playoffs. There was no option available that would have been better. It's over and done with now...let's move forward, not look back.

[OpIv37]

"Bench Bledsoe during the '03 season. Looking back, I think this would have been our best option."

contradicting your other thread? :scratch:
which other thread?

[OpIv37]

Why do we continue to dwell on the past? What purpose does it serve?

Hindsight makes geniuses of us all.


I got off track- the point wasn't really to re-hash who should have been playing when- the point was that we ended up in a crappy QB situation that never should have occurred in the first place.

[mybills]

[QUOTE=mybills]"Bench Bledsoe during the '03 season. Looking back, I think this would have been our best option."QUOTE]

Wasn'nt Lossman injured that year?
His name is Losman (one s) he was injured in 04, and it was OpIv's quote, not mine.

[mybills]

which other thread?
pick one! :chuckle: You always wanted him to play, just surprised you mentioned benching him would have been the best option!

[OpIv37]

pick one! :chuckle: You always wanted him to play, just surprised you mentioned benching him would have been the best option!

it's all hindsight now- at the time, Bledsoe was winning and we had a shot at the playoffs. You can't mess with that. If we could have borrowed Doc Brown's time machine to go into the future and known we weren't going to make it, I'd rather have seen Losman get the experience. If you don't make the playoffs, what's the difference between being 9-7 and 2-14?

The point is that we ended up with a bad situation at QB, partially as a result of Losman not playing (he wasn't injured for the last 6 games or so). I'm just trying to figure out what could have been done differently to avoid making the coaches choose between the washed up veteran and inexperienced sophomore.

[Ebenezer]

it's all hindsight now- at the time, Bledsoe was winning and we had a shot at the playoffs. You can't mess with that. If we could have borrowed Doc Brown's time machine to go into the future and known we weren't going to make it, I'd rather have seen Losman get the experience. If you don't make the playoffs, what's the difference between being 9-7 and 2-14?

The point is that we ended up with a bad situation at QB, partially as a result of Losman not playing (he wasn't injured for the last 6 games or so). I'm just trying to figure out what could have been done differently to avoid making the coaches choose between the washed up veteran and inexperienced sophomore.
the option was to not sign DB before the 2004 season...again, what was the alternative?? and apparently Losman still is not 100% (as per his conference today).

[OpIv37]

the option was to not sign DB before the 2004 season...again, what was the alternative?? and apparently Losman still is not 100% (as per his conference today).

I don't know- maybe nothing could have been done differently. But now we've got $4 million in dead cap cuz of Drew and a QB with zero starts. The advantage of unproven rookies is the lack of a cap hit, the advantage of veterans is their experience- right now we've got the cap hit without the experience. That's not exactly what I call good management.

[Ebenezer]

I don't know- maybe nothing could have been done differently. But now we've got $4 million in dead cap cuz of Drew and a QB with zero starts. The advantage of unproven rookies is the lack of a cap hit, the advantage of veterans is their experience- right now we've got the cap hit without the experience. That's not exactly what I call good management.
Unless the Bills had settled for Warner or Garcia or some other journey man then there was nothing to do. They tried to make lemonade from lemons and it cost them $4mil this year instead of the whole $8mil last year. Now we have to hope they can make lemonade with a kid that might not even be a ripe lemon yet...that requires a LOT of sugar. Sugar that is not on the roster right now.

Losman cap hit this year: $1.347mil...however, he will actually get paid over $4.5 mil with his bonus.

[OpIv37]

Losman cap hit this year: $1.347mil...however, he will actually get paid over $4.5 mil with his bonus.
is that going to screw us on the cap in a future year?

[Ebenezer]

is that going to screw us on the cap in a future year?
no...it is spread out quiet well...unless there are some escalators that we are not aware of yet...which i am sure there are...

Cap hits:
05: $1.34
06: $1.6
07: $1.97
08: $2.26

[Mr. Cynical]

:deadhorse :deadhorse :deadhorse :deadhorse :deadhorse
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:deadhorse :deadhorse :deadhorse :deadhorse :deadhorse
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:deadhorse :deadhorse :deadhorse:deadhorse :deadhorse
:deadhorse :deadhorse:deadhorse:deadhorse :deadhorse
:deadhorse :deadhorse:deadhorse:deadhorse :deadhorse
:deadhorse :deadhorse :deadhorse :deadhorse :deadhorse

[jamze132]

Why do we continue to dwell on the past? What purpose does it serve?

Hindsight makes geniuses of us all.
Hindsight is always 20/20... but looking back, it's still a little bit fuzzy.

[Ebenezer]

Hindsight is always 20/20... but looking back, it's still a little bit fuzzy.
It's not a question of hindsight...some things were 20/20...even as the DB deal was being redone many were screaming for him to be gone...others tried to get those people to give a usable alternative...the ones that complained about DB did not give an alternative then and there really wasn't one...admit that and then we can all move on.

[jamze132]

It's not a question of hindsight...some things were 20/20...even as the DB deal was being redone many were screaming for him to be gone...others tried to get those people to give a usable alternative...the ones that complained about DB did not give an alternative then and there really wasn't one...admit that and then we can all move on.
Don't read into everything, you took me the wrong way. What I was trying to say is that it's easy for everyone to now say, "see, I told you". It's ******ed to think back about what we should have or shouldn't have done. Whats done is done. I have moved on.

[Ebenezer]

Don't read into everything, you took me the wrong way. What I was trying to say is that it's easy for everyone to now say, "see, I told you". It's ******ed to think back about what we should have or shouldn't have done. Whats done is done. I have moved on.
that's true...