V.Coach Bills announced team has reached agreement with Kelly Holcomb!

[Pride]

www.buffalobills.com

[ryjam282]

Absolutely great signing...Nice job TD. Holcombe could come in and not miss a beat. He has proven he can do some things in this league....I like it.

[Pride]

I really like this move! Sures up QB for us this season! I wonder if Matthews is leaving or is satisfied with #3?

[Pride]

# 10 Kelly Holcomb
Position: QB
Height: 6-2
Weight: 212
Born: 07/09/1973
College: Middle Tennessee State
NFL Experience: 8
Cleveland Browns


Games Played/Started:

1995 (0/0); 1996 (0/0); 1997 (5/1); 1998 (0/0); 1999 (0/0); 2000 (0/0); 2001 (1/0); 2002 (4/2); 2003 (10/8); 2004 (4/2)

Career Totals:

24 games, 13 starts

Career Transactions:

Originally signed by Tampa Bay as a free agent on May 1, 1995…Waived by Tampa Bay on Aug. 22, 1995…Signed by Tampa Bay to practice squad on Aug. 29, 1995…Waived by Tampa Bay on Sept. 19, 1995…Signed by Tampa Bay to practice squad on Oct. 4, 1995…Waived by Tampa Bay on Oct. 17, 1995…Signed by Tampa Bay to practice squad on Dec. 19, 1995…Waived by Tampa Bay on Aug. 19, 1996…Signed by Indianapolis to practice squad on Nov. 27, 1996…Signed by Indianapolis from practice squad to active roster on Dec. 12, 1996…Signed by Indianapolis on July 16, 1998…Waived by Indianapolis on Feb. 28, 2001…Signed by Cleveland as an unrestricted free agent on March 2, 2001.

Career Highlights:

In his first postseason start at Pittsburgh on Jan. 5, 2003 in the AFC Wild Card Game, threw for 429 yards on 26-of-43 passing with 3 TDs, which marked the second-highest postseason performance by a Brown and third in NFL postseason history.

[Philagape]

:up: Can everyone shut up now about the Bills not doing anything?

[Pride]

http://www.buffalobills.com/uploads/homepage_story/13D368371BC74199B3B3C9FD0394C202.jpg

Holcomb Agrees

The Bills today announced that the team has reached an agreement in principle with quarterback Kelly Holcomb. An eight-year veteran, Holcomb spent the last four seasons with the Cleveland Browns and played in 19 games over that span, starting 12. Holcomb saw action in four games last season and started two, leading the Browns to their most prolific offensive output of the year at Cincinnati (11/28) where he threw for 413 yards and five touchdowns as the Browns scored 48 points.

[Jersey1031]

awesome signing...i said i wanted him weeks ago

[Crisis]

Wow! Great job TD!

[The_Philster]

Works for me...he kinda impressed me in the scrimmage we had with them in Cleveland...had a better handle on the offense than the vaunted Tim Couch

[Typ0]

would have been my choice...or Garcia.

[Mudflap1]

Not bad... for the money...

Jon

[ICE74129]

That was a home run guys. JP goes down Holcomb CAN Start and WIN

[Jersey1031]

That was a home run guys. JP goes down Holcomb CAN Start and WIN


absolutley!

[Billz_fan]

Good signing :up: Im happy :D

[SoCalBillsFan]

Great pickup...exactly what you want out of a backup QB. Still pretty young, has starting experience, and has had some great games.

[Jan Reimers]

Good pick up and, with the signing of Gandy, shows that Clayton's cap number must be bogus.

[Jersey1031]

Good pick up and, with the signing of Gandy, shows that Clayton's cap number must be bogus.


truu, excellent point...that would put us over with his numbers

[kevinj22]

Now we're talking!!! I love this signing because it gives us a reliable backup and he will make JP work even harder. This is no slouch we're bringing in here. This guy was awesome for a while, so we know he can play. Now get me another tackle, pass rusher and Ty Law and I'm happy!!

[Sportsuser101]

Not bad.

[im4bflo]

Great signing, he was a real fan favorite in Cleveland,
he and JP should get along great.

[Gunzlingr]

YES!!!

[Dozerdog]

I think he's a tremendous addition. I don't know how he did it, but TD signed a guy who i thought was out of our league.

[The Natrix]

Wow, what a great signing! I really didn't think we were in the running. All these A.D.D. threads with people who are panicking look stupid now. Have some patients people. Unless you are in the top 4 or 5 as far as cap shape goes, you can't expect to get all the big names right off the bat.

[Dozerdog]

I bet the Bills will wait and not pursue a viable #3 until the draft- TD might wait to see who might fall in our laps, or sign a bargain #3 in June.

[RedEyE]

Great signing.

Quick question, who's throwing the ball in Cleveland now?

[Philagape]

Holcomb is perfect. He's good enough to start if necessary, but not accomplished enough to threaten JP's status or demand a big contract.

[Dicknoze69]

Holcomb is perfect. He's good enough to start if necessary, but not accomplished enough to threaten JP's status or demand a big contract.


Exactly. Glad we got him cheap...especially with the screwy cap numbers. Bet the Brownies go hard after Dilfer now.

I'm surprised he took less money to sign with us instead of Cleveland.

[Jersey1031]

Great signing.

Quick question, who's throwing the ball in Cleveland now?


they have a mccown brother there

[RedEyE]

they have a mccown brother there

Oh man, I forgot. That guy was horrible against the Bills last season.

[Dicknoze69]

they have a mccown brother there

Him too...but supposedly they really want to pry Trent Dilfer from the SeaChickens.

[Philagape]

Kurt Warner now can add Cleveland to his tour of bad teams who need a QB

[Jersey1031]

Oh man, I forgot. That guy was horrible against the Bills last season.


i wouldnt really single out just him, the browns all sucked it up. but yea he was their 3rd string qb

[Ickybaluky]

Holcomb is an excellent fit for you guys. In fact, I think he is better than Bledsoe. He can backup J.P. and win games if called upon. He has had a lot of injuries, but as a backup that really isn't an issue.

[Philagape]

AP story just moved on the wire:

By JOHN WAWROW
AP Sports Writer

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) … Quarterback Kelly Holcomb agreed
to a four-year deal with the Buffalo Bills on Friday to serve
as J.P. Losman's backup.
Holcomb accepted the Bills' offer, which includes a $2
million bonus, after growing frustrated in his attempts to
re-sign with Cleveland, Holcomb's agent Frank Bauer told The
Associated Press.
The Bills declined comment other than to announce the move
in a news release.
Holcomb is a nine-year veteran who spent the last four
seasons with Cleveland, appearing in 19 games, including 12 as
a starter.
Holcomb was initially expected to re-sign with the Browns
after the team released starter Jeff Garcia after last season.
Talks with Cleveland, however, broke down this week when rookie
Browns coach Romeo Crennel suggested he was preparing other
plans.
"We didn't feel real comfortable with what's going in
Cleveland," Bauer said. "When someone tells you they want to
think about it or revisit it, you better move because there's
something burning in the kitchen. ... You never know if you
wake up tomorrow morning and suddenly they have a quarterback
and you're hung out to dry."
Bauer said the Bills were the first team to express interest
in Holcomb when the free agency period began on Wednesday.
The Bills have been searching for an experienced backup to
Losman, who was named the starter last month, a move led to
Buffalo's release of Drew Bledsoe. Losman is the second of
Buffalo's two first-round draft picks last year and missed the
first half last season with a broken left leg.
Holcomb is a good fit with experience as both a backup and
starter. Bauer said he's already informed the Bills that
Holcomb would have no problem playing behind Losman.
Holcomb's deal includes incentives based on playing time and
if he should take over as starter for any reason. Holcomb is
expected to sign the contract early next week.

[The Natrix]

In fact, I think he is better than Bledsoe.

Me too. He isn't going to light it up, but he's not going to make the back breaking mistakes that Bledose did. I think any doubt anyone had about getting rid of Bledose has been erased with this signing. Our QB position has depth and potential. Hopefully JP shows us that he was worth the price.

[LifetimeBillsFan]

WOW! I totally agree with everyone who thinks that this is a great signing--IMHO it is a tremendous coup for the Bills.

Were it not for injuries and the "office politics" in Cleveland, Holcomb would have been their starter. He clearly played better than Couch and should have been given a shot at the starting job when they signed Garcia--who was not suited to their offensive personnel. He is an excellent fit with the offense that the Bills have--he can throw the ball deep to a flyer like L.Evans--he's still young, has experience coming off the bench and starting, and his contract is quite decent. If JP Losman experiences problems leading the team in his first year, Holcomb is the kind of QB that I wouldn't have any qualms seeing take over for him--unlike just about every other QB on the FA market. With Holcomb as their # 2 QB, the Bills could go with a marginal (read: really cheap) vet or even pick up a rookie low in the draft for their # 3 QB next season (let's face it, if the Bills have to play their # 3 QB in anything other than a mop-up role, their season will be in huge trouble anyway, so it really won't matter how good he is).

I never imagined that the Bills would have the slightest chance of being able to sign him! And, certainly not at the price that they got him. Good deal!

[Michael82]

Damn, sleep thru the day and all of a sudden two signings happen? Maybe I should sleep thru it more often. :doh:

[Michael82]

BTW, Great signing, TD! We got a solid backup to JP Losman. :bf1:

[Crisis]

Bauer said he's already informed the Bills that
Holcomb would have no problem playing behind Losman.
Holcomb's deal includes incentives based on playing time and
if he should take over as starter for any reason.

Good to hear.

[Romes]

BTW, Great signing, TD! We got a solid backup to JP Losman. :bf1:

Yeah, great signing!

Mikey, you were worried about JP not having any competition. Well, eventhough he is the starter, at least now we have a good fall back option and a guy that can push Losman too.


The other thing is now we have 2 QB's better than any 1 on the Dolphins :p:

[Dozerdog]

Damn, sleep thru the day and all of a sudden two signings happen? Maybe I should sleep thru it more often. :doh:
Just set the alarm clock for Training camp!

[The Natrix]

Just set the alarm clock for Training camp!

Yeah Mikey, you better be on top of things come training camp. We want a lot of tidbits and pics. No sleeping!!!

[The Spaz]

Absolutely ****ing awesome!!!!:punk:

[The Spaz]

BTW for those people who said TD wouldn't address needs :monkey: you :snicker:

*crap it's been a while what is the code for the peeing monkey? :question:

[The_Philster]

BTW for those people who said TD wouldn't address needs :monkey: you :snicker:

*crap it's been a while what is the code for the peeing monkey? :question:

: monkeyp : = :monkeyp:

[Michael82]

: monkeyp : = :monkeyp:
Thanks, Phil! :up:

:monkeyp: Philster

:snicker:

[Michael82]

Yeah, great signing!

Mikey, you were worried about JP not having any competition. Well, eventhough he is the starter, at least now we have a good fall back option and a guy that can push Losman too.


The other thing is now we have 2 QB's better than any 1 on the Dolphins :p:
I was worried that Losman would have no competition. I think I have nothing to be worried about now. They will give Losman every opportunity to win the starting job in training camp, but I have a feeling that if they feel he is not ready yet or 100%, then Holcomb may get a chance at the job.

[Michael82]

Just set the alarm clock for Training camp!

It's already set. I can't wait until July, but first we have a May minicamp to go to again like last year. :dance:


Yeah Mikey, you better be on top of things come training camp. We want a lot of tidbits and pics. No sleeping!!!

Don't worry. I will have lots, just as long as John Guy doesn't get mad at me again for spying. :ontome:

[Mahdi]

Great move to bring in Holcombe, now lets bring someone in on o-line, I know we signed Gandy, but isnt he just for depth? or is he expected to start?

[The_Philster]

Thanks, Phil! :up:

:monkeyp: Philster

:snicker:

Mikey :chair: Phil

[PUCKER]

What a steal! :up:

[Kerr]

I am glad, yet surprised. I thought Holcomb was a shoe in for the starting job in Cleveland. Apparently, his agent and the club couldn't come to an agreement. Great job by TD by being the first one to snatch him off the market. I'm sure there were a lot more teams interested in his services. Great signing. Our backup qb position couldn't be better. I guess this means Shane chose to retire.

[ScottLawrence]

BTW for those people who said TD wouldn't address needs :monkey: you :snicker:

*crap it's been a while what is the code for the peeing monkey? :question:


Our O-Line is still average to below average.


TD said our offense isn't good enough, meaning our offensive line isn't good enough.


I expect him to sign a quality Tackle to replace Jennings.

[The_Philster]

Our O-Line is still average to below average.


TD said our offense isn't good enough, meaning our offensive line isn't good enough.


I expect him to sign a quality Tackle to replace Jennings.

I hope to see that sometime soon as well because as I see the line right now
Teague-Gandy-Tucker-Villarial-Williams, I'm not overjoyed

[Philagape]

What this shows is, don't believe a word that comes out of OBD. Weren't they saying just a few days ago they were content with Matthews as the backup?

[The Spaz]

What this shows is, don't believe a word that comes out of OBD. Weren't they saying just a few days ago they were content with Matthews as the backup?

<b>If</b> Matthews was going to return or if he was going back to retirement.:up:

[DaBillzAhDaShiznit]

Could not ask for anything better in a QB signing.....This guy was the best QB available this offseason! He would be the starter on many teams in this league! If something happens to JP, we are not only in OK shape, we are in GREAT shape.
Hats off to TD....I take back every bad thing I said about him.

Now...onward and upward...
I would think we are definately going to use our round 2 pick on the best OLINEMAN available....we have enough flexibility with who we already have to plug in the rookie in the best suitable spot. I would think our OLINE will stack up as follows"

LT-Teague LG-Gandy or Rookie C-Tucker RG-Villariall RT-Williams

Smith is a solid backup at both guard spots, and maybe even tackle. We will sign a couple more cheap O-lineman....and if we sign Price back I feel OK about the oline.
Won't be any better than last year, but will be good enough I think. Year 2 with McNally will keep these guys on track.

[imbondz]

Holcombe graduated from my alma mater - MTSU

[Sabre Ally]

This is great news!