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Losman decision will define Bills' season
By Dan Pompei - SportingNews
J.P. Losman is not Drew Bledsoe.
Which is precisely why he will begin the season Sunday against the Texans as the Bills' starting quarterback.
Eight months ago, the Bills had just finished the 2004 season by winning eight of 10 games. Buffalo was a team many thought was poised to advance to the next level in 2005.
Then the Bills decided to release Bledsoe and promote Losman, who had thrown all of five passes a year ago. They chose a player who will make more mistakes and -- the Bills hope -- more plays.
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Look, many people -- including me -- thought the Bills reached a little to take Losman with the 22nd pick of the 2004 draft. Losman had been an inconsistent player at Tulane after transferring from UCLA. He had shown intriguing skills, but something was missing. Still, after Buffalo made that pick, it did the right thing by committing to Losman.
What the Bills did with Losman is gamble on potential. They reached for the Lombardi Trophy instead of a wild-card spot, which is probably the most they could have hoped for with Bledsoe at quarterback.
"We felt we knew we could get to a certain level the way things were, and it was not satisfactory," Bills coach Mike Mularkey says. "We want to go further than that level. Whether we can with J.P. or not, we're not sure, but we were sure about the other one. We feel like we can."
J.P. Losman is not Brett Favre.
Although at times this preseason, Losman was reminiscent of a young Favre. Before you and Bill Belichick break out in a cold sweat, this is not necessarily a good thing.
Throughout the preseason, Losman has been a wild bronco of a player, not quite ready to take the bit. He has shown a tendency to take off too quickly when pressured. He hasn't figured out when to throw the ball away -- that led to a 20-yard loss on a sack against the Bears. He has responded to mistakes with outward displays of disappointment, sending out bad vibes to teammates. His accuracy has been streaky, and he hasn't consistently put touch on his passes.
He may play like he thinks he's Tarzan, but there is a lot to like about Losman. He has a big-league arm. All of his frenetic scrambling has shown he has a special ability to avoid pressure, keep a play alive and create magic that Bledsoe couldn't imagine even with the help of hallucinogens.
Losman, it seems fair to say, either is going to be an outstanding NFL player or an abject bust. There will be no in between with this kid.
J.P. Losman is not Kordell Stewart.
But there are parallels between the abilities of Stewart and Losman. Stewart had his best season when Mularkey was his coordinator, in 2001.
Look for Mularkey to do for Losman some of the things that enabled Stewart to have success that year. The Bills will use mostly short drops. They won't throw downfield much. They'll simplify Losman's reads. They'll pare down the number of pass plays in each game plan to a manageable number, probably less than 50. And they won't discourage Losman from using his feet.
"One of J.P.'s options is to run," Mularkey says. Running isn't one of Losman's progressions on a typical play, but if the Red Sea opens, Losman is being coached to accept the invitation. Bills coaches also are incorporating designed runs into their game plans but will be cautious about using them until Losman demonstrates the judgment to know when to slide or step out of bounds.
J.P. Losman is not Ben Roethlisberger.
Well, maybe he is in the Bills' wildest dreams.
During the offseason, Mularkey and Losman got together and watched eight of Roethlisberger's games on tape. The comparisons between what Losman does and what Roethlisberger did last season are particularly relevant because the Bills and Steelers run very similar offenses. Mularkey, who was the Steelers' coordinator before taking over in Buffalo last season, told Losman, "You're a first-year starter. This is how they came after him, how they tried to defend Ben. I want you to look through his eyes at what's coming."
If Losman does the things the Bills hope he can do, it will mean their coaches have supplemented and protected him as well as the Steelers did Roethlisberger.
"Their offensive staff did an excellent job of putting him in position to feel confident about his ability," Mularkey says. "As he got it, they progressed to the next baby step, something new, to see if he could handle it. It's a smart plan. It's what we're going to do."
The plans may be carbon copies, but the players are not. Roethlisberger won 15 of 16 starts mostly by riding the wave of his teammates. For better or worse, Losman is much more likely to be the wave.
Senior writer Dan Pompei covers the NFL for Sporting News. E-mail him at pompei@sportingnews.com.
Updated on Tuesday, Sep 6, 2005 1:46 pm EDT
By Dan Pompei - SportingNews
J.P. Losman is not Drew Bledsoe.
Which is precisely why he will begin the season Sunday against the Texans as the Bills' starting quarterback.
Eight months ago, the Bills had just finished the 2004 season by winning eight of 10 games. Buffalo was a team many thought was poised to advance to the next level in 2005.
Then the Bills decided to release Bledsoe and promote Losman, who had thrown all of five passes a year ago. They chose a player who will make more mistakes and -- the Bills hope -- more plays.
ADVERTISEMENT
Look, many people -- including me -- thought the Bills reached a little to take Losman with the 22nd pick of the 2004 draft. Losman had been an inconsistent player at Tulane after transferring from UCLA. He had shown intriguing skills, but something was missing. Still, after Buffalo made that pick, it did the right thing by committing to Losman.
What the Bills did with Losman is gamble on potential. They reached for the Lombardi Trophy instead of a wild-card spot, which is probably the most they could have hoped for with Bledsoe at quarterback.
"We felt we knew we could get to a certain level the way things were, and it was not satisfactory," Bills coach Mike Mularkey says. "We want to go further than that level. Whether we can with J.P. or not, we're not sure, but we were sure about the other one. We feel like we can."
J.P. Losman is not Brett Favre.
Although at times this preseason, Losman was reminiscent of a young Favre. Before you and Bill Belichick break out in a cold sweat, this is not necessarily a good thing.
Throughout the preseason, Losman has been a wild bronco of a player, not quite ready to take the bit. He has shown a tendency to take off too quickly when pressured. He hasn't figured out when to throw the ball away -- that led to a 20-yard loss on a sack against the Bears. He has responded to mistakes with outward displays of disappointment, sending out bad vibes to teammates. His accuracy has been streaky, and he hasn't consistently put touch on his passes.
He may play like he thinks he's Tarzan, but there is a lot to like about Losman. He has a big-league arm. All of his frenetic scrambling has shown he has a special ability to avoid pressure, keep a play alive and create magic that Bledsoe couldn't imagine even with the help of hallucinogens.
Losman, it seems fair to say, either is going to be an outstanding NFL player or an abject bust. There will be no in between with this kid.
J.P. Losman is not Kordell Stewart.
But there are parallels between the abilities of Stewart and Losman. Stewart had his best season when Mularkey was his coordinator, in 2001.
Look for Mularkey to do for Losman some of the things that enabled Stewart to have success that year. The Bills will use mostly short drops. They won't throw downfield much. They'll simplify Losman's reads. They'll pare down the number of pass plays in each game plan to a manageable number, probably less than 50. And they won't discourage Losman from using his feet.
"One of J.P.'s options is to run," Mularkey says. Running isn't one of Losman's progressions on a typical play, but if the Red Sea opens, Losman is being coached to accept the invitation. Bills coaches also are incorporating designed runs into their game plans but will be cautious about using them until Losman demonstrates the judgment to know when to slide or step out of bounds.
J.P. Losman is not Ben Roethlisberger.
Well, maybe he is in the Bills' wildest dreams.
During the offseason, Mularkey and Losman got together and watched eight of Roethlisberger's games on tape. The comparisons between what Losman does and what Roethlisberger did last season are particularly relevant because the Bills and Steelers run very similar offenses. Mularkey, who was the Steelers' coordinator before taking over in Buffalo last season, told Losman, "You're a first-year starter. This is how they came after him, how they tried to defend Ben. I want you to look through his eyes at what's coming."
If Losman does the things the Bills hope he can do, it will mean their coaches have supplemented and protected him as well as the Steelers did Roethlisberger.
"Their offensive staff did an excellent job of putting him in position to feel confident about his ability," Mularkey says. "As he got it, they progressed to the next baby step, something new, to see if he could handle it. It's a smart plan. It's what we're going to do."
The plans may be carbon copies, but the players are not. Roethlisberger won 15 of 16 starts mostly by riding the wave of his teammates. For better or worse, Losman is much more likely to be the wave.
Senior writer Dan Pompei covers the NFL for Sporting News. E-mail him at pompei@sportingnews.com.
Updated on Tuesday, Sep 6, 2005 1:46 pm EDT