Why I think Bledsoe should remain as our starter

[Nick in RaChaCha]

I'm a big JP fan.

 

It is clear to me that the coaching staff does not believe that JP is ready to play yet. (And I agree, there is no reason to rush his development right now... Look at E. manning... he looks like a deer in the head lights)

 

Right now Bledsoe remains our best chance to win. And IF, and that is a big IF, we end the season with a 9-7 or 10 -6 record we will have a better chance at signing the big name FAs in the off season. Lets face it. FAs want a nice contract and they want to play for a winner. If the Bills finish strong then they are that much more attractive then lets say - miami.

 

What do you think?

[mead107]

no way start JP

[Campy]

And IF, and that is a big IF, we end the season with a 9-7 or 10 -6 record we will have a better chance at signing the big name FAs in the off season.  Lets face it.  FAs want a nice contract and they want to play for a winner.  If the Bills finish strong then they are that much more attractive then lets say - miami.

 

What do you think?

139103[/snapback]

Interesting idea. I still think JP needs to see some game time or those FAs will be thinking "OK, the Bills went 10-6 or 9-7 with DB, but there's no telling what the rook will do."

[nick in* england]

no way  start JP

139121[/snapback]

I agree - do not start JP

[Mark VI]

Right now, you are correct. If we lose a game in the next 3 weeks, then the post-season longshot is history. Losman should then be our starter.

 

As long as we are winning, keep Bledsoe in there.

[Buckeye Eric]

JP should stay on the bench for as long as he can.

 

The need to win to attract FA theory is an interesting one.

[Nick in RaChaCha]

Right now, you are correct. If we lose a game in the next 3 weeks, then the post-season longshot is history. Losman should then be our starter.

 

As long as we are winning, keep Bledsoe in there.

139131[/snapback]

 

From a marketing POV The Bills need to sell Losman to the fans next year. And that will be harder to do if he throws for 1 TD and 3 INTs. What would the marketing department say... he is the next Bledsoe?

 

The Bills coaches need to design 10 or so plays that can show us (the fans) what JP is capable of

[Mark VI]

Sal Maiorana of the Rochester D&C

 

"There is no question that Losman is the quarterback of the future, and that future is coming soon. Even if Bledsoe were to finish with a Joe Montana-like stretch at the end of the year, I believe this has to be his last season as the starter because Losman, a first-round pick, is the player who must become this team's leader.

 

Until the Bills are officially eliminated from the playoff race, Bledsoe is the man. Once they're out, I say give the ball to Losman and start getting him ready for 2005. "

 

That sums it up perfectly.

[Rico]

Sal Maiorana of the Rochester D&C

 

"There is no question that Losman is the quarterback of the future, and that future is coming soon. Even if Bledsoe were to finish with a Joe Montana-like stretch at the end of the year, I believe this has to be his last season as the starter because Losman, a first-round pick, is the player who must become this team's leader.

 

Until the Bills are officially eliminated from the playoff race, Bledsoe is the man. Once they're out, I say give the ball to Losman and start getting him ready for 2005. "

 

That sums it up perfectly.

139161[/snapback]

Absolutely.

 

And as far as attracting good free-agents to Buffalo, most of the NFL players had a chance to see what Drew can do in prime-time at New England 3 Sundays ago.

I believe at this stage of the game, keeping him at QB would be a deterrent to getting anyone good.

[Nick in RaChaCha]

Absolutely.

 

And as far as attracting good free-agents to Buffalo, most of the NFL players had a chance to see what Drew can do in prime-time at New England 3 Sundays ago. 

I believe at this stage of the game, keeping him at QB would be a deterrent to getting anyone good.

139185[/snapback]

 

Don't mistake what i'm saying. JP is the starter next year. I just believe that as long as we are winning... Bledsoe should start

[Rico]

Don't mistake what i'm saying.  JP is the starter next year.  I just believe that as long as we are winning... Bledsoe should start

139195[/snapback]

I'm cool with that...

First time they lose though, he's gone.

[ICE]

Understand this, JP Lossman will NOT get any better sitting the bench. One more time for the reeeeeeeeeally slow on this board....NO player gets better on the bench. None.

 

What big name FA will we have the cap room to get esp re-signing our own FA's that are responsible for making this turn around? Other than a CB maybe what else do we need? This OL has given our QB's plenty of time IF they get rid of the ball. They have paved the way for 5 100 yard rushing games for WM out of the last 6.

 

so I am sorry your ideas don't hold water.

[Mickey]

Sal Maiorana of the Rochester D&C

 

"There is no question that Losman is the quarterback of the future, and that future is coming soon. Even if Bledsoe were to finish with a Joe Montana-like stretch at the end of the year, I believe this has to be his last season as the starter because Losman, a first-round pick, is the player who must become this team's leader.

 

Until the Bills are officially eliminated from the playoff race, Bledsoe is the man. Once they're out, I say give the ball to Losman and start getting him ready for 2005. "

 

That sums it up perfectly.

139161[/snapback]

I disagree. This isn't training camp. You don't send veterans out there like Jonas Jennings and ask him to risk a career ending injury to win a football game we don't care enough about winning to start the guy who gives us the best shot at winning that game. If MM thinks JP gives us a better shot at winning right now then fine, start him. If not, Drew starts. No one should be out on that field during the regular season for any reason other than they are the best at their position. Besides, we are not going to do ourselves or JP any favors by handing him a start he didn't earn only to watch the team disintegrate as would be expected of a team everyone, fans included, has given up on.

 

To me, winning matters and I don't care if we are going in to a game 0 and 10, I want to beat the living !$#!@# out of the !#$!@#$!#'s on the other side of the line of scrimmage. Training camp is free, if they want to refund the 4 season tickets I have for the next two games, then fine, I'll watch them start the 2005 training camp in December of 2004. Otherwise, I want the best guys on the field. If that includes JP, I'll accept MM's judgment on that. However, if Drew is the best QB in the locker room right now and apparently in MM's judgment he is, then he is the guy.

[ICE]

I disagree.  This isn't training camp.  You don't send veterans out there like Jonas Jennings and ask him to risk a career ending injury to win a football game we don't care enough about winning to start the guy who gives us the best shot at winning that game.  If MM thinks JP gives us a better shot at winning right now then fine, start him.  If not, Drew starts.  No one should be out on that field during the regular season for any reason other than they are the best at their position.  Besides, we are not going to do ourselves or JP any favors by handing him a start he didn't earn only to watch the team disintegrate as would be expected of a team everyone, fans included, has given up on. 

 

To me, winning matters and I don't care if we are going in to a game 0 and 10, I want to beat the living !$#!@# out of the !#$!@#$!#'s on the other side of the line of scrimmage.  Training camp is free, if they want to refund the 4 season tickets I have for the next two games, then fine, I'll watch them start the 2005 training camp in December of 2004.  Otherwise, I want the best guys on the field.  If that includes JP, I'll accept MM's judgment on that.  However, if Drew is the best QB in the locker room right now and apparently in MM's judgment he is, then he is the guy.

139227[/snapback]

 

and that is why a team under you will never succeed. if a season is over ( and it will be with 7 losses) then you start preparing for the future.

 

Understand this folks, we drafted a QB in the first round. That means you have chosen him to be your Franchise QB. To have him sit is NOT going to develop him.

 

Look at Carson Palmer. The guy sat all year last year...he is now developing. I can tell you right now SanDiego screwed the pooch taking a QB. Brees is now a 3rd year starter. he is NOW doing the things a 3RD YEAR STARTER should do. Read defenses better etc. What SD should have done was take the stud LT that came out or given Brees even more help in some other area.

 

Sitting a QB doesn't help him develop. Now if you want to trade him and get some other 3rd, 4th, 5th round QB in here and send him to NFLE in the offseason for experience then fine. But you can't do that with a 1st round QB. too much money invested.

[Dan Gross]

I still say you don't start him until he's at least ready to unseat Shane Matthews as #2. If he's not comfortable enough with the playbook and/or the coaches see something that's lacking in his performance in practice, I don't want him presenting the increased risk of injury to himself and other players just to "get him experience." If he remains #3 until the end of the season, let him keep doing mop up duty in blowouts. Sitting on the bench for a year didn't seem to hurt Bledsoe's last under-study...

[Fake-Fat Sunny]

and that is why a team under you will never succeed. if a season is over ( and it will be with 7 losses) then you start preparing for the future.

 

Understand this folks, we drafted a QB in the first round. That means you have chosen him to be your Franchise QB.  To have him sit is NOT going to develop him.

 

Look at Carson Palmer. The guy sat all year last year...he is now developing. I can tell you right now SanDiego screwed the pooch taking a QB. Brees is now a 3rd year starter. he is NOW doing the things a 3RD YEAR STARTER should do. Read defenses better etc.  What SD should have done was take the stud LT that came out or given Brees even more help in some other area.

 

Sitting a QB doesn't help him develop.  Now if you want to trade him and get some other 3rd, 4th, 5th round QB in here and send him to NFLE in the offseason for experience then fine. But you can't do that with a 1st round QB. too much money invested.

139244[/snapback]

 

I agree with you that a playing is one of the ONLY ways to develop, but i think where we have disagreed is that I do not thinking starting is the ONLY way to play.

 

I think that all Bills fan should and would be pleased if JP got a steady dose of playing just as he did last Sunday loggins some significant amount of time because we won in such blowout fashion.

 

His other appearance this season was less than auspicious as he literally was thrown into the Pats blowout, but I think this should have been an object lesson for folks such as you who have pooh-poohed off-field preparation as being critical to producive play and development. JP had a lousy session in NE because he did not get the reps and preparation of practice which prepares a player to perform in a game. Playing is not the ONLY thing which is essential. Playing is essential and off-field practice and preparation are essential as well.

 

The interesting thing to me about these two JP sessions were that both showed fundamental management issues he must master which is why you are correct that he must play, but from the panic and fumble when he was thrown to the wolves against NE to the delay of game penalty right off the bat against Seattle, their is a pretty clear suggestion that as talented a the boy is, he is not ready to start as yet.

 

I don't know why you keep insisting on this illusion of rules as to when a QB must develop. Players develop on their own schedules and based on their own needs. Some (like one) like RoboQB can start right off the bat for a Pitts team which has not called on him for constant heroics and he has produced. Others like Vick and Pennington have sat for the vast part of their rookie years or longer and then produced for playoff teams. Some like Palmer sat their whole rookie year and is only now producing. Boller played as a rookie and was fairly productive but seems to have regressed as he has played more. Peyton Manning played and did not produce wins early but clearly his own game profitted.

 

All of this an the experiences of Ryan Leaf, Akili Smith Shaun King, Trent Dilfer, Tood Collins et al. simply point out to me that the key is whether your O braintrust is good and has a handle on what a particular player best profits from.

 

There are far too many internal issues with JP for me or for you to say with any certainty what is the best development plan for JP. My GUESS as an outsider who does not see him practice everyday and has no real idea how diligent he has been in making use of the benefits of time his injury gave him is that he will likely profit from the following:

 

1. Athleticism: Playing in real games at NFL speeds which are greater than college speeds is the only way to hone this, however. based on what I have seen from JP he will need to work on this facet of his game but this is the least of my worries as from the experience of running for his life at Tulane he has shown he can use his body and atleticism well. Playing against NFL level opponents in practice will help and playing in games is essential and will help him develop even more. Part of this athleticism is developing a sense of pocket presence and controlling the field. The spin and rollout he showed on his completion to Euhus Sunday was great. Throwing a player into situations he has not yet developed the pocket preense to handle can result in the deer in the headlights happy feet of a Todd Collins and needs to developed correctly with JP as well.

2. Leading his teammates- I also worry less about this with JP as well because of the cockiness and brashness he has shown can well be translated into a Jim Kelly style leadership. I think that some of the problems he has experienced so far seem to be linked to a desire on the part of his teammates to adjust his attitude a little. His teamates on the D apparently objected to him taking advantage of the tutu QBs wear in practice to gain yardage the D was not allowed to defend against and Vincent gave him a hard shot. In addition, there are some theories that MM threw Losman into the game against NE to emphasize that if you are wearing the uniform you must be prepared to play. JP has made noises post these events whcich seem consistent with these interpretations and that he received these messages loud and clear. The main thing I think he can use as far as leadership development is actually some success. His teammates will gain confidence in his leadership as he succeed. I like the fact he led the team to a TD by handing the ball off to WM. The key here is not to have him run or pass the ball in himself (though that will be nice and needs to happen as well) but instead building the habit of him relying on the run game and his TEAM scoring a TD i a great start to his career in my book.

3. Reading Ds and calling plays- Again nothing is the same as assessing a D over Teague's back so he must play, but this does not replace what this rookie needs to learn about NFL D and O schemes. I really hope he took advantage of the wonderful opportunity which his injury gave him to sit in the booth with Sam Wyche and download his experience. To the extent JP began to be able to anticipare what O is called in the NFL and what Ds teams are going to use and why, he will really accelerate his development. If instead he spent game time yukking it up around the Gatorade he might have built on his leadership ability but it really was a grerat oportunity for him to develop. The best on NFL players often turn out to be videotape junkies and whether JP has invested in this classroom side will do a lot to determine when and if he will be able to call plays like a Jim Kelly.

4. Mechanics- It didn'ttake much looking at JPs Tulane highlights to see he was a special player able to improvise and make all sorts of throws for positive yardage. However, college is college and the pros are the pros. Throwing off balance or off the wrong foot can work in college where many players are not fast enought to catch weaker throws or to run down rainbow throws, however, if he carries this method to the pros, NFL players will likely eat him alive.

Further, NFL offenses have a sophistication and over-development that QBs often throw passes to spots where no one is currently there and the receivers having developed timing and chemistry with the QB show up at the right spot at just the right time.

 

JP will be a more successful QB if he makes the same throws the same way most of the time and develops a chemistry with Evans and other receivers that a throw is going to come to them over a predictable shoulder in a predictable way given the situation.

 

JPs mechanics need some work.

 

I still say start JP when he is ready. Not a moment sooner and not a moment later.

[Rico]

I still say start JP when he is ready.  Not a moment sooner and not a moment later.

139476[/snapback]

Not even just a little bit sooner???

[ICE]

Fatty, STARTING on the field of play, Leading a team, actually throwing more than one pass in mop up duty...THAT is development. Each and every one of us on this message board could do what JP was asked to do on Sunday.

 

You will NEVER win this arguement. It goes against everything ever done with a QB in the history of football. When JP STARTS, THEN he is developing.

[YOOOOOO]

Pennington sat for two years before playing over Testaverde(and started on the bench going into his 3rd year)....Look how that turned out....

 

 

If we continue to win with DREW, then i think we should stick with him....Going into the season, 10-6 would of been a mark i would be pleased with, especially with a rookie coach....

 

But I do agree, if we lose one of these games(MIA, CLE, SF, CIN), then Losman should get some in-game experience this season, to see if he needs another year, instead of going into next season blind.....

[Fake-Fat Sunny]

Fatty, STARTING on the field of play, Leading a team, actually throwing more than one pass in mop up duty...THAT is development.  Each and every one of us on this message board could do what JP was asked to do on Sunday.

 

You will NEVER win this arguement. It goes against everything ever done with a QB in the history of football. When JP STARTS, THEN he is developing.

139527[/snapback]

 

There are several things even in your short post which are simply wrong.

 

1. Development is not simply one thing it is a number of things. Some QBs have great snarts but lack pro level athletic skills. Some QBs have great athletic skill but lack the mental tools. Some QBs have both physical and mental tools but lack the diligence to apply them. Development for each of these QBs will be different and take a different amount of time and path. Playing the game is necessary for all of them, but which focus comes first will differ for all of them as well. Do you seriously insist there is one method and one timeline for every QB?

 

2. The comment that each and everyone of us could do what JP did on Sunday is so farcical that I assume and hope you were kidding.

 

3. I'm not looking to win any argument because one of the beauties of the internet for us posters is that there is no determination here of winning or losing. Winning happens in the real world and the internet is not the real world.

 

4. The hisory of football is filled with QBs who did not start (and actually did not even play) their first years who became great successes, Did Pennington start his first year? Is he a bust? Did Brady start his first year? Is he a bust? Likewise there are many QBs who did start in their first year and they were certainly busts (Leaf, Smith) and at least a credible argument that some were rushed along and asked to start when they were not ready (Collins). I don't know where you get this notion that there is only one way to do this to be successful or that not doing it in the way your prescribe guarantees failure. There are numerous real world examples some mentioned above that do not fit your case.

 

5. Finally, a simple question. IS STARTING THE ONLY WAY ONE CAN PLAY? I too agree that JP must play to develop, but the insistence you have that he must start in order to play is simply bizarre. One might reasonably argue that starting gives you more time to play, but the simple fact is that one can play without starting.

 

I think JP should be learning some valuable lessons from his brief stints this year (tuck the damn ball away after the fumble in NE, watch the clock and command the game after the delay of game in Seattle). One might argue that his short stints may give him time to make mistakes and not to correct them. However, after the delay of game faux pas I think he very quickly showed better leadership and command of the gameflow in the remaining minutes of his stint and the Bills were rewarded by scoring his first real game TD with JP at QB.

 

I look forward to JP getting some more good minutes in mop-up duty this year (I hope they all come when we're on the correc end of a blowout. Should (when) we are eliminate then when he is ready give him a start. Not one minute sooner and not one minute later.