Anybody getting the feeling that Drew will

[Mikie2times]

My question is what do you think the Bills will do next season at quarterback? I don't want your opinion on what they should do, I want your opinion on what they will do.

 

I think it's much more cut and dry then many would like to think. The fact is we are 5-2 in the last 7 games and we finish off with the NFL's second easiest schedule. If we go 9-7 or 10-6 to close out the year I don't think their is any question Drew will start again next year.

 

If either one of those records end up being our final record that would mean the Bills went 9-3, or 10-2 in their final 12 games. That is some serious momentum going into next year, and if you think their is no chance the coaching staff would stick with Bledsoe after that run then your probably setting yourself up for disappointment.

 

I know many of you want Drew out of here no matter what the cost. Maybe it's because you don't think he is capable of taking us to the next level. Maybe it's because he tends to throw rookie type picks, or crap himself in prime time. Even the Bledsoe apologists can recognize his poor decisions at times. But what matters much more to a NFL coach then QB rating is cohesiveness, unity, and improvement.

 

If we finish the year with those three areas showing major progress Mularkey will not make a switch at the QB position. While I'm sick of Drew a lot of the time I care more about winning then anything else. I'm also pretty sure that winning is priority #1 on Mularkeys list. Bottom line is if we finish the year on a roll like that I certainly won't be shocked if they stick with Drew next season.

[MadBuffaloDisease]

No matter how the seasons plays-out, retool the O-line over the off-season and make it an open competition. That way the best man wins.

[MartyBall4Buffalo]

If We finish 10-6 there is absolutly zero reason whey Bledsoe should not start next year. None, Nadda, Zip, Zilch. Thats a 10-2 finish over the last 12 games of the season and ending the season with a 7 game winning streak. Than you definitly go with Bledsoe. Ride the momentum into next season with what will be a "WIN NOW" season. I get the feeling that ladies gentlemen if we didn't start so poorly we're watching the emmergence of a win now team, thats ready to compete.. Why deny that so we "might" be good 2-3 years down the road waiting for a qb to mature. I believe we are just 1-2 players away from competing for a championship and a 10-6 finish to the season would definitly reafirm this belief for me, that you can win with bledsoe at qb, and that we are capable of challenging. If we however falter and finish worse than 9-7. Anywhere between 5-11-8-8. You hand over the reigns to losman. I think thats fair, and I have a pretty strong belief thats what the bills will do.

[MadBuffaloDisease]

If We finish 10-6  there is absolutly zero reason whey Bledsoe should not start next year.  None, Nadda, Zip, Zilch.  Thats a 10-2 finish over the last 12 games of the season and ending the season with a 7 game winning streak.  Than you definitly go with Bledsoe. Ride the momentum into next season with what  will be a "WIN NOW" season. I get the feeling that ladies gentlemen if we didn't start so poorly we're watching the emmergence of a win now team, thats ready to compete..  Why deny that so we "might" be good 2-3 years down the road waiting for a qb to mature.  I believe we are just 1-2 players away from competing for a championship and a 10-6 finish to the season would definitly reafirm this belief for me, that you can win with bledsoe at qb, and that we are capable of challenging.  If we however falter and finish worse than 9-7. Anywhere between 5-11-8-8. You hand over the reigns to losman. I think thats fair, and I have a pretty strong belief thats what the bills will do.

140550[/snapback]

I don't see the Bills finishing less than 8-8. I think that the Dols, Browns, and 49'ers are as sure of wins as there are. If they DO lose any of those games, they weren't as good as we thought. The true tests will be Cincy in Cincy, and Pgh at home.

[Mikie2times]

If We finish 10-6  there is absolutly zero reason whey Bledsoe should not start next year.  None, Nadda, Zip, Zilch.  Thats a 10-2 finish over the last 12 games of the season and ending the season with a 7 game winning streak.  Than you definitly go with Bledsoe. Ride the momentum into next season with what  will be a "WIN NOW" season. I get the feeling that ladies gentlemen if we didn't start so poorly we're watching the emmergence of a win now team, thats ready to compete..  Why deny that so we "might" be good 2-3 years down the road waiting for a qb to mature.  I believe we are just 1-2 players away from competing for a championship and a 10-6 finish to the season would definitly reafirm this belief for me, that you can win with bledsoe at qb, and that we are capable of challenging.  If we however falter and finish worse than 9-7. Anywhere between 5-11-8-8. You hand over the reigns to losman. I think thats fair, and I have a pretty strong belief thats what the bills will do.

140550[/snapback]

 

Thats pretty much how I feel about the QB situation. I'm sure their are plenty of people that think Drew will be gone next season for sure. I just don't see it happening if we finish strong.

[Fake-Fat Sunny]

I think it depends on Losman's development and then Bledsoe's reaction to how he develops.

 

Losman is clearly the Bills QB of the future and his development will determine whether the future begins in 2005 or 2006.

 

My guess (and like other posters despite their assertions this is only a guess, I suspect Losman has profited from his enforced non-playing time to view the games from up above and to get a good download from Wyche. Since I assume he put time he could not practice to good use, his development may well be speeded up by him having more of a vets sense of which plays work best for the Bills and what defenses will try to do and where they are vuknerable when they try.

 

Like all rookies, NFL speed is really different and though they face NFL quality players in practice you can feel him in his brief garbage time appearances working to get a feel for the game. Based on the success he had in leading the team to a rushing TD should help him with his confidence and command of the pocket and team.

 

I think ICE is wrong in his thought that JP learned nothing in the game against Seattle because all he did was hand-off. He knows how to throw, he knows how to run for his life and react under pressure. If we needed him to learn how to hit a receiver we'd be done for.

 

The thing which rookies seem to learn from playing the game is how to communicate far more complicated plays than they worked with in college and plays sent in over NFL headsets clearly and succinctly to their teammates.

 

They learn how to read opposing Ds in the heat of a game and learn how the center is thinking when he makes line calls. All these things are happening in garbage time and on running plays the same as the are happening at the start of games.

 

I suspect JP in mop-up time or in practice will begin to show what he can do and we will go into the next training camp with a serious potential that Bledsoe and JP are competing for the job.

 

Rven if Bledsoe wins this competetion and starts (a good possibility actually given the roll the Bills are on and a fairly weak schedule they are facing) its just a matter of time until JP wins the job sometime next year.

[Bill from NYC]

Injuries will probably play a part in who the starter will be, and by this I mean injuries not just to Drew and JP.

For instance, if Willis is injured, I think that they would be better off going with JP. People talk about Drew's record as a Bill. Fair enough. What is the Bills' record with Travis Henry at rb? Better yet, what is Drew's record this season with and without Travis? How about sack totals? JP, despiite his inexperience, is more prepared to run for his life than Drew. He may as well play if Henry plays or CV for instance is injured.

 

In the offseason, I have been screaming for OL picks since I arrived at TBD. I will continue to do so, but I also hope that they grab a RB in this draft. The thought of Henry coming in to replace an injured Willis is too frightening. He would never say it, but my money says that Drew would agree.

[Mark VI]

Injuries will probably play a part in who the starter will be, and by this I mean injuries not just to Drew and JP.

For instance, if Willis is injured, I think that they would be better off going with JP. People talk about Drew's record as a Bill. Fair enough. What is the Bills' record with Travis Henry at rb? Better yet, what is Drew's record this season with and without Travis? How about sack totals? JP, despiite his inexperience, is more prepared to run for his life than Drew. He may as well play if Henry plays or CV for instance is injured.

 

In the offseason, I have been screaming for OL picks since I arrived at TBD. I will continue to do so, but I also hope that they grab a RB in this draft. The thought of Henry coming in to replace an injured Willis is too frightening. He would never say it, but my money says that Drew would agree.

140610[/snapback]

 

Well said, Bill. Many here have referenced past instances of QB development , going back several years. There was no SALARY CAP back then. It dictates many a roster decision these days. Bledsoe carries a big salary and I can't see Losman riding the bench, once the Bills are eliminated from the playoff picture. TD and Co. invested a 1st round pick in this guy. In the salary cap age, that means your day is coming very soon.

 

Wyche did not come out of retirement to put humpty dumpty back together again. He came back to ready a prize pupil, something he is good at. The Losman era is coming soon, like it or not. Some posters can call him another Todd Collins or Billy Joe all they want. Means nothing to me. I know what we have in Bledsoe and that means a commitment to mediocrity, something the Pats weren't satisfied with and neither are sober Bills fans.

[nick in* england]

I think there are fairly balanced arguments for starting Drew and for starting JPL. To me - the decision to start either one of them comes from their performance in training camp next year and how they approach the off-season. Given that inujuries and personnel churn are hard to predict at this stage of the season, and we assume that the OL will not be significantly different to the one we see starting this Sunday, the decision is soley down to who can execute the playbook better, who has the better rapport with his teammates, who is most prepared to play.

 

I'm not willing to predict who will get the nod. We have a shot, albeit small, at the playoffs right now. I don't want to wish away this season just yet. If we lose one more, maybe we consider having JPL run 10-20 plays per game, have him as #2 on the roster. If we lose more than 2 games, I think we need to strongly consider putting JPL in against those weaker opponents like the 49ers. Drew can mentor JPL this season a little better than he can if he was starting all remaining games, and the natural follow through is to have JPL start next pre-season. But only if we start losing now.

[mary owen]

i do not have that feeling

[ICE]

Well said, Bill. Many here have referenced past instances of QB development , going back several years. There was no SALARY CAP back then. It dictates many a roster decision these days. Bledsoe carries a big salary and I can't see Losman riding the bench, once the Bills are eliminated from the playoff picture. TD and Co. invested a 1st round pick in this guy. In the salary cap age, that means your day is coming very soon.

 

Mark, isn't it amazing how some want to ignore the fact that the salary cap comes into play. also, if you want to sit a guy 2 years then you send him to NFLE now. But you can't do that with a guy you invested a 1st round pick in. SanDiego says they will franchise Brees. Well that is because they are going to make the playoffs this year AND have 20 mill in cap space next year. 20million! They can take a 9 mill cap hit to franchise brees. But Brees and his agent (whom is Rivers as well I believe) knows the benifit of this. He essentially gets a 9 mill bonus this next season AND will get a bigger one in 06 when they can't afford to trade him. Note: Brees is now a 3rd year starter as well. Some now say they jumped the gun drafting Rivers at all. Unlike the Bills who have a QB that has done the same thing on two different teams over many years.

 

Wyche did not come out of retirement to put humpty dumpty back together again. He came back to ready a prize pupil, something he is good at. The Losman era is coming soon, like it or not. Some posters can call him another Todd Collins or Billy Joe all they want. Means nothing to me. I know what we have in Bledsoe and that means a commitment to mediocrity, something the Pats weren't satisfied with and neither are sober Bills fans.

 

Again dead on Mark. They didn't bring Sam Wyche in to tutor you know who. We all sat here and knew it was for a Rooke QB coming in. Once wyche was on board we knew one was getting picked in the 2nd round or so. Sam Wyche has said JP is as talented as any of the QB's coming out (Yes folks that means rothleswhatever) And at the one on one session was BETTER than Manning.

 

Lastly I am glad you hit the fact that NE didn't want him. They knew what they had. And they knew what they had wasn't going to help NE Achieve their goals.

[mead107]

lot of people on draft day did not like big ben some had JP ahead of him .i can not see jp on the bench next year.

[goatman]

10-6? NO DOUBT whatsoever Drew will start next season. 9-7? probably. 8-8 or below...we will see PJ or someone else next year. Its time to put up for Drew and I would love to see him do it!!!

[Simon]

Anybody getting the feeling that Drew will, Start next year?

 

<shudder>

 

No

[Corp000085]

If the bills aren't eliminated from the playoffs till after the steelers game, then you WILL see bledsoe next year as the starter if he restructures his contract and wins out an open competition in camp. If the bills lose before the end of the season and are eliminated from the playoffs, then jp will play, and if he plays well, he'll be the starter.

 

In summary, all the anti drew comments should be on hold, since he's not playing horribly. He did throw 3 ints last week, but he won. He can carry that over and hopefully gain some confidence that he can win something next year. that's motivation for him to restructure to be cap friendly.

[Rico]

I don't get that feeling at all, at least not yet.

The Bills have looked good-to-great the past 2 weeks,

and Drew's play has been acceptable in those 2 games.

 

But there's still 5 games left to play,

as soon as the Bills lose and are eliminated,

IMO Drew will sit and JP will start.

JP is the future, & Drew makes too much $$$ to be a back-up.

 

IF the Bills run the table and make the playoffs,

with Drew playing lights-out,

then I think TD brings him back.

Any other scenario, and he's gone by June 1st.

[a player to be named later]

See Cinci last year. Kinta brought the team back to respectability and kicked ass doing it. However that is probably the best you are going to get from Kitna. Basically, You start the guy that can get you to the super bowl not the guy that can get you to 8-8.

 

OUT

[Oneida Lake]

I don't get that feeling at all, at least not yet.

The Bills have looked good-to-great the past 2 weeks,

and Drew's play has been acceptable in those 2 games.

 

But there's still 5 games left to play,

as soon as the Bills lose and are eliminated,

IMO Drew will sit and JP will start.

JP is the future, & Drew makes too much $$$ to be a back-up.

 

IF the Bills run the table and make the playoffs,

with Drew playing lights-out,

then I think TD brings him back.

Any other scenario, and he's gone by June 1st.

140713[/snapback]

 

I think there's a little more wishful thinking on your part there than actual reality.

9-7, 10-6, playoffs or not I see Bledsoe as the starter with lots more snaps for Losman in preseason. (I still think a stint in Germany would be great for this kid)

 

8-8 or worse and it's a wide open competition.

 

I'm no capologist but is cutting Bledsoe going to get you that much more cap room.

And can you start a season with no viable backup?

[ICE]

I think there's a little more wishful thinking on your part there than actual reality.

9-7, 10-6, playoffs or not I see Bledsoe as the starter with lots more snaps for Losman in preseason. (I still think a stint in Germany would be great for this kid)

 

8-8 or worse and it's a wide open competition. 

 

I'm no capologist but is cutting Bledsoe going to get you that much more cap room.

And can you start a season with no viable backup?

140756[/snapback]

 

 

Backups will be a dime a dozen this offseason.

[Mark VI]

I think there's a little more wishful thinking on your part there than actual reality.

9-7, 10-6, playoffs or not I see Bledsoe as the starter with lots more snaps for Losman in preseason. (I still think a stint in Germany would be great for this kid)

 

140756[/snapback]

 

Send Losman to NFL Europe. BRILLIANT !