COMMENTARY
Losman not the solution, even as No. 2
Jerry Sullivan
Updated: 05/01/08 6:37 AM
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All right, so J. P. Losman was so unhappy at the end of last season, he asked to be traded. He felt the Bills had pulled the rug out from under him by giving the starting job to Trent Edwards. Losman and his agent, Gary Wichard, made it clear that J. P. had zero interest in re-signing here when his contract expired after the 2008 season.
And now, because the Bills haven’t traded Losman, we’re supposed to believe it’s a good thing? Just because management keeps reminding us they intend to keep Losman as the backup quarterback, it’s suddenly the best thing that could happen to the team?
Sorry, but I don’t buy it.
Keeping Losman around is a bad idea on a number of levels. It’s unfair to Edwards, who doesn’t need Losman hanging over his shoulder for a second year. It’s unfair to the team, which was divided by the quarterback issue last season and should be allowed to move on.
It’s not fair to Losman, either, who doesn’t need the humiliation of having to crawl back to the Bills after asking to be traded. Losman was a good soldier for the most part, aside from his sniveling insinuations that Ralph Wilson was calling the shots from up above.
Losman is in the last year of his contract. He needs to play to have any chance of landing a big free-agent deal after the season. Ideally, Losman would have gone to a team that needed a starter and felt he could succeed as a No. 1.
But it hasn’t happened, and I suspect there’s one main reason: No one wanted him, not enough to give up anything of consequence. The Bills keep saying they don’t intend to deal him. The more they say it, the more evident it becomes that they’re worried people will think they’re desperate to get rid of him.
The big myth is that Losman could save the Bills’ playoff hopes if Edwards falters or gets hurt. But again, if Losman is such a prized asset, how come he’s still here? How come almost every other NFL team has filled its need at both starting quarterback and backup?
Losman had his chance as a starter and failed miserably. I doubt there’s much faith in him around the league as even a backup. I don’t think he’s one of the top 50 quarterbacks in the sport. It’s folly to suggest he could lift the Bills to a playoff spot if Edwards goes down. Losman has been a consistent failure in the big games, and on the road.
The notion of the Bills as an emerging contender is based in large part on Edwards making significant strides in his second season as the QB. I have high hopes for Edwards, but I’m not sure he’ll blossom this year, or at all. But I am sure that Losman isn’t the answer.
The Bills made their decision on Losman at the 2007 draft, when they picked Edwards. Jauron fiddled around all year, but he confirmed it by making Edwards the starter late in the year. At that point, the franchise seemed firm in its conviction that Edwards is the guy. But by keeping Losman here as the backup, they’re saying, “Well, maybe we’re not so sure.”
When you consider Edwards’ inexperience and injury history, this might be one of the better places for Losman to bide his time as a backup. But do the Bills really want that? Another season of players taking sides? What if Lee Evans goes a month without catching a long pass? How long before he starts clamoring for Losman to get one more chance?
The Bills aren’t going anywhere if Losman has to take them. For the overall good, they should get him out of here, one way or another. I don’t care who’s the backup: Daunte Culpepper, Byron Leftwich, a free-agent rookie. Anything is better than another year of Losman.
The Bills had another promising draft. They’re a team on the rise, moving slowly forward. But the minute Losman steps on the field again in a Buffalo uniform, it’ll be one step back.
