More On Losman; Birk Is Irked
One name that I've always found intriguing in the backup quarterback speculation that's dominated the past few weeks has been J.P. Losman. However, it dawned on me that I simply haven't seen him play too much, and don't have a good idea of the strong and weak points of his game -- so, I enlisted Dan Goldman, MVN's Bills writer, to provide a quick scouting report on Losman (thanks Dan!):
"J.P. Losman is a quarterback that has tons of potential, but to this point in his career hasn't amounted to being a reliable starting quarterback in the NFL. Losman possesses a cannon of an arm, making him a great deep ball thrower, and is extremely mobile. His weaknesses include a tendency to lock onto one receiver (Lee Evans) and to force a lot of throws, causing many turnovers.
In his second season, he took over the starting job in Buffalo, but was repeatedly moved back and forth between the bench and the field due to poor coaching by Mike Mularkey. In the second half of 2006, Losman was statistically one of the top passers in the NFL. He finished the season with a respectable 84.9 QB rating, taking every snap from center.
This past year, Losman played horribly in all but one game and lost his job to a rookie. He looked inaccurate, locked onto receivers, forced balls and just couldn't move the offense. Some of the blame goes to the horrible play calling, but Trent Edwards did look better overall."
Dan also added that he'd be thrilled if the Bills can manage to receive a third or fourth-rounder for Losman.
It's a strange situation for the Bills. With the unproven Edwards entering the season as the starting quarterback, they'd obviously like to have a reliable backup quarterback on the roster -- but then again, the opportunity to acquire a decent draft pick for a player who will become a free agent after this season may push them towards dealing Losman (although they could still receive a compensation pick if they ultimately let him walk).
Anyways, enough about that...let's get into the Birk drama. I'll update again on Wednesday or Thursday with more on this story, but let's get the discussion rolling...
Basically, Birk is skipping the Vikings
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{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Please pay the man, all we need now is to disrupt the offensive line that let’s face it is pretty good. He may be asking for too much, and his play may not be what it was a few years ago, but I do think that he’s a quality leader on the team. I’m just worried that if you bring in a new center, then that may cause even more problems with the progress that TJack is trying to make. Losman sounded a lot like TJack to me, from what Dan was saying, but I still think he’s worth a fourth rounder if we can get him for that. I think the snaps he took when he was playing well and a change in scenery with a more productive offense may be just what he needs WHEN he will need to step in as a backup. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for Lohsman, just for the fact that I don’t know a whole lot about Rosenfels at all. Anyway that you can throw out some numbers and positives about Rosenfels for those of us who aren’t really sure what he’s all about?
Well just like his steaks, matty b is overdone. If he has a breakout year he’ll be paid, handsomely. The NFL is about “what have you done for me lately” , and he’s been inconsistant and hurt lately. So Mr Matty B should focus on the season ahead of us and play his ass off, the contract will be there for him. I’m pretty sure that his last current contract is paying him enough to shut his big mouth.
Anthony, what capacity would you project Minnesota to use Losman. Would he compete for a starting job with Travaris in training camp? Would he be a backup should Jackson stumble?
I think Minnesota could be a good situation. The offensive line is solid and the running game should be among the league’s best. I’m not sold on Berrian, but he’s a proven deep threat, which is Losman’s bread and butter.
I’d be kinda happy to see him get a shot elsewhere. Buffalo just isn’t going to work out.
I wouldn’t mind getting Losman as a backup for T. Jack. I think he’s probably the best of the lot that’s out there.
Matt Birk should just try to stay healthy and try to return to form. As tommyfru says, the money will be there for him. The Vikings don’t have to reup now, it’s not a bad idea to see how 2008 goes, then make a decision based on that.
Hey Dan,
Ideally, I think Losman would be used to push Tarvaris in the offseason and in training camp, but unless something absolutely extraordinary happens, T-Jack will enter the season as the starter. You pretty much hit the nail on the head with my idea of Losman’s role — someone who could give us a legit chance to win if Jackson struggles (also, debate remains about T-Jack’s durability, making a solid backup quarterback even more important to the squad…there’s a decent chance Jackson could miss some games next season, as he tended to get hurt quite a bit last year).
Jeremy- I’ll try to track down a Texans blogger to give us a quick scouting report of Rosenfels…as is the case with Losman, I haven’t seen him play too much.
I can assure you that Losman is an upgrade over Kelly Holcomb and Brooks Bollinger.
I doubt we will go after Losman, Chili wants Tjack as the unquestionable starter and wants a backup which means it will be Rosenfels. Losman would be a risk because the kid wants to play and might de-rail Chili’s pet project (Tjack). He thinks this guy is McNabb without the credentials. Losman would be too much of a threat. If we don’t pick up Rosenfels (or Dilfer, Ferrotte) look for the Vikes to draft a QB in the later rounds like Andre Woodson or Dennis Dixon the other potential McNabb player types. Back to Losman, he has confidence in himself as a starter in this league but I haven’t seen him play enough to say he is as good as he thinks he is… Would like to see him on our team tho.