Archives for October 26, 2004

‘J.P. Losman will start to take part in team drills that don’t require him to scramble. Mularkey thinks his rookie quarterback is realistically two or three weeks away. The Bills head coach refused to speculate if Losman will replace Drew Bledsoe when he’s healthy.’

‘In this particular version, Bledsoe moves the Bills achingly close to a touchdown that would at least make things interesting, only to see all his most important throws end up in the hands of someone wearing purple.’

‘You have to show your team you have the ability to make those key decisions if you want to lead. Mularkey has not done that. Key decisions are not cutting Bobby Shaw. That’s not a statement or a tough move; it’s just a token that’s supposed to set an example. The problem is not all on Mularkey. He’s a rookie coach who is feeling his way through the process of learning how to lead his players and make those decisions. Now he’s got exactly the same record Gregg Williams had through his first six games, and in 2001 Williams had far less talent.’

‘Let’s face it – this year’s version of the Bills is going nowhere. Sure, they may still be mathematically alive, but those are about the only good numbers for the Buffalo offense. The Bills rank near the bottom of the league in nearly all offensive categories, and those rankings won’t improve following Sunday’s loss. But Losman isn’t the answer – at least not yet. With the Buffalo offensive line as porous as it is right now, the last thing the Bills want is to expose Losman to the fierce pass rushes and blitzes he would experience every week. Losman needs to get more reps in practice before the Bills should put him in as the starter.’

‘Mularkey was hired in part because of the expertise and creative game-planning he displayed in three seasons as Pittsburgh’s offensive coordinator. He refuses to be drawn into comparisons to last year. “I’m not going to go there,” he said. “If anything goes wrong this year, then I’m the guy to hang the hat on.”’