Brandon

It could be worse. That contract of his is probably going to net us a 3rd or 4th round compensatory pick next year.

A long 8 weeks, and a long 2006 season, too.

Lee Evans with with Losman at QB: 9 catches for 114 yards and 0 TDs. Lee Evans with Holcomb at QB: 10 catches for 120 yards and 1 TD. Clearly, Losman was having a huge negative impact on Evans...

You're kidding, right? McGahee is a 24 year old Pro Bowl caliber RB who may very well be the best player on the team. Holcomb is a 32 year old career backup who has had four decent games. Terrible comparison. A better example would be to suggest benching Trey Teague or Chris Villarial in favor of Duke Preston. Basically, its the same situation with a talented, but unproven rookie taking over for an adequate veteran. Or perhaps benching Bennie Anderson, moving Mike Williams to LG and allowing Jason Peters to start at RT. Wait, that sounds familiar...

If its QB rating, completion percentage, and such that we want, Rob Johnson should have been an All Pro. But as you say, stats mean squat. Throwing an 8 yard pass on 3rd and 10 or a 0 yard pass on 4th and 7 will indeed help your QB rating, a stat skewed toward completion percentage. Too bad it doesn't help you win.

Couldn't agree more. Its seems like stumbling into the playoffs is the Holy Grail of Bills football for some. Granted, I'd rather make the playoffs than not, but ultimately, I want to see this team win a friggin' Super Bowl before I die. I don't want to see them become a running joke like the Dolphins were for most of the last ten years, making the playoffs every year just to get clobbered in the first round.

Moulds is the coach, apparently. The fact that Mularkey let his players dictate who starts and who doesn't is embarassing. I can only hope that this is true and he's putting his foot down. Better late than never. Its time to do what's best for the long term good of the team, not to get a couple of cheap wins and chase being average. Even if Losman fails, at least we'll know it definitively and will know for sure we need to find someone else.

They could tie...

They'll have to win their next two games to convince me that there's any hope. Even then, its a longshot. The Bills went 3-5 against one of the softest schedules in the league with opponents combined records at 26-39. The three teams they beat are 6-18. The remainder of the schedule is brutal. The next 8 opponents are 38-28, 29-13 if you toss the three AFC East games out. They've got three very tough games on the schedule: Denver (6-2), Carolina (6-2) and Cincinnatti (7-2). They pretty much have to run the table against the other 5 (and NE is likely a must win for the tiebreaker) and probably need to steal at least one win against the 3 above as well. That would make them 9-7. There's a chance 8-8 will win the division, but realistically, I don't see it happening. Unfortunately, with a run D allowing 150 yards/game and 5 yards per carry, I don't think we have to worry about it much.

Watson ran in the low 4.4s in workouts prior to the draft. Very fast for a TE.

As you can see, I'm really, really, REALLY bored today, so here's how I see the Bills offseason needs position-by-position: QB I give this position rather poor marks this season, but at the same time, I expect no major changes. Losman will probably be the opening day starter with Holcomb returning as the backup. There will be no major need of a QB in the 2006 offseason, but if Losman struggles or does not play in the remainder of this season, expect the Bills to draft a QB in the R3-5 area as a contingency plan should Losman continue to struggle or if he recieves no playing time. RB No need. McGahee, Williams, Gates and Shelton are all under contract for 2006. WR This could get interesting depending upon Moulds' situation. If he is released, the Bills could go into 2006 with Evans, Parrish, Aiken and Smith as their WRs. Josh Reed is an unrestricted FA and I don't expect them to make a major effort to resign him. If Parrish can play the #2 WR position, the Bills are OK, but if not, they may find themselves in need of another starting WR. The good news is that they can probably find a decent veteran WR in FA if necessary. Still, a mid round draft choice here is not something I'd rule out. TE This position largely hinges on the recovery of Kevin Everett. If Everett appears as though he'll be 100% for 2006 and the Bills think he can be a top tier NFL TE, then we're likely set at the position. If not, TE could become a major need, and it would not shock me to see them draft Marcedes Lewis with one of two likely first round picks (more on that later). The Bills still have major issues scoring TDs in the red zone and another weapon, particularly at this position, would be a welcome addition. OT The Bills are better off here than they're given credit for. Gandy is not an all pro LT, but he's a capable starter and though I'm sure they'd like to do better, he's good enough that the Bills don't have to burn a high pick on the position if they don't want to. Mike Williams is a solid starting RT, but his contract is a cause of concern and while I expect him to be on the team for 2006, you never know. At any rate, I expect them to draft an OT somewhere in the middle rounds, if for no other reason than to improve depth. OG Big problems here. Bennie Anderson is a good straight ahead run blocker, but otherwise he struggles. Villarrial isn't bad, but he's not that good either, and he is getting old and has missed significant playing time this season. The Bills could use two new starting Gs. Duke Preston has played fairly well as a rookie at RG in relief of Villarrial, but the question is whether the Bills see him staying there or eventually being their starting C. Rookie 6th rounder Justin Geisinger might also figure into the equation, but the Bills will probably need to find at least one starter here in FA or in the first three rounds of the draft next year. C The bad news? Trey Teague is a borderline starting C. The good news? He's also an unrestricted FA, so this is as good a time as any to upgrade the position (and I don't think Teague will be back). Duke Preston could be the answer here, though its possible the Bills want him to be an OG instead. Depending upon Preston's situation, this could be anything from a low need to a high need in the upcoming offseason and could necessitate a high draft pick. DE As bad as the guards on offense, possibly worse. Schobel is a middle-of-the-pack starter and not a consistent threat off the edge, even when blocked one-on-one. They need a better player here, especially considering Schobel's cap impact. I had high hopes for Kelsay after watching him this preseason, but he's totally disappeared. Denney is an unrestricted FA and I expect his situation to be much like that of Josh Reed; he probably won't return. Both starting positions need an upgrade, which is very depressing given that the Bills have invested 3 2nd round picks and a lot of cap resources into the DE position. The lack of production from the starters has forced the Bills to blitz heavily to get pressure on opposing QBs, exposing the secondary, a situation which opponents have taken advantage of repeatedly. DE is a major need, worthy of even a high 1st round pick, but given their investment at DE, it wouldn't suprise me to see them all but ignore it and I think that would be a major mistake. DT More problems. Sam Adams is as good as any DT in the game...when he wants to be. Unfortunately, he's also getting old. Ron Edwards is a decent starter, but can't stay healthy. He's also an unrestricted FA after the season and with his injury history, the Bills may not make an effort to bring him back. Tim Anderson has shown me why he was inactive most of his rookie year. Bannan and Sape may stick around as backups (Bannan is a FA), but I'd be stunned to see the Bills go into '06 with either starting. This is another major need and I expect the Bills to take a DT in the first two rounds. OLB Takeo Spikes may have been the best OLB in the league before that achilles injury. Now? Who knows. Jeff Posey is an OK player, but with Spikes' injury status, another playmaker at OLB would be nice. Crowell hasn't done anything in very limited action to convince me that he's that kind of player, but much like Posey, he doesn't seem to be a detriment to the defense, either. If a Pro Bowl caliber player is available in the first round, by all means, draft him. Otherwise, I don't think the OLBs are in dire shape. MLB Everyone seems to bash London Fletcher, but I think he's a pretty good overall player. He's not that good against the run straight at him, but plays the run to the sidelines well and has good coverage skills. That said, he's also on the wrong side of 30 and entering into the final year of his contract. Not only that, but his biggest weakness, the run up the middle, is precisely where the entire Bills defense has struggled. First three rounds on this position. CB I think Nate Clements is one of the top two or three CBs in the league. I also think the next eight games will be his last in a Bills uniform. He'll be designated the Bills franchise player and I fully expect the Bills to trade him for a 1st and some change. Terrence McGee is a very good CB and I don't think there will be a major dropoff between he and Clements. The #2 spot, will be a concern, however, and the Bills will likely need to burn a 1st or 2nd round pick on the position. Kevin Thomas is a FA and given his injury he may not return. Greer and King look like good nickel CBs. S Both Milloy and Vincent are better than they're given credit for, but then again, both are old and both count an awful lot against the Bills available cap space. It would not suprise me to see both return, nor would it suprise me to see both gone. I expect that any potential replacements would be FAs, though there's a good chance they'll pick a S in the middle stages of the draft to develop for the future. K/P Moorman is the best punter in the league as far as I'm concerned. I can't argue with Lindell's production this season, but I have to admit, he makes me nervous every time he attempts a FG. I fully expect him to return unless he has a miserable finish to the '05 season.

A 200+ yard passing game is nice, but at the end of the day, you have to win or it means nothing. I remember a few years ago this team had a QB that the fans really trashed for putting up great stats but losing games.

There's nothing wrong with the route Moulds ran. If the D doesn't cover it, its an easy first down. But they did. Given the fact that it was covered, Holcomb should've thrown it past the first down line. Maybe it would've gotten intercepted, but on 4th and 7, it doesn't matter. At least there was a possibility of a first down. They had practically no chance of a 1st with two defenders waiting to tackle Moulds on that play.

He's thrown quite a few 0-5 yard passes on 3rd and 10 the last four games, so I wasn't too suprised by it. Of course, I was pretty sure they'd lose by halftime, up only 3-0 after playing an otherwise nearly perfect half. So my reaction was pretty much the same as yours.

What do you guys expect? He's a career backup for a reason. I do not fault Kelly Holcomb as much as I do the Bills coaching staff and management for pulling the plug on Losman four games into the season. They should have stuck with the gameplan, but now we find ourselves in essentially the same shape as we were a month ago. Its time for Mularkey to cut his losses and chalk this season up to developing for the future, not just at QB but all of the young players.

I knew it was coming. The Bills let the Pats hang around too long without dealing the knockout when they had them on the ropes. You have to put good teams away when you have the chance and the Bills simply couldn't do it.

6 yard pass was fine. It was the fact that it was 10 feet high that cost the Bills the first down.

He's hardly finished. He typically has two or three games where he's bad every year (threw 6 picks in the playoffs vs the Rams a few years back). His bad games have always been *really* bad. The fact that he's basically all they have offensively this year doesn't help.

Give them a little credit. Those last 3 games will certainly be enough to judge JP by going into next season. After pulling the plug four games into this season, I am absolutely confident that this staff won't make a hasty decision on an issue that will affect their success for the next five to ten years.

If they're going to fire anyone, they should fire Tom Donahoe. Its been five years since Donahoe took over a hideous team. They're still hideous. We've changed coaches. We've changed player personnel. No results. The time for accountability at the top is rapidly approaching.

Coming off an 8-8 season, what makes you think Holcomb would be the starter? The Bills went 9-7 in 2004 and all it earned Drew Bledsoe was a trip out of town.

It doesn't, and never did. The only way it would pay off is if the Bills made the playoffs. Needing to finish roughly 9-3 at the time Losman was benched, the odds of that happening were not particularly good. Although you don't want to give up on a season, especially in week 4, sometimes you have to be willing to see the inevitable, and it was clear that this team had major problems besides the QB. The problem now is that Mularkey has painted himself into a corner. Benching Holcomb would be an admission that he made a mistake, yet if he leaves him in and the Bills miss the playoffs, its going to be quite clear that he screwed up. The only out for Mularkey is if the Bills can find a way to make the playoffs, otherwise, Mularkey may have tied his own future with the organization to the increasingly likely failure of this QB switch.

Has he passed for over 400 yards total in his last three games? BTW, I know you're being sarcastic. Just making a point to those who raked JP over the coals for poor passing yardage totals in his starts.

I never disagreed with you. The Bills lack talent on both lines and it is severely limiting an otherwise solid football team. Until they address the problems up front on both sides of the ball, they will not be much of a contender.

That's exactly why I was also against the QB switch. I don't think we're a playoff team with either Losman or Holcomb, so what's the point of getting a couple extra wins against cupcake teams? There isn't one. Get Losman in there, get him some experience and for crying out loud, get something accomplished for the long-term this season. As it is, it seems we're just supposed to be satisfied with being consistently mediocre.