Athletic article on JP Losman

[Alphadawg7]

JP had all the tools and none of coaching or development needed to hone it.  I’ve often wondered if he could have had a much better career had he been drafted somewhere else. 
 

Glad to see he is doing so well though

[eball]

41 minutes ago, Arm of Harm said:

Losman and Tyrod fell between two stools.

 

Bar stools?

[WhoTom]

20 hours ago, jkeerie said:

As George Bernard Shaw said:  "Those who can do, those who cannot teach."

 

People like to quote that as if it were a scientific fact. I'd like to see any one of them survive a year in front of a classroom.

 

 

[prissythecat]

7 hours ago, dave mcbride said:

Wrong you are.

 

Not really .   That was a cringe worthy interview.  Just from those few seconds you  could  see that JP was someone who may be a nice guy but just wasn't the most cerebral of QBs.  And unfortunately,  thats what JP was.   He had great physical tools .  But mentally wasn't there.  I recall rumors that when he was with the Bills he shunned studying film while other guys like Edwards and Hamdan were always watching .  In my mind , that is a big reason why he washed out.  Football is not just about your physical gifts.     The Fairburn article seems to say he has embraced studying the game now.  So maybe he's learned his lesson.   But lets temper some things here as well...   "Offensive analyst"  is not exactly a high level coaching position .    I would expect someone who played QB who had a talent for coaching would at the very least come in as a position coach.

[Albany,n.y.]

2 hours ago, chongli said:

 

Reminds me of a good adage: "you haven't taught until the student has learned".

 

Yeah, in 2005, in anticipation of a glorious Bills season, I subscribed to Sunday Ticket for the first time ever, and got DirecTV instead of cable. The Bills started 1-0, but it was all downhill after that. I never subscribed to Sunday Ticket again, lol.

I can't believe I typed 2015 instead of 2005.  Senior moment.  I went back & edited my OP.  

[Albany,n.y.]

1 hour ago, Alphadawg7 said:

JP had all the tools and none of coaching or development needed to hone it.  I’ve often wondered if he could have had a much better career had he been drafted somewhere else. 
 

Glad to see he is doing so well though

Another one who is ignoring the fact that Sam Wyche was one of the top QB coaches in the league.  He was not past his prime as another poster wrote.  The only time a coach is past his prime is if he doesn't keep up with changes in the league & Wyche was an innovator not a dinosaur. 

The people who say he was poorly coached are the ones past their prime.  I thought getting Sam Wyche to coach the QBs was a brilliant move.  He had nothing to work with.  

[Rico]

14 minutes ago, Albany,n.y. said:

Another one who is ignoring the fact that Sam Wyche was one of the top QB coaches in the league.  He was not past his prime as another poster wrote.  The only time a coach is past his prime is if he doesn't keep up with changes in the league & Wyche was an innovator not a dinosaur. 

The people who say he was poorly coached are the ones past their prime.  I thought getting Sam Wyche to coach the QBs was a brilliant move.  He had nothing to work with.  

Sam Wyche's alarm clock did not work with Drew Bledsoe. Like you said though, he had nothing to work with.

[KCNC]

On 4/23/2021 at 7:17 PM, Arkady Renko said:

Makes me almost want to get an Athletic subscription.  Is it worth it?

Yes, for the NFL if nothing else.

[SirAndrew]

1 hour ago, Albany,n.y. said:

Another one who is ignoring the fact that Sam Wyche was one of the top QB coaches in the league.  He was not past his prime as another poster wrote.  The only time a coach is past his prime is if he doesn't keep up with changes in the league & Wyche was an innovator not a dinosaur. 

The people who say he was poorly coached are the ones past their prime.  I thought getting Sam Wyche to coach the QBs was a brilliant move.  He had nothing to work with.  

Valid points, Sam Wyche an innovator with the Bengals in the 80’s, but that was twenty years before his time with the Bills. I’m not convinced he was still an innovator in the 2000’s. Wyche was out of football from 95-04, before joining the Bills staff. There was no consistent success from Wyche to prove he wasn’t a dinosaur by the time he joined us. Once an innovator, doesn’t mean forever an innovator. 

[jkeerie]

2 hours ago, WhoTom said:

 

People like to quote that as if it were a scientific fact. I'd like to see any one of them survive a year in front of a classroom.

 

 

I don't look at it as a commentary on teaching per se.  It's more of an observation that for some, they may have knowledge and understanding of something...but are unsuccessful doing it themselves.  In this case making Losman perhaps a better teacher of QBs than being a QB himself.  A corallary is that they teach those who can.  I admire Losman for pursuing the sport in a way he can successfully contribute.

[Arm of Harm]

7 minutes ago, SirAndrew said:

Valid points, Sam Wyche an innovator with the Bengals in the 80’s, but that was twenty years before his time with the Bills. I’m not convinced he was still an innovator in the 2000’s. Wyche was out of football from 95-04, before joining the Bills staff. There was no consistent success from Wyche to prove he wasn’t a dinosaur by the time he joined us. Once an innovator, doesn’t mean forever an innovator. 

 

Not really sure the QB coach needs to be an innovator. That's the offensive coordinator's job. The QB coach does need to understand the game of football and the QB position. Also he needs to be a very good teacher. Sam Wyche had a very strong reputation in both those areas.

[SirAndrew]

10 minutes ago, Arm of Harm said:

 

Not really sure the QB coach needs to be an innovator. That's the offensive coordinator's job. The QB coach does need to understand the game of football and the QB position. Also he needs to be a very good teacher. Sam Wyche had a very strong reputation in both those areas.

I agree, I’m just addressing the idea that Wyche was an innovator, and some type of great addition to our coaching staff. I’m not convinced that Wyche was up to date on the game in 2004. He was out of the NFL for almost a decade. I don’t know if there’s a back story to Wyche joining us, but on the surface it doesn’t seem like he was in demand. He was a Super Bowl head coach who joined a disastrous franchise as just a QB coach. I’m not sure how highly he was thought of by teams in 2004. I do recall him having some major health issue, and possibly couldn’t have handled a greater position in 2004, but Wyche just seemed like a random guy to pull out in 2004.

Edited April 24, 2021 by SirAndrew

[Dick_Cheney]

One of my favorite Bills, can't blame him exclusively for how things turned out. Dude made bank and is living the dream. Thanks for sharing.

[Buftex]

On 4/23/2021 at 6:17 PM, Arkady Renko said:

Makes me almost want to get an Athletic subscription.  Is it worth it?

It is the first, and only on-line subcription I have ever paid for.  I get my use out of it.  

[Buftex]

I really liked JP and wanted him to succeed.  Loved the way he embraced Buffalo.

 

We all know that the organization was a mess...he wasn't in the best situation, but as I recall, he really never came up big when he had his chances, save the Houston game.  He was just too erratic.  Sure, you can blame the offensive line (to be honest, I barely remember the details of those seasons anymore, it is all a blur of mediocrity), but good QB's have a way of overcoming those things. QB's on bad teams will always have to overcome things like bad line play, and O-line struggles.  If he is good, his play helps them overcome those things...coaches don't get fired, there is stability.  

 

JP had some nice moments, but he played like he had the proverbial "bumble bee" in his helmet all too often.  He may have been a decent QB under better circumstances, but I think, in the end, he really wasn't any better, or treated any worse than EJ Manuel was.  

[Mike in Horseheads]

That was a great read, thanks for posting!

[Buffalo Barbarian]

12 hours ago, Albany,n.y. said:

JP's QB coach was Sam Wyche, one of the best in the business for a position coach.  If coaching made such a difference JP would be on the Wall of Fame.  

The only people who wanted Josh gone were the stat boys who don't know how to watch a game without a stat sheet.  

 

Josh was not great in college nor his first season but its clear that he had "it". Not saying its always coaching some guys just are no good, but like i said Allen doesnt succeed for the jets.

 

 

[cage]

21 hours ago, NoHuddleKelly12 said:

Thanks @cage, I just signed up based in no small part on your detailed recommendation, looks like the deal for $1/month vs 7.99/month was enough to reel me in this time 😁. 

 

np.... as you're probably still tooling around the site and with just a few days before the draft.  Here is Dana Brugler's complete NFL draft guide ranking every player available and then some.  This alone makes the subscription worth it!

 

https://theathletic.com/2499821/2021/04/18/2021-nfl-draft-guide-636-prospects-ranked-415-scouting-reports-from-dane-brugler-the-beast-is-here/

Edited April 25, 2021 by cage

[dave mcbride]

15 hours ago, prissythecat said:

 

Not really .   That was a cringe worthy interview.  Just from those few seconds you  could  see that JP was someone who may be a nice guy but just wasn't the most cerebral of QBs.  And unfortunately,  thats what JP was.   He had great physical tools .  But mentally wasn't there.  I recall rumors that when he was with the Bills he shunned studying film while other guys like Edwards and Hamdan were always watching .  In my mind , that is a big reason why he washed out.  Football is not just about your physical gifts.     The Fairburn article seems to say he has embraced studying the game now.  So maybe he's learned his lesson.   But lets temper some things here as well...   "Offensive analyst"  is not exactly a high level coaching position .    I would expect someone who played QB who had a talent for coaching would at the very least come in as a position coach.

Um ... I think you’re not getting the joke??

[dgrochester55]

JP was not a good QB but seemed to be a decent guy who gave it his best.   His bombs to Lee Evans and Parrish were exciting to watch, but he could never really develop a short passing game anywhere near good enough to be a successful NFL starter.   I always thought that if you combined Losmans deep passing, Edwards short passing and Fitz's determination and hustle that you could have had a franchise QB. 

 

Glad to see that he has made a career in the coaching field and hope that he does well.    Stories like this are a good lesson that a person can recover and succeed in another field if they have a major failure or set back in their life or career.