Around the league
Updated: Feb. 11, 2005
By Len Pasquarelli
ESPN.com
• After a couple of weeks at home in California, quarterback J.P. Losman arrived back at the Buffalo Bills complex this week to begin offseason workouts, and there is a pretty good reason why the 2004 first-round pick is suddenly the team's early bird in the weight room. The decision has essentially already been made by Bills officials, several sources told ESPN.com, that Losman, who missed much of his rookie season recovering from a broken leg suffered in training camp, will be the starter in 2005. In fact, it is believed that Buffalo officials have apprised Drew Bledsoe of the plan to elevate the former Tulane star to the top of the depth chart and are giving the 12-year veteran some time to consider the ramifications of the move, and to determine if he wants to return to the Bills as the backup. Bledsoe is due a $1.05 million roster bonus in early March, and a base salary of $3.3 million for 2005, and has a salary cap charge of $6 million-plus. The Bills seem to feel they have gone about as far as they can with Bledsoe, and view the success of Ben Roethlisberger in Pittsburgh this season as validation that you can win with a young quarterback when you surround him with solid talent. Losman appeared in just four games in 2004, all cameos, and threw only five passes. But head coach Mike Mularkey and his staff are enamored of the former Tulane signal caller, both from a physical and intangibles standpoint, and are ready to make the transition. As for Bledsoe, well, the Bills maintain a great deal of respect for the veteran and want to do right by him. There has been some speculation that the Dallas Cowboys might be interested in Bledsoe, who began his NFL career under Bill Parcells at New England in 1993 and at 33 is eight years younger than Vinny Testaverde. Then again, Bledsoe might prefer to be released, and then choose his own landing spot for 2005. If he did wind up in Dallas, there would be some irony to such a relocation. It was the Cowboys who dealt Buffalo a first-round pick in the '04 draft, and the extra selection was used by the Bills to grab Losman. It should be noted, in the case of Bledsoe and other veterans suddenly on the bubble with their teams, that players cannot be officially released until Feb. 22.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/s ... id=1989339
NOW - maybe we can beat teams WITH winning records!
haha, actually it might take a season for two before Losman gets up to speed - can't wait to see how he pans out though... wtf do we have to wait so long for the next season!
