JP Losman as a Buffalo Bill

[Guest Vitamin X]

'My head was spinning inside my helmet'

 

By J.P. Losman - SportingNews

 

The other day at minicamp practice, I became a little confused. I was in such a hurry to get the play called that I guess I mixed in some terminology from my days at Venice (Calif.) High School and Tulane University.

 

My Bills teammates looked at me as if I was from Mars.

 

My coaches chuckled.

 

I was so angry at myself I wanted to rip my helmet off and bounce it off the turf at Ralph Wilson Stadium.

 

See, I've always been a football player, and I've always had an excellent grasp of the game. But these past few weeks, I've discovered that the transition from college star to NFL newbie can be both complicated and humbling. I'm trying not to be so hard on myself, but it isn't easy. I know I need to realize this learning process won't happen overnight. I've got to be patient.

 

I've been through two minicamps with the Bills, and there are three more to go before we get a six-week break before the start of training camp July 31. Actually, the NFL refers to these recent workouts as organized team activities, or OTAs, instead of minicamps. Sounds like we're getting together for field trips and cookouts, but I can assure you that although this is fun, we aren't sitting around campfires toasting marshmallows and singing "Kumbaya."

 

Coach Mike Mularkey and his staff cram a lot of material into a short period of time. This truly is a crash course. There's so much to learn and so little time to learn it.

 

I believe it's all starting to sink in. I'm becoming more familiar with the terminology and the concepts of changing formations and putting people in motion. I'm feeling more comfortable and confident each practice. But there have been times when I felt like my head was spinning inside my helmet.

 

Life has been a blur since the Bills traded up on draft day so they could select me with the 22nd pick in the first round. But it's been a pleasant blur. I liken it to cruising the Ventura Highway in a really fast car. I love it. This is what I've dreamed about since I was a little kid.

 

I was so excited to come to Buffalo because Jim Kelly was one of my favorite quarterbacks growing up -- along with Brett Favre and John Elway, a Californian like me. Although I'm from SoCal and lived near the beach, I've never liked that surfer- dude stereotype. I admired Kelly and Favre most of all for their toughness. I think that's an essential quality to being a successful quarterback.

 

I can't help but feel as if I am coming here with something to prove. The competitor in me wants to show all those NFL personnel people and media types who dissed me that they were wrong for not putting me in the same category as Eli Manning, Ben Roethlisberger and Philip Rivers -- the three QBs drafted ahead of me. I have nothing against those guys; we've become friends and have exchanged phone numbers and e-mail addresses. We even traded our football cards with one another at the NFL rookie photo shoot in L.A. I just believe that I'm as good a quarterback as they are.

 

There are people who think I'm arrogant for saying that. They really got on my case when I made those statements before the draft. But I felt that NFL people had really overlooked me. I was the other quarterback, the fourth guy in a party of three. I just said what was on my mind. I'm sure if you asked Eli, Ben and Philip who they thought was the best among us, each of them would say he was. That's not being cocky; that's just believing in yourself, and you better have that belief if you want to play at this level.

 

NFL teams don't waste any time indoctrinating you. The day after the draft, my quarterbacks coach, Sam Wyche, was faxing me plays that I would be running in drills during my first minicamp just five days later. They test you right off the bat. They throw you into the water to see if you can swim.

 

I feel as if I'm in a great situation here because I get to work with Coach Wyche. He really is one of the masters. He's a guy who molded quarterbacks such as Joe Montana and Boomer Esiason, so when he says something, you know you can take it to the bank.

 

I love working with him because he is passionate about the game, just like I am. During last week's practices, he was constantly throwing pop quizzes at me on the field. He challenges you mentally to make sure you understand the entire concept of the play, and he's really big on technique. He'll notice the little things, such as your arm angle on your throws or the length of your drops. He'll notice if you dropped back a few inches too far or a few inches too short. After each minicamp -- oops, I mean, OTA -- he'll send the quarterbacks a DVD critiquing every throw they made. He'll also call me during my off-days to talk about football. The joke is that he spends more time on the phone with me than he does with his wife, who won't be moving up to Buffalo to join him until the summer.

 

The other thing I like about Coach Wyche is his sense of humor. He's extremely organized, but he also likes to keep it fun, and that's so important because football is such a repetitious sport. You run plays over and over and over again. If you aren't careful, it can become pretty monotonous. But Coach Wyche finds ways of making sure it stays fresh.

 

He went over this list of 10 things he wanted to accomplish at last week's session. The first six things were fairly basic, but when you got to the seventh item, there was a joke. I can't remember exactly what it was about, but it caused all of us quarterbacks to burst out laughing.

 

We were running some plays last week, and I went up to him and said, "Coach, I got it. I got it." Then, I went out there and screwed up the play. I went back to him like a dog with its tail between its legs and said, "Coach, remind me not to say I've got it until I've really got it." He got a chuckle out of that. I really think we are beginning to form a bond, and that's so important because all quarterbacks need that extra set of eyes to help them succeed. Sam's such a good guy that he even offered to let me stay at his house and use his car for the weekend to check out the sights in Buffalo.

 

The veterans also have been very helpful to me. There was a time when I was getting all excited, trying to spit out the play as fast as I could, when one of my offensive linemen said: "Slow down, J.P. Just take your time. Nobody expects you to have it all down pat just yet." I wish I could tell you who the guy was, but I'm still learning names. I guess I need to study the roster as well as the playbook.

 

I was surprised to find that even guys on defense are in your corner. The other day, a defensive back pulled me aside and said: "Man, you are starting to get it. Yesterday, you were telegraphing it. I could tell by your eyes where you were going with the throw. But today, you were looking guys off and throwing the opposite way. I had a lot tougher time reading you." Little things like that make you feel really accepted, and that's important because I'm in a leadership position, and I wasn't certain how the veteran guys were going to react to a "hotshot" rookie.

 

But so far, they've been great, and I credit a lot of that to Drew Bledsoe. I had heard that Drew was a really classy guy, and from working with him, I've discovered that he's even better than advertised. He called me right after he restructured his contract and said: "J.P., we are going to have a lot of fun, and we are going to take care of business in Buffalo. If you ever have a question about anything, don't be afraid to ask. I'll teach you anything you want to know."

 

He's been true to his word. A lot of people have billed me as Drew's heir apparent, and sometimes in those situations the returning starter decides to have nothing to do with you. That can make things really strained. But Drew has been anything but aloof. He is so secure in his ability and such a good guy that he's helped make my transition to pro ball very smooth.

 

The veterans, though, do like to keep you in your place. During practice, the defenders yell out, "The rookie's in. Let's get ready for a pick." And they give me the business whenever I put on an Incubus CD in the locker room. Some have even started calling me "Incubus" after my all-time favorite rock group. Others call me Adam Sandler because they think I look like him. Even Drew has joined in on the razzing. He makes me carry his helmet in from practice every day.

 

After one recent workout, a bunch of us were sitting around in the locker room, and one of our offensive linemen -- sorry, I don't remember his name, either -- started busting on me. He said to Bledsoe: "Drew, I asked the rookie for some money, and he said he didn't have any. What are we going to do?" And Drew said, "Don't worry. Once he signs that big contract, we'll make him take us out to eat." That's a scary thought, given the size of some of these guys. I may have to ask for an even bigger signing bonus just to take care of that meal.

 

So far, the coaching staff has introduced about 50 percent of the playbook. We ran a fairly sophisticated offense at Tulane, but it's much more complex at this level. Our playbook here weighs eight pounds -- as much as a new-born baby -- and I'm told it's only going to get heavier once the regular season arrives, and we start game-planning. A pro quarterback is responsible for knowing so much more than a college QB. For example, a basic pass play at Tulane wouldn't allow for any route adjustments by the receivers. They ran their patterns, and that was that. But a basic pass play with three wideouts here allows for all sorts of adjustments. Depending on the defense, you could have as many as 12 options with your receivers on a single play.

 

Although we aren't wearing pads and no contact is allowed, I've noticed the difference in the size and speed of the guys, especially along the defensive line. It's amazing how mobile and athletic they are. I'm told once you are out there for real and are live bait, they become even quicker. At Tulane, you might play against one guy like that in a game -- or if you were playing against a big-time program like Texas, you might see several guys who were huge and quick. But here, everybody is huge and quick. It's scary.

 

At this point, we spend almost as much time in meetings as we do on the field. Because I don't have NFL experience, I feel as if Coach Wyche is devoting more time to me. I'm trying to absorb as much as I can as quickly as I can because I don't want to let him or the organization down. I want to be ready to pay them back because they showed faith in me when other teams didn't. I don't know how much I'm going to play this year because I have a future Hall of Fame quarterback in front of me, but I want to be ready just in case my opportunity comes quicker than expected.

 

I've been fortunate because I've been getting a lot of reps right now. But I realize that will change the closer we get to training camp. Drew will get the lion's share of the snaps then.

 

A bunch of us rookies are staying at the team hotel in a Buffalo suburb, about 10 minutes from the stadium. I've been rooming with Nathan Chandler, Iowa's starting quarterback last year. He's been a great help to me. We quiz one another right before bed and the minute we wake up. The rooming arrangements remind me a little bit of college. In a way, we're like freshmen staying in a freshmen dorm.

 

There's a mall across the street, and we'll go there to grab dinner, shop and catch a movie. Cruising the mall has helped me begin to realize how much the people here are into football. They actually know who we are even though none of us has been on local television that much. They ask you for your autograph, but they are very polite about it. They aren't like starstruck fans. They are very down-to-earth people. They ask you how you are doing and make you feel at home.

 

This is all new for me because people in New Orleans were pretty apathetic about Tulane football. Hell, the school came close to getting rid of the program; that's how bad things were. We'd play in front of small crowds in the Superdome. I've been told The Ralph is a nutty place on Sunday afternoons. I can't wait to experience that stadium packed and jacked.

 

The media coverage here is quite different, too. There were two dozen or so reporters here at our final practice last week. We wouldn't get anywhere near that many reporters for a regular-season game at Tulane unless, of course, we were playing some national program like Texas.

 

I'm sure the fact I'm wearing No. 7 is going to get a lot of play, because it was the jersey number Doug Flutie wore in Buffalo. Initially, I toyed with the idea of going with No. 4 in honor of Favre and as an incentive reminder that I was the fourth quarterback taken in the 2004 draft. But I've worn 7 since my youth league days, and it has special meaning to my family. Three of my uncles and a cousin wore it before I did at Venice High School, and a few of my cousins wore the number there after I graduated. Those were the people who really inspired me, so I thought this was a way of continuing a family tradition and letting them share in my success.

 

Bills fans obviously associate No. 7 with Flutie. But if things work out the way I envision, there will come a time when No. 7 will be linked with me the way No. 12 is linked with Jim Kelly.

 

Of course, first things first. I've got to digest this eight-pound playbook before I can even think about turning my dream into a reality. I've got to learn how to walk before I can run.

 

Damn I wish Green Bay would have been able to draft this kid. Fuck Ahmad Carroll and Mike McKenzie who necessitated the pick for Carroll.

[Banter 0]

I'm looking forward to seeing this kid develop. I like his attitude and he has all the physical skills to be a top qb. Unlike Rivers and Manning, Losman will be able to sit for a season or two. Great pick by the Bills.

[Guest Vitamin X]

Try tellin that to bps21

[The Ghost of bps21 0]

I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and pray that two years listening to Sam Wyche will prepare him.

 

I like his attitude, and his abilities.

 

I do not like using first round picks on the crapshoot that is the QB position. And I like spending a first, second and fifth even less.

[Black Lushus 0]

yeah, but as a fellow diehard Bills fan, I can't say I've been too impressed with Drew Bledsoe the past couple years...now maybe it's the system and not just him, but they have too many damn good players on that team to be as wack as they are...though I'm not too sure the QB position is what they needed to target in the draft first, if anything I would say OL...

[Guest Vitamin X]

I think Gregg Williams was to blame for the Bills' relative lack of success, personally. Hopefully Mularkey can do a better job utilizing what has supposed to have been a great offense recently and now.

[TheBigSwigg 0]

I would have to say part of the problem last year was they let a large part of the team's success go elsewhere. Peerless Price, Jay Reimersma, and others. It was a stupid thing to do. Let's also not forget the #1 draft pick that didn't play at all last season.

[Guest Flyboy]

I think Losman has bust written all over him, but we'll see.

[Spaceman Spiff 0]

One can only hope.

[2GOLD 0]

I would have to say part of the problem last year was they let a large part of the team's success go elsewhere. Peerless Price, Jay Reimersma, and others. It was a stupid thing to do. Let's also not forget the #1 draft pick that didn't play at all last season.

 

Not to mention Bledsoe lives and dies on the Tight End position. See Ben Coates.

[The Ghost of bps21 0]

He didn't even use the TE position two years ago when Moulds was going to the Pro Bowl and Price was cashing in a ridiculous contract season.

 

The problem was that Peerless Price was gone, and the Offensive coordinator kept calling plays like he was there.

 

I'll break down the play calling on almost every drive last year:

 

1st and 10. We're throwing. Blitz.

 

2nd and 10. Henry runs for 7 yards.

 

3rd and short. We're passing. Every time. Blitz.

 

We passed on some ridiculous number of 3rd and shorts in a row. It was so bad that when a run was finally called after several weeks of predictable playcalling...Henry broke a 65 yard run as the defense sent everyone on the blitz.

[starvenger 0]

I'll break down the play calling on almost every drive last year:

 

1st and 10. We're throwing. Blitz.

 

2nd and 10. Henry runs for 7 yards.

 

3rd and short. We're passing. Every time. Blitz.

 

We passed on some ridiculous number of 3rd and shorts in a row. It was so bad that when a run was finally called after several weeks of predictable playcalling...Henry broke a 65 yard run as the defense sent everyone on the blitz.

Yeah, Buffalo had what TMQ would call a "pass-wacky" offence. In fact, I'm pretty sure he had a "run, don't pass" item on the Bills every single week that he had a column up.

 

Anyways, I can't say that I'm a Bills fan - in fact, I hate the Bills with a passion - but you gotta think that any offensive coordinator with a clue will do a better job over last year. It can't possibly be that hard to change up the playcalling from week to week, right?

[TheBigSwigg 0]

Yeah, Buffalo had what TMQ would call a "pass-wacky" offence. In fact, I'm pretty sure he had a "run, don't pass" item on the Bills every single week that he had a column up.

Especially with a Pro-Bowl tailback like Henry in the backfield. The guy played through broken ribs and you could hardly tell whenever he was given the ball. I hope they do better this year, though I hate McGahee.

[nl5xsk1 0]

First of all, if Losman's head's spinning now, wait until he has to face the Pats D twice a year. Better QB's than him have looked stupid in the face of that D, and I don't think that he'll be any different.

 

Second of all, as a long-time Pats fan, I can commiserate with bps on the play calling when Drew-sie under the center. If I had a dollar for everytime the team passed when it was third and short, I'd be a rich, rich man.