Kahran Ramsus 0 Report post Posted August 25, 2004 Bills QB Losman injured in practice By JOHN WAWROW, AP Sports Writer August 24, 2004 PITTSFORD, N.Y. (AP) -- Buffalo Bills rookie quarterback J.P. Losman hurt his left ankle during practice Tuesday and had to be carted off the field. Bills president Tom Donahoe didn't update Losman's condition, as the player was still having tests a half-hour after practice ended. The injury initially appeared serious, as Losman was unable to put any weight on his injured leg as he was helped into a cart and driven to the locker room. Losman, the second of Buffalo's two first-round picks, was hurt two hours into practice when he was finishing a run up the right side during a two-minute drill. As he was pulling up, cornerback Troy Vincent laid a shoulder into Losman's upper body, knocking him over. Losman got up and immediately started limping, before falling back to the ground. Trainers attended to him for about five minutes on the field, and Vincent came over and shook his hand. Calling the collision an accident, coach Mike Mularkey said: ``Troy's not going to try to hurt anybody and J.P., he loosened up right there at the end -- you can't do that.'' Vincent said the two collided when Losman attempted to cut back into the middle. ``I didn't hit him to tackle him, he was cutting back and I just happened to catch the blade of his shoulder pad,'' Vincent said. ``I didn't know he had fallen. I just continued to run, and when I looked back, he was on the ground.'' Selected 22nd overall out of Tulane, Losman is being groomed as Drew Bledsoe's eventual successor. In Buffalo's two preseason games, he went a combined 9-of-11 for 78 yards, and is second on the team in rushing with 80 yards on seven carries. Losman has also engineered three scoring drives -- all ending in field goals -- in the five series he's been in. Bills starting left tackle Jonas Jennings also left practice after twisting his right ankle. Jennings was still limping slightly, but able to take part in a scheduled fire prevention promotion after practice. Jennings expects to resume practicing Wednesday. Receiver Eric Moulds watched most of practice from the sideline, nursing a sore chest, which he hurt in Saturday's 16-15 preseason loss to Tennessee. Moulds said he expects to be back at practice on Wednesday. Starting running back Travis Henry (bruised ribs) missed his second straight practice and said he doesn't expect to play Saturday in a preseason game at Indianapolis. Punter Brian Moorman returned to practice for the first time since hurting his left leg last Wednesday. Backup offensive lineman Marcus Price practiced on a limited basis for the first time since hurting a toe on his left foot in Buffalo's preseason-opening win against Denver on Aug. 15. Cornerback Terrence McGee and safety Mark Graham did not practice. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
starvenger 0 Report post Posted August 25, 2004 So where's the part where he broke his leg? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kahran Ramsus 0 Report post Posted August 25, 2004 So where's the part where he broke his leg? By Len Pasquarelli ESPN.com First-round draft choice J.P. Losman, the heir apparent to Drew Bledsoe with the Buffalo Bills, will likely miss at least the first half of his rookie season after he fractured his left fibula Tuesday during practice. Such injuries typically require a recovery time of eight to 12 weeks. The injury, said to be similar to one sustained by Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick in a preseason game last summer, occurred when Losman was finishing up a run during a two-minute drill. As he pulled up near the conclusion of the play, Losman was hit by cornerback Troy Vincent and knocked over. Losman attempted to pick himself up, limped a few steps, then collapsed. He was treated on the field by Bills trainers for about five minutes and then taken off on a cart, as Vincent came over to shake his hand. Vincent said the collision occurred as Losman attempted to cut back to the middle. "I didn't hit him to tackle him," Vincent said. "He was cutting back, and I just happened to catch the blade of his [shoulder] pad. I didn't even know he had fallen. I just continued to run, and when I looked back, he was on the ground." Losman's agent, Gary Wichard, told ESPN.com that he and Buffalo team officials were still considering treatment options. Wichard said one of the options is surgery that would insert a plate to stabilize the fracture and promote healing. There is nothing that will dramatically speed the recovery and rehabilitation, process and Losman, who played well in the Bills' first two preseason outings, will lose valuable practice time. The Bills weren't counting on the former Tulane star contributing much as a rookie, but he is clearly being groomed to supplant Bledsoe within the next couple years. Losman was the second of the Bills' two choices in the first round, and Buffalo had to trade up into Dallas' spot at No. 22, sacrificing their first-round pick in 2005, to get him. General manager Tom Donahoe, who remains unafraid to make bold moves even in the face of occasional criticism, obviously felt Losman represented the team's future. The quarterback signed a five-year contract with a base value of $7.7 million, including $5.586 million guaranteed, largely an initial signing bonus and two option bonuses. The contract can top out, with escalators, at $24.58 million. Losman, 23, was the fourth quarterback chosen in the first round this year, behind Eli Manning, Philip Rivers and Ben Roethlisberger, but there are some scouts who felt that he was as good as those prospects, and even superior in some areas. Certainly he is the best pure athlete of the group, and had to be, playing behind a suspect offensive line in college. A natural leader, whose passion for the game is sometimes misread as petulance, Losman impressed Buffalo officials this spring by spending more time in the complex than was required of him. A self-styled "gym rat," Losman succeeded former Washington Redskins first-rounder Patrick Ramsey as the Tulane starter. He completed 570 of 987 passes for 6,754 yards, with 60 touchdown passes and 27 interceptions. Bills starting left offensive tackle Jonas Jennings also left the Tuesday practice early after twisting his right ankle. That injury is not considered serious. Len Pasquarelli is a senior writer for ESPN.com. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
starvenger 0 Report post Posted August 25, 2004 Cool, thanks. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MrRant 0 Report post Posted August 25, 2004 Chad Brown broke his fibula yesterday and is expected out 8 weeks. Thank god there is a bye in there as well. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Salacious Crumb Report post Posted August 25, 2004 Well that probably saved Bledsoe's job for at least this season. A healthy Losman would've taken his job by mid-season. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
