Losman to the Pack?

[sheepshead]

This from scout.com

He has always intrigued me but I have not seen him play much.


Say ‘No’ to Losman
Ted Thompson may be on the verge of making his worst move as the Green Bay Packers’ general manager.

Rumors of the Packers seeking a trade for J.P. Losman have gained steam lately. Green Bay picked up an extra fourth-round compensatory pick, and possess three of the first 60 picks in the NFL draft, so the ammo for such a trade exists. And after Quinn Gray signed with Houston and Gus Frerotte went to Minnesota, the free agent pool is drying out ... teasing with a disastrous possibility: J.P. Losman on a Green Bay Packers’ roster.

The Bills are seeking a third-rounder for Losman, who was beaten out by Trent Edwards in Buffalo. This asking price will most likely be lowered, considering that Green Bay is the only team in dire-strait need of a backup quarterback.

Losman is unworthy of a No. 2 quarterback job in the NFL. Check that, he's unworthy of a NFL roster spot.

With the Bills he was given every opportunity to be Jim Kelly and looked every bit like Rob Johnson. He went 10-21 as Buffalo’s starter, and was beaten out by a journeyman (Kelly Holcomb) and a third-round rookie (Trent Edwards). No patience in the pocket. No command of the offense in crunch time. And no hope for improvement. Losman’s deficiencies are unbreakable. You can’t correct the fundamentals of a fifth-year veteran. They’re engrained.

More than a lack of talent, Losman’s presence in the locker room would be a lingering distraction. He’d constantly be the elephant in the room. The backup peering over Rodgers’ shoulder, waiting for a slip-up. In Buffalo, Losman has rubbed many fans the wrong way with his attitude, whether it’s pouting alone on the bench during Edwards’ first start or clamoring that he hasn’t been given a shot.

Well, he has - 31 starts to be exact. And he’s been nothing but a jittery, unstable turnover waiting to happen. It’d be the worst use of a third-round pick this side of B.J. Sander.

The Packers must find a veteran quarterback who realizes and accepts his role as backup/mentor. Not a competitor. Considering Rodgers’ injury history, the Packers must choose wisely. Gray or Frerotte would have been ideal choices. Holcomb may be the calm, quiet veteran the team needs. Eleven years of experience at a very cheap price sure beats four years of failure for a draft pick.

[DonHutson]

And this is the guy who seemed to have no problem keeping Craig Nall on the bench...

[KYPack]

Losman was being touted as the Bills QB for the next decade in '06. He had some last minute comebacks and threw for 19 TD's. This review of his career is pretty negative, I disagree with this for instance, "Losman is unworthy of a No. 2 quarterback job in the NFL. Check that, he's unworthy of a NFL roster spot.". He had some success as an NFL starter, that statement is pretty harsh for a yound QB.

There have been lots of head scratching about Losman. He has a live arm, but he is deficient in some of the areas talked about in the article.

If we were to trade for an established vet, I'd prefer Chris Simms, but Losman might be a possibility. He isn't worth a 3rd (He was a #1 pick), but the extra 4th might get him come draft day. He's light years ahead of Nall, for instance.

I've seen him play and play quite well. He took his demotion poorly, and brooded about it. Maybe he needs a mental correction and change of scenery.

[Deputy Nutz]

Losman is a loose cannon on the field that has never been instructed or taught how to play in the NFL. He would actually get proper instruction in Green Bay and if Clemens and McCarthy couldn't straighten him out then there is little hope for the man.

Its those damn Tulane QBs, they trick everyone.

[Spaulding]

I think the article is bunk as why would Ted part with even a 4th round pick for a backup player that is already 27? He's already developed bad tendencies and although "experienced" in the sense he's started NFL games, I would think drafting a QB with that same 4th or later pick and being able to mold them with good coaching would be much more desireable and quite a bit cheaper.

[KYPack]

Losman is a loose cannon on the field that has never been instructed or taught how to play in the NFL. He would actually get proper instruction in Green Bay and if Clemens and McCarthy couldn't straighten him out then there is little hope for the man.

Its those damn Tulane QBs, they trick everyone.

I agree. Some time with Clements & MM would help the boy. He has brooded, but he has been jacked around during his stay in Buffalo.

The Packers have one QB right now. (Nall and the two kids don't count) We need an experienced guy to be a back-up. We need a back-up and a kid with potential from the draft. The bottom of the barrel is in sight for back-up candidates. I'd think Losman would be one prospect. The price for a real top flight guy like a Pennington are probably too high for TT. One of our extra 4ths for Losman might be the way we have to go.

Essentially, the guy has been a jug head, but he can sling it.

[Gunakor]

Losman was being touted as the Bills QB for the next decade in '06. He had some last minute comebacks and threw for 19 TD's. This review of his career is pretty negative, I disagree with this for instance, "Losman is unworthy of a No. 2 quarterback job in the NFL. Check that, he's unworthy of a NFL roster spot.". He had some success as an NFL starter, that statement is pretty harsh for a yound QB.

There have been lots of head scratching about Losman. He has a live arm, but he is deficient in some of the areas talked about in the article.

If we were to trade for an established vet, I'd prefer Chris Simms, but Losman might be a possibility. He isn't worth a 3rd (He was a #1 pick), but the extra 4th might get him come draft day. He's light years ahead of Nall, for instance.

I've seen him play and play quite well. He took his demotion poorly, and brooded about it. Maybe he needs a mental correction and change of scenery.

The Packers would have to trade thier own 4th round pick, because the extra 4th round pick is a compensatory pick and can't be traded. That said, I wouldn't be averse to such a trade. Losman has starting experience. Even if he wasn't specatcular as a starter, he does have starting experience. He's seen NFL defenses and has an idea of what to expect in various situations. Given proper coaching I think he could be a descent #2. I wouldn't trust him to be my regular starter, but I don't know how much better we could do for a backup at this point. As was mentioned in the article, the more ideal choices are gone already.

[sheepshead]

And this is the guy who seemed to have no problem keeping Craig Nall on the bench...

great point

[texaspackerbacker]

We don't need Losman or Pennington or anybody else that comes with significant cost.

My own idea is that Nall is plenty good enough. If not, there will undoubtedly be somebody cut in training camp that we can get without giving up a draft pick.

[The Leaper]

Re: Losman to the Pack?

My thoughts on the article:

I do agree with the notion that Losman is more of a distraction than a very established vet on the downside of his career, as Losman no doubt still has strong aspirations of being a starting QB. However, I don't necessarily view this as entirely negative. Rodgers should not merely be handed the starting job carte blanche.

To claim that a QB who has thrown more TDs than INTs in his career does not deserve an NFL roster spot is ludicrous. Losman did show relative improvement from 2004 to 2005, and again from 2005 to 2006...then regressed slightly in 2007, along with the rest of the team for the most part.

I chalk part of that up to Dick Jauron. He's not an offensive head coach, and prefers a non-talented, cerebral QB like Edwards even if the chances of winning long term with the guy are extremely remote. I also chalk part of that up to the schedule Losman faced in 2007.

DEN - average
@PIT - tough
@NE - hurt early

Losman returned several weeks later when Edwards was injured to rally the Bills to a win against the Jets when Edwards couldn't

CIN - easy
@MIA - easy
NE - ouch
@JAX - double ouch

He was benched after the JAX game.

Personally, I think Losman has a lot of physical talent but he has shown some struggle to grasp the mental side of the game. That isn't unusual for a young QB who relied mostly no his physical talent through high school and college. He needs to find a system that is QB friendly and a coaching staff that is committed to developing a QB properly.

I think Losman is a good fit for the WCO. He's relatively accurate (over 63% the last 2 years) and has the kind of rifle arm necessary to take advantage of precision routes. Give the kid a couple months under McCarthy, and I'm guessing you see a more disciplined QB. If McCarthy could corral Favre, he can corral just about anyone.

A late 4th for Losman would be a huge coup for TT IMO.

[Gunakor]

We don't need Losman or Pennington or anybody else that comes with significant cost.

My own idea is that Nall is plenty good enough. If not, there will undoubtedly be somebody cut in training camp that we can get without giving up a draft pick.

I don't think Losman would come at a significant cost. I'm pretty sure they are done waiting for him to develop in Buffalo and would be willing to dump him at a fairly moderate cost. I don't think a late 4th round pick would be too much for him. I'm quite certain that he'd sign for a backup's salary as well. Surely he knows that he's not going to be a starter right away, not after his disappointing stint in Buffalo.

Nall is garbage. I would trust Losman over Nall in a heartbeat should Rodgers go down with injury. Nall has, what, 40 pass completions and 1 TD for his career? I can't really guess on the length of actual PT he's had, but I know it's not much. I'd rather we signed a new backup, drafted a new #3, and sent Nall home. There's really not much to like about him.

[BlueBrewer]

We don't need Losman or Pennington or anybody else that comes with significant cost.

My own idea is that Nall is plenty good enough. If not, there will undoubtedly be somebody cut in training camp that we can get without giving up a draft pick.

Did you watch any of the Nall mop up duty last year. He was atrocious. My 13 year old nephew could have done as well as he did. He is no 2nd stringer. I'm all for Losman for a 4th.

[The Leaper]

My own idea is that Nall is plenty good enough.

Your own idea is 100% incorrect. Nall is not an NFL caliber QB, and he won't be on the roster come next September.

The only thing Nall is good for is to be the #3 guy behind Brett Favre (who never leaves the field) and a first round pick waiting in the wings as the #2 guy.

In other words, the waterboy.

[Bretsky]

Hey Sheepshead,

First off Welcome to PR; discussion is a but slow in here now but draft time and game threads in here are 2nd to none.

Lousman provides in interesting option. We have some very effective coaches here that can develop QB's. I'd have no issues giving up a late 4th for him; he appears to be a better option than anything out there via free agency right now. Maybe you could even score him for a 5th; if the Bills are shopping him they might have decided to go with Edwards and don't want the distraction of a former 1st rounder around.


Cheers,
B

[run pMc]

Did you watch any of the Nall mop up duty last year. He was atrocious.

My thoughts exactly. Based on what I've seen, I would not feel optimistic about GB's chances with Nall starting for 3-4 weeks if Rodgers gets hurt.

Losman would benefit from MM's QB school. BUF hasn't had the weapons on O that GB has. Most QB's take at least 16 (if not 32) starts for the lightbulb to go on. I worry about Losman's personality and whether he'd rock the boat if he were brought in. My guess is some of the veterans would tell him to STFU.

Still, why not bring in a guy who wants to compete for the job? Being content with being the backup smacks of a guy without competitive fire and a "just happy to be here" attitude.

It seems to me that TT will draft a QB and wait for the roster cuts (Pennington, Simms) to fill out the QB depth. I'd explore other options before pulling the trigger on Losman, but a late R4 would be worth it. TT spent a R4 on Cory Rodgers, after all.