Losman, Bills come back to reality

JP Losman steps out of bounds behind the endzone line as Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Shelton Quarles closes in on him. Tampa was awarded a safety and that started the downhill swoon for the Bills.

[AP Photo/Robert Azmitia]

The Bills wore their throwback uniforms Sunday in Tampa Bay. That was the only thing that look good as the Bills put up a pitiful performance in losing to the Bucs 19-3. While the throwbacks were worn for the second straight week, they didn't give Buffalo any advantage in this game.

JP Losman had as dreadful a game as most Bills fans first feared when the Bills decided to go with him as their starter this season. He couldn't get the Bills offense rolling at all in the first half as they only had one first down and he had only 39 yards after 3 quarters. It got so bleak that Bills coach Mike Mularkey put in reserve Kelly Holcomb in the 4th quarter, only to see the Bills go 3 and out. Losman came in the next series and actually got the Bills down into the red zone very late in the game, only to be shutdown on a 4th down try.

"They had a good scheme," related Losman after the game. "They knew where we would be and they watched my eyes the whole game."

The Bills looked more like the UB Bulls than the team that whipped Houston the week before. It wasn't just Losman as the entire offense seemed to be operating on just one gear and the defense wore out as the game progressed.

The game was a scoreless tie until the Bills were pinned deep into their own end with a long Buccaneer punt. On third down, Losman backed up into the endzone to pass and planted his foot behind the back endzone line when he tried to avoid a sack by linebacker Shelton Quarles and safety Jermaine Phillips. Losman threw the ball away, but the ref signaled a safety.

"They brought the strong safety and there was a miscue between the quarterback and the receiver," said Losman. "I guess I just stepped out. I knew I was pretty far back."

That was the start of a downhill slide by the entire Bills team. After the Bills punted to give Tampa Bay possession again, the Bucs rammed the ball down the Bills throats, capping a 11- play, 67 yard drive almost 7 minutes later, taking a 9-0 lead.

Carnell "Cadillac" Williams, the rookie running back, wore down the Bills D with 128 yards on 24 carries and one TD. He was a battering ram that poked holes in the wilting Bills defense all day. Add 46 yards by Michael Pittman, and the Bucs had the Bills where they wanted them...overheated and out of breath.

This was Losman’s first NFL road start and he looked every bit the inexperience quarterback fans had feared. He completed only 12 of 29 for 113 yards and most of those came on his last two minute drive. Losman was sacked ones, hurried many times, but still didn’t commit any turnovers.

"It's a humbling experience," admitted Losman. "We came in high as a kite, and everyone was telling us how good we are. We met a team that matched us in intensity and physicalness.

Meanwhile, the player who was supposed to take the heat off of Losman had an even worse day. Willis McGahee had a miserable 34 yards on 13 carries. For the Bills offense to get going, they needed McGahee to show a little spark. Returning home to the state where he had his greatest success in college, McGahee looked like he was bothered by the heat more than any other Bills player.

Losman was benched in favor of Holcomb, but the second string quarterback comepleted 2 of 3 passes for a net gain of -1 yard.

"I put Kelly and Shaud (Williams) in there to see if we could get a spark at both positions," explained Bills coach Mike Mularkey. "We were stagnant all day. We were trying to just get something going."

Back came Losman in the next series and he seemed regenerated by the benching, looking like the poised quarterback he was the week before against Houston. His passes were on target (which they had not been most of the game) and he got the Bills in scoring position. However, like has been the case in each game so far, the Bills faltered in the red zone. So far the Bills have one more offensive touchdown that their college counterparts, the UB Bulls. The Bills hope they can finally unleash their potentially potent offense next week against the Atlanta Falcons.

Bills Talk

Mularkey hoped this defeat would be a learning experience for the Bills.

"It was a good lesson," he said. "They were more physical and executed better than we did. This is what can happen when you play a good football team. It is a wake-up call. Teams will be prepared when we step on the field."

He was asked why Losman struggled so badly in this game.

"I have to look (at the game films)," Mularkey answered. "Some of the throws were not good. All the things that go into every play need to be looked at before I can determine why he struggled."

Losman gave the Bucs full credit for the win.

"I think we just played a tough defense that didn’t allow us too many chances," Losman said. "They gave us opportunities, but when you play good teams you cannot be inaccurate when you get those opportunities. For some reason, the throws were not there this week."

Did the blitz upset his rhythm?

"It didn’t bother me," Lossman said. "I expected them to blitz more, actually. I am expecting it on every play."

How about the benching? Did that bother him?

"I am upset," Losman said honestly. "I don’t want to share my position, but this is a team game. I realize I am young and the coaches know what’s best for me."

Said Eric Moulds about Losman, "I think he was getting so much pressure .He was trying to rush his throws a little bit. He was missing guys on certain plays." 

McGahee talked about his poor performance.

"It wasn’t just the quarterback, everyone was struggling today," McGahee said. It’s a team game. I was just trying to make something happen to get the team going."

"They (the Bucs defense) are very good. We couldn’t get going all day and kept our defense on the field longer than we would have liked."

The Bills defense laid an egg on the field after their egos got inflated from the Houston game. Some were comparing the Bills D to the Chicago Bears one that won the Super Bowl in the mid 80s, or the Ravens Super Bowl defense.

"You're judged by your last performance each and every week," said London Fletcher. "We had a great one coming out. Now we're back to Square One."

Speaking about being back to Square One, that’s one of the only good things to come out of Sunday...the Bills are back to square one, tied with all the other AFC East teams who have an identical 1-1 record. Both the Patriots and Dolphins lost, putting the Bills in a 4-way tie.

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