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Bills players prefer Holcomb at QB


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players beginning to back Holcomb

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. - Awarded the starting job in February, Buffalo Bills quarterback J.P. Losman might have to compete with journeyman Kelly Holcomb to get it back next year.

Holcomb has more wins and better numbers than Losman this season. And don't think his teammates haven't noticed.

With one game left and Buffalo out of playoff contention, Bills players were making the case Wednesday that Holcomb deserves to battle for the No. 1 role next season.

"I think he deserves to get his fair shot at it," tight end Mark Campbell said.

"I think he's played enough to get a chance," added receiver Eric Moulds. "Hopefully, they'll give him an opportunity after this year to compete for the starting job."

Even Bills defenders are beginning to back Holcomb, a 10-year veteran in his first season with Buffalo.

"I mean, look at the statistics," linebacker London Fletcher said. "He's proven that he can be a starting quarterback in the National Football League week in and week out and definitely a starter for us."

Holcomb is expected to get the start Sunday when Buffalo (5-10) closes its season on the road against the New York Jets (3-12) in a game with nothing on the line.

Holcomb's emergence comes at the expense of Losman, the Bills' 2004 first-round draft pick who was awarded the starting job in place of Drew Bledsoe. The move led to the team granting Bledsoe's request to be released. He's now the starter in Dallas.

The Bills then signed Holcomb in March to serve as a backup.

Losman, however, has struggled, going 1-7 as a starter, and also engineered Buffalo's 14-3 win over Kansas City last month in a backup role after Holcomb was hurt.

The Bills, in comparison, are 3-3 in games Holcomb gets a majority of the playing time. That includes a 37-27 win at Cincinnati last weekend when Holcomb had 308 yards passing, the most by a Bills player in 45 games.

Both players have appeared in nine games this season, with Holcomb also having the edge in completion percentage (68.4 percent to Losman's 49.6) quarterback rating (92.9-64.9) and having thrown four interceptions compared to Losman's eight. Both have thrown for eight touchdowns.

Coach Mike Mularkey said he's leaning toward giving Holcomb his third consecutive start because Losman, who's listed as probable, is nursing a thigh injury. Mularkey added he hopes to get Losman in the game against the Jets at some point.

Losman, listed as probable with a shoulder injury last week, hasn't played since being hurt in Buffalo's 35-7 loss to New England on Dec. 11.

Mularkey declined to discuss whether Holcomb deserves a shot at the starting job next year, saying all positions on the team will be evaluated in the offseason.

Mularkey said it's unfair to compare the two players because Holcomb has a big edge in experience.

"It's exactly unfolded the way you thought it would," Mularkey said. "J.P.'s a guy who's taking the steps to being that quarterback we know he can be."

And the coach bristled when asked about Bills players supporting Holcomb.

"The only thing I worry about is that they're not taking anything away from their job ... and not worried about being in favor of anyone else or how anyone else is playing," Mularkey said.

Losman did not make himself available to reporters Wednesday.

Holcomb shrugged when asked if he deserved a shot to be the team's full-time starter.

"It's not my decision," Holcomb said. "You're competitive. You want to play. But you also have to know the situation and I do."

He added he's not looking beyond this weekend's game.

"I'm not even going to talk about training camp, man," Holcomb said. "Hopefully, we'll go in this week and prepare and play well against these guys and finish the season strong."

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