J.P. Losman played well enough down the stretch in 2006 to officially be labeled an up-and-coming young quarterback.
In fact, he was confident enough going into Sunday’s season opener against the Broncos that he talked about challenging Denver’s cornerbacks, Champ Bailey and Dre Bly.
How did that work out for you, J.P.?
Just to prove how meaningless the NFL preseason is, the Broncos’ defense stifled the Bills. Losman attempted 21 passes and threw for 97 yards. Lee Evans, Buffalo’s home run hitter at wideout, caught two balls for five yards.
Imagine that. I was sitting in a sports bar watching the game, and I had only five fewer receiving yards than one of the NFL’s best big-play receivers.
So much for any and all questions about the Broncos’ defense. No, the Broncos probably aren’t going to hold many quarterbacks to 97 passing yards. But they’re not the same defense that got shredded during the preseason, either.
As stated here several times before, the biggest issue facing the Broncos is on the offensive side of the ball. This is a team that didn’t score 20 points until Week 7 last season. And now, Jay Cutler is feeling his way along in his first full season as the starting quarterback.
The bottom line? Given the inevitable ups and downs Cutler will experience, the Broncos’ defense has to hold up if this team is going to make the playoffs.
Jim Armstrong issues regular reports throughout the day along with exclusive video interviews each week. Visit Jimmy’s Page with Jim Armstrong.
