Niners Should Look At Losman

Would the Niners be willing to take a chance on a less disappointing first-round quarterback? J.P. Losman was overthrown in Buffalo by rookie Trent Edwards, and he needs a fresh start; coincidentally, San Francisco should be looking for someone to overthrow the immensely unproductive Alex Smith. Trading for an underachiever often famously gives a struggling player a boost thanks simply to the scenery change, moreover both Losman and his possible new team could use this transaction.

Statistically, Losman has had a more impressive career than Smith, although that's like being proud of getting better grades than the kid in your class who eats crayons and wears Velcro sneakers through his teens. Losman has completed a vaguely fair 59.1 percent of his passes, which is also fairly better than Smith's unfortunate career 54.4 percent rate. Similarly, the fact that Losman has 31 touchdown passes compared to 29 interceptions doesn't look all that stupendous until held up against Smith's stat line, which indicates that he has 19 scoring tosses weighed against a woeful 31 picks. They all contribute to the fact that Losman has achieved a barely middling 77.3 rating, which looks better next to Smith's woefully inadequate 63.5 mark.

And, not to make excuses, but Losman was treated as poorly during his tenure as a hungover clown at an Adderall kid's birthday party. Most notably, he was victimized in 2005 by then-head coach Mike Mularkey, who doltishly never understood that most non-Roethlisberger-named quarterbacks are bound to struggle in their first starting season and accordingly yanked Losman out of his spot on multiple occasions. The hit to the player's confidence resonated for some time. Losman was also hindered by the contemporary history of mundanely predictable play calling for the Bills along with the fact that the team has recently had exactly one genuine threat at wide receiver in Lee Evans. The quarterback didn't live up to his promise, but the community college's chancellor isn't going to attain Ivy League membership for his employer.

That didn't stop a handful of the team's backers from blaming it all on Losman. Some Bills fans turned him like a roving pack of junior high school girls who decided that their classmate who got braces over the summer needs to have a miserable school day every day. At the same time, Losman didn't help his cause, often recklessly and needlessly gambling on attempts along with displaying a frustrating tendency to hold the ball entirely too long while making decisions, often obliviously seeming to forget while looking for a receiver that he was in the midst of a football play. While Losman managed to have a strong season in 2006, throwing for 3,051 yards and 19 touchdowns with 14 interceptions while obtaining an 84.9 rating, the team still finished 7-9; he then regressed this past season before he was benched for likely the final time as a Bill. It all led to Buffalo's interminable playoff drought continuing under his watch no matter where the balance of blame lies. That's why being sent to a team that's enduring a quarterback void of its own could be mutually beneficial. A Venice, Calif., native, Losman would return to his home coast and get a new opportunity to work for a franchise that should be willing to take a chance on a prospective upgrade. He's occasionally displayed a strong arm and scrambling abilities, and it's feasible that he could mature enough as a player under Mike Martz's guidance that those flashes could turn into tendencies.

It would be worth bringing in Losman not just to challenge Smith but also in case Shaun Hill turns into a pumpkin and if the team realizes that Trent Dilfer A) is turning 36 on March 13, B) perhaps faces retirement thanks to the aftermath of his December concussion, and C) is a great guy who isn't very good as a quarterback. Dealing for Losman would give him a chance to live up to his potential and give the 49ers another option behind center, especially for those who remain unconvinced regarding Smith even after his contract extension. More importantly, Smith needs to stay motivated lest he thinks that his longer pact is evidence that he's performed satisfactorily. A training camp battle is a sure way to get the best out of every quarterback and also determine who is the best quarterback.

As for Losman, both he and the 49ers have a need to leave setbacks in the past, and in that regard both can help out each other. If nothing else, sticking with their current respective situations means things will likely simply stay rotten; discarding suffering is as good a reason as any to attempt a new partnership between Losman and San Francisco.

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