NFL.com: Mularkey won't commit to Holcomb or Losman (after win)

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Mularkey won't commit to Holcomb or Losman

http://www.nfl.com/teams/story/BUF/8949983

NFL.com wire reports

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (Oct. 10, 2005) -- Kelly Holcomb, who quarterbacked Buffalo to victory over Miami, could return to the bench next week.

So says Bills coach Mike Mularkey, who said he won't say whether Holcomb of J.P. Losman will start next week against the New York Jets.

"I'm going to leave it as it is," Mularkey said, adding he believes the lack of an announcement will keep the Jets guessing.

"We think it is an advantage as a team, when you have two different types of quarterbacks, to play it out as long as we can," Mularkey said. "I think it's an advantage regardless of what other people think."

Mularkey believes it may have worked to some degree in Buffalo's 20-14 win over Miami. Although word had filtered out that the Bills were switching to the veteran Holcomb, Mularkey refused to say who was starting right until game time.

Holcomb, an 11-year journeyman, went 20 of 26 for 169 yards passing in his first start of the season. He efficiently led a short-passing attack to help Buffalo (2-3) snap a three-game skid and spark an offense that managed 29 points in its previous 14 quarters.

"Oh, I think he played well. I really do," said Mularkey. "But a lot goes into making that decision than just one game."

Holcomb is more a pocket passer, while Losman has a strong arm and mobility, and is able to scramble out of trouble or run designed bootlegs to keep opponents honest.

The trouble with Losman in his four starts, however, was hesitancy in the pocket that affected his accuracy and prevented him from locating open receivers.

Bills players, who were given the day off Oct. 10, were pleased with Holcomb's performance following the Dolphins game.

"When you have a young guy, you don't run a lot of plays that we ran today because he's not used to seeing those types of defenses," receiver Eric Moulds said. "When you have a veteran guy that has played a long time, you can put more on display because he's seen every kind of coverage."