<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>QB Holcomb will start preseason opener for BillsAssociated PressPITTSFORD, N.Y. -- Kelly Holcomb will start Buffalo's preseason-opener at Carolina on Saturday, but coach Dick Jauron said his decision to go with the nine-year veteran is based on seniority.Jauron made the announcement after practice Thursday night, adding that J.P. Losman will likely start the Bills' second preseason game at home against Cincinnati next week.The two are locked in what has been an offseason-long competition for the starting job after both split the duties last season."It's based on seniority, there's no need to read anything else into it," Jauron said. "I think they'll both get a good deal of playing time, it just depends on how the game goes."Without providing a deadline for making a final decision, Jauron said the team would use the first two preseason games as a sort of final exam for both players."Obviously, we've pointed all the time toward full-contact scrimmage and this is it," Jauron said. "This is almost the only chance you get to do it with a quarterback. ... So here we go."Holcomb will start despite having struggled through the first two weeks of training camp, in part because he said he's still adjusting to an entirely new offense under new coordinator Steve Fairchild."There's some different things in this offense and I'm getting a little bit comfortable with it everyday," Holcomb said. "But I think we've made some improvements. I think everybody's looking forward to getting on the field at Carolina and see what we take from the practice field to the game."Losman has been inconsistent in camp, but has thrown crisper passes and appears to have a better grasp of the offense. Losman has been particularly effective throwing on the run, something he had difficulty doing last season.Losman said it didn't matter to him who starts Saturday."It's the first preseason game, it's not really do-or-die or that's the answer," Losman said. "It's a preseason game and whoever the guy is still has a couple of games to show what they've got."The Bills went 5-11 last season with Losman beginning the year as the No. 1 quarterback and not being able to hold the job.Losman, the second of Buffalo's two 2004 first-round picks, was benched after the Bills' 1-3 start. Holcomb then went 2-2 in four starts before he was hurt in the second quarter against Kansas City, a game Losman rallied the Bills to a 14-3 win.Losman, however, started and lost Buffalo's next four games and was replaced again by Holcomb, who went 1-2 to finish the season.Holcomb had the better numbers, finishing with a higher completion percentage (67 percent to Losman's 50) and quarterback rating (85.6 to 64.9), and had 10 touchdowns to Losman's eight. Both threw eight interceptions.Craig Nall, a free-agent signed in March, was part of the quarterback competition before being sidelined by a hamstring injury on the second day of camp, July 29. Nall has began running on his own and hopes to be back at practice next week.Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press</div>http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2546218
Uh. Never liked Holcomb as a QB in the NFL, why not just put Losman out there? I don't get it, Losman is their future (well they think that) so why not start him.
