ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (Aug. 20, 2005) -- Happy with leading the Buffalo Bills to a preseason victory, quarterback J.P. Losman acknowledged there's still a few things he needs to learn.
One's sliding to the turf to avoid getting hit. Another is how to celebrate a touchdown.
The first-year starter appeared a little lost, not knowing what to do after his 1-yard scamper into the end zone opened Buffalo's scoring in a 27-7 win over Green Bay Aug. 20.
"I was like, 'Should I celebrate, should I not, should I wait for the regular season?'" said Losman, who simply stood in the end zone holding the ball before his teammates arrived to celebrate. "But it was a great feeling to get that first one out of the way."
It happened on the Bills' first series in front of a sellout house and in Losman's home debut since the 2004 first-round draft pick replaced Drew Bledsoe in February.
Losman followed the touchdown by engineering scoring drives on Buffalo's next two possessions, finishing 7-of-14 for 59 yards passing with five carries for 36 yards.
It was a much better performance after Losman managed one first down in his first four series in Buffalo's 17-10 win at Indianapolis last weekend.
"It was exciting to come out strong tonight, especially after the slow start last week," Losman said. "I think definitely we got better this week."
Special teams contributed with ReShard Lee 's 69-yard kickoff return and Drew Haddad 's 37-yard punt return setting up both of Buffalo's two first-half touchdowns.
Willis McGahee scored on a 6-yard run and Lionel Gates added a 14-yard TD run in the fourth quarter. Rian Lindell kicked two field goals, including a 54-yarder.
The Packers played with more cohesion than in their sloppy 10-7 win against San Diego last week. But they had difficulty generating offense after Brett Favre needed only one series to show he's ready for the regular season.
Favre went 4-of-6 for 41 yards, capping a 75-yard, 13-play opening drive with a 12-yard touchdown pass to Ahman Green.
"It was better than last week, so it's good to show some improvement," Favre said. "But we still have a long way to go."
In two games, Favre is 13-of-16 for 132 yards and two touchdowns.
Green finished with 22 yards rushing and two catches for 14 yards. Just as important, he held on to the ball after fumbling twice against San Diego.
Rookie first-round draft pick Aaron Rodgers struggled taking over for Favre. He finished 4-of-9 for 21 yards and an interception in four series.
Without Favre, the Packers managed a mere 108 yards of offense the rest of the game.
"Concerned isn't the word. Aggravated probably is," Packers coach Mike Sherman said. "I'm disappointed that our second offense was not more productive."
Down 7-0, the Bills responded with 27 consecutive points. They improved to 2-0, marking only the second time the team has opened a preseason with two straight wins -- and first since 1966.
Losman's performance was not error-free.
He was sacked for a safety early in the second quarter, but the play was negated by an illegal contact penalty against the Packers. There were also a few times when Losman took unnecessary hits, like when he was bowled over into the sideline by Green Bay's Aaron Kampman, 2 yards after Losman had already picked up a first down.
"I'd still like to see him get down," coach Mike Mularkey said. "But that's something that'll go until he figures it out or takes a good solid hit. Hopefully, he'll pay attention to that before it happens."
It's a particular fear with Losman, who missed the first half of last season with a broken leg after he was hit and fell awkwardly after a scramble during training camp.
Losman said he's trying.
"Sometimes you get so caught up, it's just a game and you don't think it's preseason," Losman said.
