Bills first round selection Donte Whitner has been rock solid on the field and off and it seems apparent that he will be starting when the Bills open the season at New England on Sept. 10. "If you want to be good early, you have to take everything as it comes and not get overwhelmed," Whitner said, explaining his philosophy for coping with all these rapid-fire events in the midst of trying to learn how to play football at the NFL level with the pressure of being a must-produce top-10 draft pick. "I take each play and think about what I have to do on that play, and then off the field I try to stay away from all distractions. I have a lot of good people around me. My parents, my grandparents, my high school coach (Ted Ginn Sr., father of Ohio State star Ted Ginn Jr.), coach (Jim) Tressel and the coaches at Ohio State that I keep in contact with. Some people, when they get to this level, they think everything is going so fast, but I don't feel like that."

J.P. Losman was named the Bills' starting quarterback Tuesday, coming out on top following a preseason competition to reclaim the job he lost last year to Kelly Holcomb. Coach Dick Jauron made the announcement after practice, saying Losman had clearly performed best during training camp to earn the No. 1 job in a three-way competition that included Holcomb and free-agent addition Craig Nall.

Linebacker Courtney Watson's chance for a fresh start ended Tuesday when he was among four players cut by the Buffalo Bills. A two-year NFL veteran and former second-round draft pick, Watson failed to make a significant impression in training camp after the Bills acquired him in June as part of a trade that sent tight end Tim Euhus to New Orleans. Watson is considered to be a huge bust and has never lived up to NFL expectations.

Buffalo released linebacker Jeff Posey on Monday after the eight-year veteran lost his starting job to Angelo Crowell. Posey was a three-year starter with Buffalo since joining the Bills as a free agent in 2003, registering 202 tackles, 9 1/2 sacks and an interception in 48 games. His release didn't come as a big surprise after he was demoted during spring minicamps following Crowell's emergence. Posey's practice time remained limited during the first nine days of camp.

Rookie safety Donte Whitner signed with the Buffalo Bills, joining the team after the No. 8 draft pick missed the first eight days of training camp. The former Ohio State star had been the top drafted player still unsigned and only one of three first-round selections not under contract. Whitner was seeking a five-year contract. Talks had stalled last week, with Bills general manager Marv Levy saying Aug. 4 the two sides were at "a stalemate."