ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) – Mike Mularkey has a message to those clamoring for rookie quarterback J.P. Losman to replace Drew Bledsoe as the Buffalo Bills starter – Not yet.

Mularkey on Monday insisted that Losman still needs plenty of work, considering the first-round draft pick missed almost two months recovering from a broken leg, while adding that Bledsoe still provides the Bills the best chance to win.

That said, Mularkey wasn’t happy in assessing Bledsoe’s performance in Buffalo’s 29-6 loss at New England on Sunday.

“I think he just threw some poor balls,” Mularkey said. “He didn’t play as well as he needed to for us to win.”

Bledsoe’s long-term status as the starter is up for debate now that the Bills (3-6), who host St. Louis on Sunday, have fallen further out of the playoff picture.

After showing he can be efficient in a scaled-down passing attack, leading Buffalo to win three of its previous four games, Bledsoe unraveled against New England.

He went 8-of-19 for 76 yards passing, threw three interceptions and finished with a career-low quarterback rating of 14.3. Mularkey had seen enough when he pulled Bledsoe and inserted Losman, who made his career NFL debut, in a mop-up role with 4:40 remaining.

Losman wasn’t any better. In five plays from scrimmage, including a running play, Losman completed one pass, was sacked once, lost a fumble and was intercepted.

And yet that performance didn’t stop questions from being asked when Losman might expect to get his first start.

“I think it’s still too early. I haven’t wrestled with it yet because I don’t think we’re at that point yet,” Mularkey said. “There’s still seven games left. We’re not out of it. I think Drew has proven in the three wins before this game that he’s a big reason why. And we’ll go and start with Drew this week.”

Bledsoe, in a brief appearance in the locker room on Monday, shrugged off a question about the potential of losing his job to Losman.

“I know it’s not my first rodeo,” Bledsoe said.

A 12-year veteran, Bledsoe has lost his starting job once before, to Tom Brady in what proved to be Bledsoe’s final year at New England in 2001. The Patriots traded Bledsoe to Buffalo the following spring.

After an impressive first year with the Bills, in which he set 10 franchise passing records, Bledsoe’s passing and efficiency numbers have spiraled at a drastic rate.

In his last 23 games, Bledsoe’s failed to throw for 300-plus yards in any one outing, and has more interceptions, 21, than he has touchdowns, 17. What’s more disturbing during that stretch is that Bledsoe’s had four outings – including Sunday’s – in which he’s failed to break 100 yards passing, compared to having only three sub-100 yard games in the first 142 games of his career.

Losman has been billed as Bledsoe’s heir-apparent since Buffalo selected him 22nd overall.

The Bills thought so highly of the Tulane quarterback that they traded their first-round pick in next year’s draft to Dallas to get back into the first round.

After two promising preseason outings, Losman’s development took a major setback when he broke his left leg during practice in training camp last August. He didn’t resume practicing until the middle of last month.

Losman didn’t make himself available to reporters following team meetings on Monday.

Following the game, Losman was unhappy with his first NFL appearance, calling it uncharacteristic and adding that he spent too much time worrying about his leg.

“I wouldn’t really say that that was my coming out party,” Losman told Buffalo’s WGRZ-TV. “And I don’t want people to think that that was some kind of display of my game, because it definitely wasn’t.”

Mularkey said he put in Losman to give him a taste of an NFL game.

“We just wanted to get him in the huddle, under the lights, calling plays, getting under center,” Mularkey said. “I just wanted to give him a chance. It’s been a long time since he’s done that.”

Notes: S Coy Wire, who’s missed two games with an abdominal injury, said he’ll begin practicing on Wednesday and expects to be able to play on Sunday. … Mularkey said he’s keeping his options open whether he’ll make a change at free safety, after benching starter Izell Reese and replacing him with rookie Rashad Baker against New England.

AP-ES-11-15-04 1903EST