Youth is Served: Bills to name Trent Edwards Starting QB

by Brian Galliford on Oct 16, 2007 5:28 PM EDT in News

Edwards to start against BAL (Courtesy: BuffaloBills.com)

In a move that wasn't very difficult to see coming, reports are surfacing via ESPNews that the Bills will announce tomorrow that rookie Trent Edwards will start this week's contest against the Baltimore Ravens. Edwards, who has played well in place of an injured J.P. Losman since Week 3, gets the nod over Losman, who will now assume backup duties for the Bills. The decision ends weeks of quarterback controversy among the organization.

Edwards, who has completed nearly 70% of his passes in almost three full games since taking over for the injured Losman, has shown unusual poise and pocket awareness for a rookie quarterback. Drafted in the third round out of Stanford, Edwards enters Week 7 of the NFL season as the only rookie quarterback starting full-time in the league.

The move, if permanent, signals the end of the J.P. Losman Experiment in Buffalo. Losman, who enjoyed a moderately successful 2006 campaign in which he threw for 19 touchdowns, a QB rating of 85 and a 7-9 record in his first full season as a starter, struggled early this season in losses to the Denver Broncos and Pittsburgh Steelers. The young veteran remains a team captain, and he is listed as probable on the team's injury report for the Ravens game this weekend.

A Plea to Dick Jauron
So, that's it. It's not official yet, but it seems about 99.9% likely that this story is true - it came from the Mouth of Mort, after all. Dick Jauron has made his decision - Edwards is the future at QB for this team. Now please, Coach: don't waffle on this decision.

Edwards is a rookie. He's going to struggle, as he's now in charge of leading a young team against a very tough schedule for 11 weeks. There are going to be growing pains. There are going to be fans who, when those struggles occur, will want to see Losman thrown back in for a quick fix. That's not the answer.

Please, please, please - remain steadfast, Coach. If Trent is your guy, make sure that he, JP and everyone else knows that he is. I would not be shocked to hear Jauron say "Trent will start this week against the Ravens", and refuse to elaborate on whether he'll start the remainder of the season. Don't do that, coach - that, like your handling of Losman, sends the wrong message.

If Trent is your guy, as this move indicates, make it known that he's really your guy. Start him for the rest of the season. Don't pull the classic move of flip-flopping quarterbacks in Buffalo. The only thing you need to say tomorrow, Coach, to satisfy Bills fans is that Trent is the starter for the rest of the 2007 season. That's it. Don't blow it.

I'm sure you all have thoughts on the decision, so let's hear them! Thanks to jwest529 for letting us know about the decision here first. Props, sir!

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from espn...

A Buffalo Bills source says rookie Trent Edwards will start at quarterback this weekend against the Baltimore Ravens, ESPN's Chris Mortensen has learned.

Coach Dick Jauron informed both Edwards and J.P. Losman earlier Tuesday at the team's practice facility. ACCORDING TO THE SOURCE, BILLS OWNER RALPH WILSON HAD A MAJOR VOICE IN THE DECISION TO START EDWARDS.

Losman is healthy after spraining his knee against the Patriots in Week 3 and had been wondering if he would regain his job.

"I don't know who can answer these questions. It's an awkward situation, an awkward scenario," he said on Monday.

Edwards started the last two games, going 1-1 for the 1-4 Bills.

______

God, i hate being right... the senial old man threw logic and rational thought out the window. Now all we can do is hope that Edwards is everything SOME are cracking him up to be, because there is officially no back up plan anymore.

dumb, dumb, dumb move...

I'm behind Edwards 100%, i just wish I didn't have to be...

John I.

by jri111 on Oct 16, 2007 5:36 PM EDT 0 recs

Re:

Didn't include that part about Ralph in the write-up because I'm still skeptical about it. If it's true, I'll be a little upset, for two reasons - one, because the old man keeps setting his team's development back by going for the young guys, and two, because if Jauron didn't have the stones to make the decision himself and the boss had to interfere, it shows Jauron's weakness.

That said, I'm happy about the move. Yes, I would rather have seen Losman get the nod, but I'm glad this team has a starting QB again. Unless, of course, Jauron pulls the "week by week, game by game" bull****. Let's hope he doesn't.

Create a free account to join in the discussion, Bills fans!

by Brian Galliford on Oct 16, 2007 5:49 PM EDT up 0 recs

Great Move

I know it is the most popular move, but Levy and Jauron have to have their guy in there. Edwards is their guy and when they played Edwards in the preseason and dumped Nall, Losman's fate was sealed.

Levy is not going anywhere soon, nor is Jauron. Contrary to what seems to be the majority opinion, I think the coaches have done very well. With a team as decimated as the Bills, they have shown up to play every week and that is a credit to the coaches.

I don't think they'll waffle on this. Levy/Jauron are not Donohue/Mularkey and these guys have a long term sense about them. Levy is not concerned about his job. He commands great fan love and trust and that buys him enough time with Jauron to make things happen. Donohue did not have that leeway. The pressure made them gut their instincts to endure growing pains and stunt their young quarterbacks development.

I'm personally thrilled with this and I do think Edwards is the guy.

by Onoekeh on Oct 16, 2007 5:40 PM EDT 0 recs

Trent Edwards Campaign Video

This should make you feel better if you haven't seen it yet:

http://youtube.com/watch?v=0qR9HJKF6DQ

by Slimmons on Oct 16, 2007 8:32 PM EDT 0 recs

Completely agree...

I completely agree with you. I think Losman should have gotten the starting job back, but, the most important thing is to stick with the decision. Losman got pulled in and out of the line-up, potentially (we will never know how much) stunting his development; let's not do the same thing to Edwards.

by fletcherjd on Oct 16, 2007 9:07 PM EDT 0 recs

update

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=3066434

Rookie quarterback Trent Edwards, who has started the last two games for the Buffalo Bills in place of injured veteran J.P. Losman, will retain the No. 1 job when the team hosts the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday afternoon.

The decision to keep Edwards in the lineup, which will be announced Wednesday by coach Dick Jauron, was first reported by ESPN's Chris Mortensen, citing a team source.

A third-round draft choice and the 92nd player selected overall, Edwards will not be named the starter for the rest of the season. The former Stanford star could keep the job through the balance of the year, however, if he continues to play well and impresses the Buffalo staff.

"It's the right call for us for now," a team source told ESPN.com. "He's [demonstrated] a lot of poise. We'll just see how it goes from here on out."

It is believed that Buffalo owner Ralph Wilson offered input into the decision.

If Edwards' stint as the starter is more than just a short-term arrangement, it could mark the end of Losman's tenure in Buffalo after this season. Losman is under contract through the 2008 season but isn't likely to be happy with his situation if he is not the starter.

_____

So IF this is accurate the plan is what? start edwards now and if he struggles bring back in the starting QB who you essentially told that he's not good enough to play over a rookie?

looks like the rocket-scientist got it 100% backwards as far as the logic of their decision...

John I.

by jri111 on Oct 16, 2007 9:08 PM EDT 0 recs

ProFootballTalk.com blurb

http://www.profootballtalk.com/rumormill.htm

POSTED 8:51 p.m. EDT, October 16, 2007

LOSMAN, EDWARDS DEBATE WILL BE DECIDED BY OWNER?

A league source tells us that the ongoing question of whether the starting quarterback of the Buffalo Bills will be veteran J.P. Losman or rookie Trent Edwards will ultimately be made by owner Ralph Wilson.

Working against Losman, we're told, is his contract. He makes a lot more money than Edwards, and will be a free agent after the 2008 season. So Losman is now in danger of getting traded after 2007.

And though we don't have many (any) details about his incentives package, we suspect that his $1.8 million base salary that drops to $650,000 next season will shoot up if he were to meet certain triggers based on playing time and/or performance.

Leaving Losman on the bench will keep that from happening, and will make Losman's contract more attractive on the trade market.

Does Wilson have the right to make such decisions for his football team? Sure. Is it smart for an owner to do so? Um, not really.

But, as we understand it, it wouldn't be the first time that Wilson makes such decisions, and does so based on money.

Another source tells us that the locker room is split regarding Losman and Edwards, generally along the lines of experience. The younger guys want Edwards, and the older ones want Losman.

Losman was injured in Week Three when struck in the knee by Pats defensive tackle Vince Wilfork. Edwards has played well (but not as well as some of the sock puppets would have you think) in Losman's absence.

by fletcherjd on Oct 16, 2007 9:17 PM EDT 0 recs

Okay, Edwards. Now here are the open questions...

Okay, coach, you get to make the call and your call is Edwards. I think this is the wrong call, but I'm willing to say that all I see is the performance on the field. You're a lot closer to the issues and it's your job to make decisions on who starts based on all the information.
But, as a fan, admittedly underinformed, here are some of the open questions:
1.) You looked increasingly less comfortable over the last two weeks as your decision on starting quarterback got closer and closer. How come? Under a little pressure from the front office to do what they tell you, coach?
2.) How much influence did our esteemed owner have in this call? Is that really the way you want to run a football team - hire the coaches and then tell them how to do their jobs?
3.) How long does it take to develop an NFL quarterback to a reasonable level of consistent performance? 3 years? 4? Can you really say Losman has gone as far as his physical, mental and team leading abilities can take him and he's now relegated to the Kelly Holcomb, emergency-replacement-only role?
4.) If Wilson really did pull the string on the coach's decision, how much did Losman's financial incentives, due at the end of the season, have to do with it? Knowing how stingy our owner is with his purse, isn't it likely that money had at least something to do with it? How short-sighted is that?
5.) Will we ever get a straight answer to any of these questions by this ownership-GM-coach triumverate?

by garymallow2004 on Oct 17, 2007 10:43 AM EDT 0 recs

the problem is brian...

Jauron is going to get up there and be far from definitive. He's going to say that the best QB will play and THIS week that QB is Edwards.

He's going to leave it open. possibly (and I suspect) he'll say that JP is not completely back from his injury yet.

This is 2005 all over again. There's an old saying "what's past is prologue," that seems like exactly what kind of sitaution we have here.

2:30 is going to be a mess...

John I.

by jri111 on Oct 17, 2007 1:28 PM EDT 0 recs

If

If we continue with the dink and dunk crap with Edwards, then this coaching staff should be fired on the spot. We have put together an offense that was supposed to revolve around downfield passing. We have small, quicker receivers more suited for that, but we just might be seeing an even more conservative Kelly Holcomb style offense from here on out. We have potentially the premiere downfield WR threat in the league and it's quite possible we'll let him rot out there.

I'm disgusted, absolutely disgusted with the front office and coaching staff this season. They are so incompetent that it's almost laughable. I bet we'll see Edwards shifted in and out of the lineup, an offense that has no identity and shows no improvement because of all this.

Is it any wonder we haven't been a contender this century?

by Kurupt on Oct 17, 2007 10:12 PM EDT 0 recs