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After a three-week stretch in which the offense of the Buffalo Bills managed to score just 34 points, veteran QB J.P. Losman - who led that offensive stretch - has been benched. Bills head coach Dick Jauron announced today that Trent Edwards will start this Sunday's game against the Washington Redskins.
The few quotes that have been extracted from Jauron at this point come via the official site:
"In terms of our quarterbacks, we'll make the switch and Trent will be our starter," said Jauron. "We fully understand that it's not only J.P.. That's not the only reason we've lost these couple of games in a row, but it is the focal point of the offense and we do need a lot of consistency from that position."
"We need production," said Jauron. "We need to stay on the field and score. And we're going to make the change in the hopes that we can get started again and play a real good game this Sunday against the Redskins."
Most of you who frequent this site realize that I've been a staunch supporter of Losman throughout this entire campaign. I still believe that Losman has what it takes to succeed at this level (it is well within your right, of course, to deduct sanity points from me at your own discretion), but it's also been obvious that Edwards was Jauron's man all along. This is, simply put, the right time for the Bills to be making this switch - the season is all but mathematically over for Buffalo, and if Edwards is the future, now is the right time to get him some experience.
Allow me a moment to vent about the ever-idiotic Jerry Sullivan, however - he's been on the Edwards bandwagon for quite some time, and deserves credit for sticking to his guns even when Losman wasn't playing like Alex Smith. Sullivan is a smart guy, but when he makes comments like this, it's hard to respect the man:
"So Jauron has the justification to pull Losman now. The experiment is over. The gunslinger idea has no currency with this coach. I'm told that most of the players want Losman to start. If that's true, I've overestimated the intelligence of this young team."
I understand that this remark is likely satirical in nature, but it's also not necessary. Let me point out that if these rumors are true - that Bills players (not counting Lee Evans) really want Losman as the starter - it tells me absolutely nothing about their intelligence (or lack thereof). It's about loyalty - this team has been operating under the idea that Losman is their starter for a long period of months now, and it's admirable that they're sticking with their guy through rough times. I love that about the team - they're loyal, high-character guys, and ultimately, that's what is going to turn this franchise around.
So good luck, Trent. We're behind you, kid. Limit those picks and make throws like you did earlier this season, and your rise to stardom won't take long - Bills fans are thirsty for a star quarterback. Please, please be that guy.