Third-rounder Edwards must outperform first-rounder Quinn

By Anthony Bialy  |   Sunday, November 16, 2008  |  Comments( 164 )

Buffalo Bills
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On top of everything that’s gone wrong for the Buffalo Bills lately, they don’t need to let a fresh quarterback make his name against them. The Cleveland Browns initiated the Brady Quinn era with a moral victory against the Denver Broncos last game, and the Bills have to make sure they’re not victimized for his first real win Monday night.

Buffalo clearly has, or at least should have, the quarterback advantage, as Trent Edwards is already practically grizzled compared to Quinn. That’s despite the fact that they were members of the same draft class who were assigned radically different hype levels: While the glorified Quinn was chosen 70 places before Edwards in last year’s draft, circumstances combined with his play have allowed the more obscure passer to already start 18 contests.

Even though the first of those took place on only Sept. 30 of last year, it feels as if the Stanford man has been around for much longer; that said, his recent three-game slide is raising confidence-related questions, and this game is a perfect opportunity for him to assuage fears by putting on the kind of proficiently deadly exhibit that he looked to be getting quite good at during the season’s early matchups.

After all, Cleveland is the chaos-laden team that enjoyed a 13-point second-half lead versus Denver before squandering it two Thursdays ago, after which both running back Jamal Lewis and receiver Josh Cribbs suggested some teammates quit; that’s not precisely a hopeful sign for coach Romeo Crennel, who tops any list of NFL employees most likely to next get canned ever since Matt Millen’s termination.

His status is well-earned, as Cleveland isn’t doing anything well: The Browns stand at 27th in both total offense and defense, which is one miserable case of symmetry. Aside from the statistical rankings, the key to this game is that Buffalo’s young passer, someone who can already be considered a veteran, has to outplay his positional rival, namely the guy who had zero starts at November’s start.

If it’s necessary to challenge Edwards’ pride, then fine: He should feel great shame if he loses a duel with a quarterback who has 43 career passing attempts. That’s especially so in light of how much last year’s 92nd overall pick has already faced on a pro field. Edwards, who was born on Oct. 30, 1983, is just less than one year older than Quinn, who came into this world on Oct. 27 of the next year, but in terms of development and experience they may as well be a decade apart.

This is a game where the 5-4 Bills can gain little even though much is at risk: They should be expected to win a home prime-time fixture against a troubled 3-6 foe, and yet falling short would mean that it would be time for Buffalo to start thinking about 2009’s draft position.

It’s less of a must-win and more of a must-not-lose for the Bills, and everything begins with Edwards directly creating further distance between himself and a Notre Dame golden boy whom he should be eager to defeat. Buffalo’s leader should see this game as a chance to get back to playing efficiently while simultaneously reminding everyone who currently stands as the best quarterback drafted last year. As a hint, it’s not JaMarcus Russell or John Beck.
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