Bills’ Edwards playing well—for a backup

By Anthony Bialy  |   Thursday, August 23, 2007  |  Comments( 44 )

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Even if he puts forth an overall solid campaign, Buffalo Bills quarterback J.P. Losman will likely have an off moment this season, and minutes after the first game where he completes fewer than half his passes, Internet message boards and sports-format talk radio will be flooded with worrying fans. The small but noisy segment will most likely suggest that summer superstar Trent Edwards take Losman's place atop the depth chart. What people have to do is remember both what Losman is capable of doing and against whom the backup has been playing.

The problem, perversely, is that Edwards, a third-rounder from Stanford, has been sharp during the preseason. He went 11 for 16 against Atlanta, good for 101 yards; he also threw for the team's only touchdown. Edwards' stats have been impressive, but what's important to realize is that the second-string quarterback is facing second-string or worse defenders.

It's the equivalent of ex-Bills wideout Drew Haddad signing with the Colts and returning punts for touchdowns during summer vacation: What happens in August won't necessarily also occur when games count and the starters play the entire contest at full speed.

This situation, with a promising young player backing up a potentially exceptional starter, can't be maintained indefinitely. Like it or not, stockpiling proficient reserves is impossible thanks to the salary cap. Teams don't have the luxury of retaining a Frank Reich-type guy for too long these days. On that particular note, Bills fans need to discard the notion of ever having another player like Reich, an astoundingly rare quarterback with the perfect abilities and temperament to indefinitely play behind a superstar, on the roster again.

Plus, there is such a thing as having too good of a reserve. A talented but seldom-used player eventually ends up becoming a disgruntled waste of resources. There's always the worry that Losman could be hurt, but people have to realize that if the starting quarterback will be out with an injury for an extended period, the team is essentially doomed. Trying to overcome the miserable eventuality of the franchise's single irreplaceable player being stuck on the sidelines would be like using a hair dryer on the Titanic iceberg. Hold your breath waiting for another Tom Brady, and you'll asphyxiate.

Even in 2005, a player as utterly marginal as Kelly Holcomb was seen as a better option by some than the struggling young Losman, and the friction wears on fans and those in the locker room. What's going to happen when a quarterback who might actually be good is riding the bench while the starter goes through a rough patch?

It's not a knock against Edwards, but he's only going to play during the next couple of years if things go disastrously poorly. The Bills could have benefited from drafting a defensive tackle who would could have beefed up the shoddy run defense at Edwards' spot; just because 2004 third-rounder Tim Anderson has been underwhelming doesn't mean the next DT taken in that neighborhood will disappoint. Instead, the Bills fortified themselves at a position where they may have already been set, a luxuriously wasteful draft strategy which is like buying a suitcase of beer when you don't have enough money for the cat food and toothpaste on your shopping list.

The franchise could have stuck with Craig Nall as primary clipboard man and hoped for the best, but now the Bills have a promising rookie who won't get to show off what he can do for at best a long time. That said, it's done, and all fans can remember is what the current starter has already accomplished, not to mention the fact that most assume he can do much more.

Edwards has shown that he's competent this August, but the important thing to bear in mind is that the guy in front of him has the capability to be an elite player at the position. Keep that in mind if Losman plays a lousy game in October.
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CommentsComments: 44  |  Sign Up  View all comments
No.1
Rickie		02:16 AM
08/23/2007
Some guys at cb and dt buffalo were looking at in the third were taken just a few picks before. Also, I believe that nall may not...
No.2
steven		05:20 AM
08/23/2007
I disagree Anthony, Edwards was a steel where they picked him up and he is proving it now. I love JP and also think that he will...
No.3
Isaac		06:40 AM
08/23/2007
Anthony, your volatility toward Trent Edwards always manages to shine through. And at the same time, the fact that you like JP...
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