It's time to close out the week by once again taking a trip around the AFC East division. Kicking things off this week is Brian Galliford from Buffalo Rumblings, as we take a few moments to talk about Trent Edwards.
Matty I: Let's talk about Trent Edwards. It was around this time two yeas ago when you and I debated about how J.P. Losman would evolve as an NFL quarterback. Now Trent Edwards is the quarterback in Buffalo. What does he have to show this year for him to prove he might be the long-term QB solution for the Bills? Is this Trent's "crap or get off the pot" season in Buffalo?
Brian G: I feel like you brought up Losman's name as a nice little jab, Matty. You say Losman, I say John Beck. There. Now I feel a bit better. :)
As for Edwards, this might be his make-or-break season in Buffalo, but only because of the tenuous job status of Dick Jauron and his coaching staff. Team owner Ralph Wilson likes Edwards' make-up and his moxie. He's a good young football player. There is a chance that if '09 goes poorly and a new coaching staff comes in, they'll go another year with Edwards. But the general rule is that new regimes equal new quarterbacks. As frustrating as it would be to see another change at QB in Buffalo if Jauron doesn't last beyond 2009, that's the unfortunate truth of the matter - and it just adds another element to the mounting pressure to field a winner this season.
What does he need to show to prove he's the long-term quarterback solution? It's not so much "showing" - he's showed quite a bit at the NFL level, including the ability to routinely beat good defenses - it's doing it consistently. Edwards won't ever be a world beater, but he's a Chad Pennington-type in that if he can be an assertive leader and play consistently week in and week out, he can quarterback winning football teams. All he needs is consistency - if he can get to that level, the Bills should be a pretty good football team as soon as 2009.
My Take: Well played, Mr. Galliford. But in my defense, I never called Beck a top 15 NFL quarterback like you did about Losman.
Anyways, Brian makes an excellent point. New regimes want their own quarterback - as seen in Denver and in Miami, to name just two examples. Consistency is always the toughest thing to get from young quarterbacks. And if Edwards can't show some consistency in 2009 with the weapons he now has around him, there's no reason to think he is the long-term QB solution for the Bills. I guess this is just one of the many storylines within the division in '09.
Be sure to head over to BR at some point today to read some discussion on Miami's offensive line.