Edwards Is Right Choice In Buffalo

Dick Jauron made the right choice in keeping Trent Edwards in the lineup ahead of J.P. Losman at quarterback.

The organization has never fully embraced Losman despite his ability to stretch the field.  Losman just has too many inconsistencies within his game and lacks the natural ability to recognize different coverages. 

Meanwhile, the organization loves Edwards’ makeup – especially for a rookie.  He displays good pocket presence and makes better decisions with the ball than Losman.  He’s very poised already, which is rare for a rookie.  But Edwards was well-trained to deal with pressure and adversity in a no-win with Stanford the last few years. 

Steve Fairchild has developed a comfort level where he allowed Edwards to push the ball downfield at times against Baltimore last Sunday. 

The Bills are also building a solid foundation around Edwards on the offensive side of the ball.  Marshawn Lynch has also made a very favorable impression in the backfield.  He’s going to evolve into a dynamic back, but has also displayed surprising toughness and durability thus far. 

The only question is how long will it take for this offense to produce inside the red zone.  Some of their problems are personnel related.  They have an emerging trio at wide receiver with Lee Evans, Josh Reed, and Roscoe Parrish, but none of them possess the size and power to make plays in the redzone.  Evans is a tremendous downfield target.  Reed has developed into a solid target out of the slot with his toughness, but lacks ideal size to create matchup problems in tight spots.  Parrish displays a lot of potential as an underneath option with his quickness and burst. 

A top priority next spring must be the tight end position.  Robert Royal is a try-hard veteran, but lacks the natural tools to create matchup problems in the passing game. 

More League Thoughts:

The Rams made a long overdue decision to cut ties with guard Claude Terrell following more off-field problems.  Terrell has had several opportunities to solidify himself along the offensive line the past three seasons, but his poor conditioning habits and approach to the game placed him in the doghouse numerous times.  Terrell is just a poor fit for the culture of a team that is entering a transition period. 

Talking about another team in need of a culture change, the Falcons made a good decision to rid themselves of Grady Jackson.  Jackson was not setting a good example for some of their younger lineman by disrespecting the defensive staff.  In looking ahead to the off-season, one player the Falcons will have to consider cutting ties with is tight end Alge Crumpler.  Crumpler isn’t much of a supporter of Bob Petrino and his staff at this point and is again slowed by knee problems.  Crumpler is turning 30 in December and has a history of chronic knee problems.  It’s time for the Falcons to move in a different direction to reshape their core group. 

Brad Childress is a good football guy, but he badly miscalculated his situation at quarterback last spring.  Tarvaris Jackson is in over his head at quarterback.  He’s been erratic in terms of accuracy and hasn’t handled teams applying pressure on him.  He’s definitely frustrating some of his teammates at this point.  This is hardly surprising.  Childress had to expect to take their lumps with Jackson, but they were really short-sighted in their lack of efforts to solidify the quarterback position with a veteran who opponents could respect if Jackson wasn’t ready to handle the starting role or went down with an injury.  I’ve always liked Kelly Holcomb as a productive stopgap, but he’s near the end of his career.  The Vikings are now faced with some strong decisions for next season at quarterback. 

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