Bills release QB Edwards

The one time Buffalo Bills Quarterback Trent Edwards went from being a starter to a back up and on September 20, 2010, he had been released by the Buffalo Bills. This comes after Edwards played horrifically versus the Dolphins and Packers. Having thrown for 241 yards, 1 touchdown pass and two interceptions over the course of two games, Head Coach Chan Gailey started Ryan Fitzpatrick at quarterback and it paid dividends. The Bills performed better and that was the proverbial end of Trent’s run in Buffalo. History has repeated itself in Western New York. In 2007, it was rookie Trent Edwards who took the starting position and one time Bills starting quarterback JP Losman who bowed ungracefully out of Buffalo. In 2010, Edwards has ungracefully left this city. During his jail time, I mean time in Buffalo he averaged 168 yards passing per game and threw for 25 TDs and 27 Interceptions. He led the Bills to a sub .500 record and no playoff appearances. Edwards dismissal came as a mild surprise, he has shown the potential to be a quality Quarterback in the NFL and was the starting quarterback for weeks one and two. The problem was that Edwards looked scared, afraid to throw the ball down the field or to move out of the pocket. The Bills have not had a quality Quarterback since Doug Flutie. Edwards has not thrown for 300 yards in a game in his career and that’s 34 starts.

> Find Buffalo Bills jerseys & hats online through Pro Football Fans for all your team gear!

A concussion last season limited Edwards to 8 games last season and it has had an effect on Trent Edwards this season as well. Once a player suffers a severe injury, he can never be the same again, neither mentally or physically. Joe Montana wasn’t the same, Wayne Gretzky wasn’t the same and neither was Penny Hardaway. Edwards developed a tendency to turn the ball over and this effected his style of play. He became reluctant to take chances and thus ineffective in directing the offense. Edwards was claimed off waivers by the Jacksonville Jaguars. In reality Edwards was a back up relegated to starter for a bad team. The only other cities where Edwards might have been a starter the past season and a half are Detroit or Cleveland and that’s saying a lot. In Jacksonville he will back-up David Garrard. The Jags are a better team than the Buffalo Bills and Edwards can continue to develop into a consistent quality quarterback under the guidance of Head Coach Jack Del Rio. Though the Bills did not make a playoff run with Edwards, he did enjoy a career year in 2008 when he threw almost 2700 yards, 11 TD’s and a respectable QB rating of 85.4. Trent Edwards was not the second coming of Jim Kelly, Doug Flutie or Drew Bledsoe, but at least he was better than JP Losman.

By Ranhvir Samra
ProFootball-fans.com Buffalo Bills Correspondent