Die Hard Sports Fan

From possible MVP to shaky quarterback, boy, how a couple of weeks can change a starting NFL quarterback.  It is no different for young Bills QB, Trent Edwards.

The 2^nd year QB looked like an up and coming star through the first few weeks of the season.  He was becoming one of the young poster boys for the NFL.  He made appearances on ESPN’s NFL Countdown, Rome is Burning, PTI, ESPN the Mag and everything in between.  Some were even calling the 25 year old quarterback the next Tom Brady and a candidate for the MVP.   

That changed over the course of the season, and it may have to do with a concussion that Edwards faced in Week 5 against the Arizona Cardinals.  He was knocked out of that game and took the bye week off to rest.  He returned in the Bills next schedule game and played pretty well.

So what exactly happened?

Edwards look sluggish and his decision making has turned into that of a certain Bills QB that is currently sitting on the bench during the games.  From throwing terrible picks to reaching out the ball to try to get a first down on a QB sneak and getting it stripped from his out stretched hands, Edwards has had his share of mistakes and “brain farts” this season.  

Taking a look at some of the films on Edwards (from NFL.com), the Bills QB just has not been making the right decisions during the last few weeks.  Yes he has made some great plays, and passes but his play has dropped off.  It is just a matter of making the right choices though, as shown in the examples.

Example 1: Week 9 vs. the NY Jets, :15 left in the 1^st Quarter

3^rd and Goal on the Jets 15

The Bills line up in the shotgun formation.  Two wide receivers were to the left side of the field while one was lined up on the right.  The running back was on Edward’s right in the backfield.  

Edwards took the snap and took 3 steps.  He stepped up and delivered a strike to the left side of the field.  He was hit as soon as he released the ball.  He was trying to hit Roscoe Parrish on an out pattern.  

Parrish ended up falling down but even if he stayed on his feet, the pass would still have gone the other way.  Edwards throw the ball into a zone that had double coverage on Parrish and one other player from the Jets secondary was right behind them as he was following Robert Royal who was running a pattern right behind him.  

The throw was really going into a crowd that had the Bills outnumbered, 3-2.  The pass was picked off and instead of just taking the sack, the interception went the other way for a touchdown and the Jets took an even bigger lead.  

Example 2: Week 10 vs. the New England Patriots, :21 left in the 1^st Quarter

1^st and 10 from the Buffalo 13, Patriots up 7-0

Edwards was once again the “gun”.  He had 3 wide receivers to the right of the formation and one wide receiver, Lee Evans, to the left.  Edwards took the snap and dropped 3 steps.  He quickly released the ball to the left side, a pass intended for Evans, who was wide open.

The pass sailed high and behind Evans, and was intercepted.  It was a basic Cover 3 defense (3 guys back in a 3 deep zone, with the linebackers dropping back into coverage, covering the underneath patterns).  Edwards this time made the right read, but threw a terrible pass.  He had his man open but just couldn’t execute.

Example 3: Week 10 vs. the New England Patriots, :45 left in the 3^rd Quarter

2^nd and 10 from the Buffalo 45, Patriots Lead 13-3

It was another shotgun formation that the offense came out in.  Two wide outs were lined up on the left while 1 wide receivers and TE Robert Royal were on the right.  The running back was lineup up next to Edwards on his right side.  

Edwards takes the snap and looks for the open man.  The Patriots defense was in zone coverage with a spy on the running back coming out of the backfield (a linebacker was not rushing or dropping back into coverage, just watching and reacting to what the running back did).  The Patriots only rushed 3 guys.

Edwards looked and fired a pass to the right where he thought Robert Royal was wide open.  It turned out that he wasn’t in the least.  The veteran cornerback jammed the wide receiver on the side of Royal, making Edwards think that it was man to man coverage.  He then released the pass to Royal that was easily picked off when that same cornerback dropped back into his zone.  It was an easy pick due to Edward’s lack of recognition.

These three examples each showed a way in which Edwards was struggling in.  His lack of recognition, execution, and forced passes each contributed to some of his struggles.  Now don’t get me wrong, Trent is a great young talent that despite his struggles, is still considered to be the franchise QB.  He can get better and a lot of these problems can be fixed with more playing time and he gets more experienced at the position

My only question was why now?  It must be because defenses are starting to adjust to him and fool him.  That is my only guess seeing as he started off the year so hot.  In the first 4 games, Edwards went 78 of 119 (65.5%), 930 yards, 4 touchdowns, 2 interceptions and a 94.6 QB rating.      

Then in week 5 against Arizona, he suffered the concussion after going 3 of 3 for 18 yards. 

Then Edwards bounced back against San Diego, going 25 of 30 (83.3% which tied a franchise record), 261 yards, 1 TD (0 INTS) and a QB rating of 114.  It looked like he was back to his old self.  

But then the last 3 games hit him hard, as the Bills went 0-3 in them.  Edwards, in the 3 games combined, went 58 of 93 (62.4%), 636 yards, 2 TDs, 5 INTs, and a 65.2 QB rating.

Now I don’t expect the guy to play great every game, and I understand that he is young and even the best struggle (just take a look at Peyton Manning this season) but the inconsistency is what scares me.  

He has showed he can play towards the top of the league but has also showed that he can fall too.  The Bills will only go as far as their QB and they need him to step up and lead this team for some wins.  

It all starts Monday night.

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The Bills didn’t even looked like they showed up to play football today, falling in an embarrassing matter, 20-10 to the New England Patriots.

1st Quarter

The Bills came out flat while the Patriots went with a slow and steady offense.

New England’s patience was rewarded though after Matt Cassel scampered 13 yards for a touchdown.

The Bills could get nothing going and were unable to put points on the board.  Pats lead 7-0 going into the 2^nd.

2nd Quarter

The Patriots patience worked again after a slow and steady drive.  They didn’t try to do too much and settled for a Stephen Gostkowski 32 yard field goal to go up 10-0.

The Bills countered and were finally able to get on the board with a 25 yard field goal by Rian Lindell.

Going into the tunnel at halftime, the Bills were down 10-3.

3rd Quarter

The 3^rd was just like the first two quarters of play.  Both teams didn’t show much offensively but their defenses were holding up nicely.  The only scoring of the 3^rd was another Gostkowski field goal to put the Pats up 13-3. 

4th Quarter

The Patriots felt like they had the game, and showed it after chewing up almost 10 minutes of clock time in the 4^th.  At the end of the 19 play drive, BenJarvus Green-Ellis cashed in with a 1 yard run, putting the Pats up 20-3.

Towards the end of a game already decided, Buffalo put one in the endzone on a 14 yard pass from QB Trent Edwards to WR James Hardy.

Buffalo drops the third game in a row, 20-10.

Wrap Up

Trent Edwards went 13 for 23, 120 yards and 1 TD to go along with 2 INTs.

Marshawn Lynch had another terrible game, gaining 46 yards on 14 carries.

Roscoe Parrish led the team in catches.  He had 4 for 31 yards.  Lee Evans was held to only 2 receptions.  

Rian Lindell went 1/1 on field goal attempts.  

Ryan Denney led the team with 8 tackles.  

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The Buffalo Bills had pretty high expectation coming into this season this year as their fans were excited about the young team the Bills assembled.  Then the Bills started off the year 4-0 and gave Bills fans even higher one.  It was being talked on local shows how the Bills might even be reach the Superbowl as they were the top AFC East team and one of the tops in the entire AFC.  After a 1-3 stretch, and two straight losses in the division, I am starting to wonder if the Bills are indeed the weakest link in the AFC East.

Now I know it is only two games, and the Bills are still sitting at a very nice record of 5-3 (which is 7^th in the AFC which is one spot out of a wildcard berth and tied for 1st in the AFC East) but losses to the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins have raised some eyebrows. 

The Bills have played terrible football in the last two weeks.  For starters the running game is no where to be seen.  Marshawn Lynch carried the ball 9 times yesterday for 16 yards.  16 yards!  Are you kidding me?  This guy is a 1^st round draft pick and in his 2^nd year in the pros, he has yet to go past 100 yards this season on the ground.  The running back suffered from some kind of illness for most of the game yesterday.  Hopefully he doesn’t take a look at his performance, because that will make him sick all over again.  It certainly has made me.

The offensive line is horrible and it has been for the entire season.  Pro bowl LT Jason Peters is not going to get that big money extension that he held out for and missed the 1^st game of the regular season with, like he wants.  He is letting guys go right by him.  The rest of the line is very mediocre also.  They block for running backs that get an average of 93.8 yards a game which is good for 26^th best in the league.  Not only can they not run block but they can’t pass block either.  They allowed 5 sacks yesterday with some very nice “look out” blocks.

I didn’t know that J.P. Losman was playing in the game against the Jets?  Hmm, let’s take a look how he did… O wait…  Trent Edwards has played very poorly the last two weeks and the offense has sputtered.  In his defense he doesn’t have a real threat at the WR position other than Lee Evans, the running game is awful and he is getting pressured like crazy, but 3 turnovers in this one?  An absolute ugly interception that went for a pick 6 was thrown that ended a promising Bills drive.  Sure you can play the pressure and Roscoe Parrish for slipping but as a QB you don’t throw that ball into double coverage.  It didn’t even look like Edwards looked at Roscoe, just threw it where he thought he would be.  Edwards needs to step up his game too if he wants to led the Bills to the playoffs for the first time in almost a decade. 

With many of these problems being with the offense, the defense has also lacked in one big part of the game, stopping the opponent’s offense when it is needed.  Now don’t get me wrong the pick six by Jabri Greer was a great play that brought the Bills back into the game but the Bills had to come out and get the ball back.  Instead the Jets went right down the field, taking 8 minutes off of the clock and adding another field goal to put the game away.  A playoff caliber defense needs to step up and make that stop. 

The Bills started off the year so great, 4-0 and then 5-1.  They had the entire city of Buffalo behind them, cheering them on every week.  Even if it meant going to a friends house, crowded bar or dusting off the rabbit ears to catch the Bills game with grainy reception.  The game next week against the New England Patriots on the road is a must win for this Bills team.  They cannot go 0-3 in this division because teams will pass them by.  How can they accomplish a win?  For starters the team needs to get healthy and play like they did early in the season.  When the Bills had the good record to start off the season, they were playing great on all three aspects of the game.  Their offense was clicking, defense was solid and their special teams unit was game changing.  Now nothing is working on all sides of the ball.  They have to get back to basics and go with what worked early in the season.  Holding onto the football and establishing a rushing game is a must.  They have already lost to the Jets and Dolphins.  A loss to the Pats this week, by default, would make the Bills the worst team in the AFC East.      

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Buffalo Bills pro bowl defensive end Aaron Schobel was in a walking boot during practice today.  He didn’t practice earlier in the week and now that he has on a walking boot, the injury could be serious. 

Schobel was injured during the Bills 41-17 loss to the Arizona Cardinals.  He missed almost all of the 4^th quarter of that game. 

Schobel said there is no additional injury and nothing is broken. He is just wearing the boot for support. He said just call him questionable for the Chargers and wouldn’t elaborate.    

CB Terrence McGee, CB Ashton Youboty and FS Ko Simpson are returned to the practice field, but all participated in a limited role. 

 <a href="http://WGR550.com" title="http://WGR550.
" target="_blank">WGR550.com had this to say on the injured players:

“Youboty was favoring his left leg. No new players on the field to replace the traded John McCargo. Dick Jauron said only McGee and Schobel did not participate in practice. Simpson said he’s over 90-percent and he thinks he can play Sunday. McGee had no idea if he is going to be able to practice with the team this week. I can say he didn’t seem all that optimistic.”

QB Trent Edwards was also practicing again and looks like he will be good to go come Sunday against the San Diego Chargers.  Slot man Roscoe Parrish was also full go, and it looks like he will be ready also.

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It is being reported by NFL.com’s Adam Schefter that the Buffalo Bills are not going to rush QB Trent Edwards back from his concussion to play in Week 7 and might miss the game.

This is not good news for the Bills as they face a very tough San Diego Chargers team.  Even though the Bills have had the bye week, they have sent Edwards home the 3 days he showed up for pratice this week.  It looks like Edwards wants to play in this game, but the Bills mangement might not let that happen.  More will come on that as the week goes on. 

If Edwards is unable to play, J.P. Losman will make his first start of the season.  Ewww.

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It is being reported by multiple sources that Kansas City Chiefs tight end Tony Gonzalez is being shopped around in the NFL trade market.  The Chiefs are talking to multiple teams about their star tight end, although no one team has been mentioned yet.

My question is why don’t the Buffalo Bills try to take a run at him?  So I am here to list my reasons why they should.

1. They have the Cap Room

Tony Gonzalez does come over with a pretty nice contract (in the Bills eyes).  He did sign a five year, $35 million deal back in 2006 but $17.75 million of that is guaranteed.  The rest of Gonzalez’s contract calls for him to make $1 million in 2008, $4 million in 2009, $4.5 million in 2010 and $5.75 million in 2011. 

Now the number isn’t exact, but the Bills have about $20 million in cap space that they can still work with.  The Bills have plenty of room to add Gonzalez’s contract. 

2.  The Bills Need a Good Tight End

Sorry Robert Royal but you just aren’t getting the job done.  You are a very mediocre tight end that really shouldn’t be starting in the NFL.  You are a good run blocker but are not really a threat in the passing game which is a shame for your QB. 

Trent Edwards loves throwing to the guys underneath, like his running backs and tight ends but he doesn’t really have a tight end to throw to.  The 6 foot 5, 251 pound Gonzalez would give Edwards a huge target to throw to and also another red zone target.  Let’s be honest the Bills need another target on offense.  Marshawn Lynch is in a little bit of a slump, and Lee Evans is still drawing double teams with the Bills lack of a true #2 wide receiver (Josh Reed is more of a slot guy, rookie James Hardy still is learning the game, and Roscoe Parrish is out for the next few weeks due to a thumb injury).       

3. The Bills have been looking for a Good TE

Not sure if any of you guys out their remember it or not, but the Bills were taking a hard look at now Tennessee Titans TE Alge Crumpler during the off season but were unable to sign him.  They then went after guys like Courtney Anderson and Tim Massaquoi and even drafted Derek Fine in the NFL Draft this year (Anderson and Massaquoi were cut, and Fine has not been activated yet because of a thumb injury).  

They know they need a tight end and hopefully they are still looking for one right now.

4.  Sure Tony is Getting Older, but He is Still an Elite TE

Sure people take a look at his number this year, 21 receptions for 193 yards and 2 TDs, and say the 32 year old is done but that is mostly because he is on such a bad team and hasn’t had one QB throwing to him this season.  The Chiefs are just throwing random QBs in there each week and Tony’s numbers are really hurting because of it. 

Remember this is a guy coming off a great 2007 campaign when he caught 99 passes for 1172 yards and 5 touchdowns. 

He is just off to a slow start and has plenty left in the tank to be elite in the next few years.

5. The Bills Could Use a Vet

The Bills are a young team just learning how to win games in this league.  Why not bring in a 12 year vet that has been there before?  The Bills oldest player on the offense is 30 year old Robert Royal who never been on a playoff team.  

The Bills could really use a smart veteran like Gonzalez that would not only open up the offense more, but also provide some leadership to the young guys in the locker room.

6.  He is a High Character Guy

The Bills love their players to be character guys, who are not only good at football but also stay out of trouble.  Gonzalez is very active in charitable organizations like the Tony Gonzalez Foundation, the United Way, and the Boys and Girls club just to name a few. 

Not only is he a great player, but a great person too. This is a guy that the Bills organization would love to have.

7.  All of This Could Be Yours for a Draft Pick

It is being reported that all the Chiefs are looking for is a decent draft pick (or picks) in exchange for their star TE.  Earlier in the off-season, Saints TE Jeremy Shockey was traded for a 2^nd round and 5^th round pick, something the Bills could easily muster up (also keep in mind that Shockey is four years younger at the age of 28).  The Bills already have their young, core players on the squad.  This season they can afford to give up a couple picks to better themselves for the next few years with a star TE in their offense.  

Gonzalez is still an elite tight end who currently holds the NFL tight end record for receptions, touchdown catches and yards receiving.  He has also gone to 9 pro bowls in his career and could still make the trip for a few more.  I would love to see the Bills go after him in an attempt to make a run for the playoffs, something the team hasn’t done for over a decade.  

Don’t agree at all?  Think I am nuts?  Want the Bills to try to get this guy today?  Please write your reactions in the comment box below or send over an email to buffbillsfan517@yahoo.com.  Your feedback is gr

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Arizona Cardinals safety Adrian Wilson was fined for his hit on Bills QB Trent Edwards that knocked him out of the game last week, 3 plays into the ball game.  Wilson will have to send $25,000 to the league.

Wilson hammered Edwards on the third play of last Sunday’s 41-17 win, knocking him out of the rest of the game. The hit was not helmet-to-helmet and there was no penalty on the play, but the league said that Wilson unnecessarily drove Edwards to the ground.

Wilson has developed a reputation for being a pretty dirty player, and was warned by the league that his next infraction will draw a one-game suspension and a $50,000 fine.

He was fined twice last season.  Once for a late hit and once for a horse-collar tackle.  It is being reported that Wilson will appeal the fine, but it isn’t likely he will win this one seeing as he has a list of hits like this.

Personally, I thought it was a clean hit.  It was a saftey blitz that never got picked up by the Bills, and Wilson came through and drilled Edwards.  Yes he did sort of take him into the ground a little hard, but this is football.  I thought it was clean and Wilson does not deserve a fine.  I think it has more to do with his past hits, then how bad this one really was.

Edwards looks like he will be ready to start in the Bills Week 7 game, at home against the San Diego Chargers.  The Bills are currently on a bye week.

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With even more Bills injuried, I though today would be a day to bring up the rest of the players not practicing.

DT John McCargo is excused and of course QB Trent Edwards is still out. Watching the pratice today are WR Roscoe Parrish (thumb), CB Terrence McGee (knee), CB Ashton Youboty, SS Ko Simpson, OL Melvin Fowler, DE Chris Kelsay, DE Aaron Schobel and DT Marcus Stroud (who rode the stationary bike). 

It seems like half of the team is out.  Good thing this week is a bye week which will give the players some more time to rest before their matchup against the San Diego Chargers.

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Hello Bills fans.  The bye week couldnt have come at a better time for the Bills.  With the horrible loss of the game and quarterback Trent Edwards to a concussion, the team can afford a few weeks to get healthy.  Hopefully when the Chargers come to town on October 19th, Edwards will be fully healed and ready to go.  Its amazing how as soon as Trent went down, the team just didn’t respond with J.P. Losman at the helm.  Although Losman did have an amazing 87 yard bomb to Lee Evans, the offense never seemed fluid and they couldnt overcome the four turnovers.  Im not going to blame JP for the loss because its extremely hard for a backup to come in and take over.  Edwards is the leader of the team and makes everyone around him believe that they can win any game.  Im hoping Trent is ok and helps this team get to the playoffs.  Go Bills.

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Sorry for writing about the same guy two days in a row, but lets be honest with ourselves.  This is HUGE news!  If Trent Edwards can’t go that means JP Loserman will have to play in the Bills next game against the San Diego Chargers.  That will be no small task. 

Here is the latest update, this time coming from Chris Brown at BuffaloBills.com:

…“We follow a routine for any of our players that suffer a concussion so that’s what we’ll do with Trent,” said head coach Dick Jauron. “And we’re into that routine and that protocol. He was pretty good after the game and I spoke to him then. We will follow it and continue to follow it through the week and we’ll continue to follow it as we move along and just see how it goes.”…

…“I don’t think it’s my place to start speculating on those things. I’m not a physician or a trainer so I’m not going to go there,” said Jauron. “I’m not going to anticipate anything. We’re just going to stay on the protocol and as I said we follow the same thing for any of our players that are in this situation and that’s exactly what we’ll do in this case.”…

…Edwards was at One Bills Drive during the morning hours on Monday, but did not stay for the entire work day with his teammates who reviewed film and did conditioning….

Now some of his teammates talked to him too, including his go to guy in WR Lee Evans:

…When asked if Edwards would be recovered from his concussion in time to prepare and play against San Diego in 13 days Evans was unsure. 

“We hope so,” said Evans. “Any time you’re dealing with a head type thing or a concussion you never know how it’s going to shake out. We just hope for the best for him and hopefully he’s getting better.”…

So I say for all of us Bills fans, GET WELL SOON TRENT!  We need you out there!

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