Bills QB Edwards eager to start building off rookie season

3/25/2008 4:58 PM

By JOHN WAWROW
AP Sports Writer

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) -If a clean-shaven face means a fresh start, Trent Edwards arrived for the opening of the Buffalo Bills' voluntary offseason conditioning program eager to show how far he can carry them now that he's the starting quarterback.

``Sitting at home in January, watching the playoffs, watching these quarterbacks lead their teams, kind of motivated me a little bit more,'' Edwards said Tuesday. ``I'm feeling good. I'm ready to go.''

Edwards then blushed when asked about his new look, noting he first shaved his unruly peach-fuzz beard in mid-January prior to his sister's wedding.

``I kind of cleaned up a little,'' he said.

Edwards has a little bit of cleaning up to do as far as his on-field performance goes.

Buffalo's third-round draft pick out of Stanford, Edwards went 5-5 in 10 appearances as a rookie last year, credited for salvaging a season in which the Bills finished 7-9 after an 0-3 start. Besides ousting incumbent J.P. Losman as starter, Edwards finished second among Bills rookie quarterbacks in touchdown passes (seven), yards passing (1,630) and completions (151).

It was a season marked by inconsistency.

Edwards was intercepted eight times, led an offense that failed to generate a touchdown in four games, and closed the season with three losses, a stretch in which he went a combined 38-of-89 for 418 yards, with two touchdowns and three interceptions.

Edwards acknowledged it wasn't easy being thrust into action three weeks into the season after Losman sprained his knee during the first series of a game at New England. There, lined up across from Edwards as he took his first snap, was Patriots linebacker Junior Seau.

``There's always that `wow' factor. These are guys I watched growing up,'' Edwards said, noting he was also awe-struck when facing Miami's Jason Taylor and New York Giants' Michael Strahan.

``Once you get past that, definitely you can grow a little bit and not have that be a distraction,'' he said. ``And that's hopefully what I'll be able to do, get past that rookie hump and move in the right direction my second year.''

The Bills saw enough in Edwards to make him their starter entering this season, a decision that's led to Losman's request to be traded.

Edwards sidestepped questions regarding Losman's uncertain future, saying, ``It's not my position to call on that. We'll see where it goes.''

But Edwards hopes Losman stays.

``I think very highly of him and the way he plays, and that's what you need at this level,'' Edwards said. ``If we're going to be successful and win games, we need to have talented football players and talented quarterbacks.''

Edwards will be learning a new offensive scheme being installed by Turk Schonert, the Bills' former quarterbacks coach who was promoted to coordinator after Steve Fairchild was hired to take over at Colorado State in December.

Following a 90-minute meeting with Schonert, Edwards said the new scheme will be similar to the one the Bills had last year but with some exceptions. The most notable difference, Edwards said, is the quarterback will have more leeway in changing plays at the line of scrimmage.

The Bills' offense needs a spark after it produced 20 touchdowns - a franchise low for a 16-game season - and finished 30th in yards gained in the NFL last year.

Edwards shrugged off the numbers, confident he'll grow from his experiences last season, and grow more comfortable with his receivers.

``If we're on the same page with things and have a good offseason, there's really no telling where we're going to go,'' Edwards said. ``It's exciting to know that we're right there, we're on the edge, and that's what I want to do here is win football games.''