Is it just me or weren’t we suppose to have a quarterback competition during Bills training camp? I’m sorry, but if I remember correctly, all I heard coming out of mini-camps was how impressive Brian Brohm looked for the Bills. I don’t know about you, but when I hear the words “Quarterback competition,” which is something that has been spued by Bills coaches and media members, the first thing that goes into my head is that each quarterback is going to have equal reps with the first teamers.
Of course, that hasn’t been the case during Bills training camp. The pecking order (As some in the media call it) has consisted of Trent Edwards #1, Ryan Fitzpatrick #2 and Brian Brohm #3 (with both of them switching with the 2nd teams). Can someone explain to me why Edwards should be the number 1 guy? If you were to compare the stats of Edwards and Fitzpatrick over their careers, they are pretty much dead even. Now, don’t give me Edwards vintage 2008 season, when he beat down some crappy teams like the Raiders, Rams and Seahawks. Sorry, but that’s ancient history.
Not to mention, Edwards has a couple of strikes against him for losing his job and the confidence of his teammates. Plus, Fitzpatrick is the quarterback who guided the Bills to five of their six wins in 2009.
Frankly, if I am Fitzpatrick, I’d be pretty pissed off. Hell, he’s been told it’s a competition, yet, he’s practicing with guys that might not even make the team. I may not be a football coach, but if you have a quarterback playing with lesser talent or the JV squad, then more than likely, he’s going to have a harder time to succeed. Hence, the reason why this quarterback competition seems to be flawed. Fitzpatrick or Brohm completing passes to Lee Evans sure would make them look a lot better in practice than if they were trying to get their timing down with UB wide receivers or guys named Nelson.
Again, my assumption of having a quarterback competition resides on snaps being evenly distributed. Now, some people on my Twitter page have pointed out to me that this isn’t a open competition, but rather a pecking order. Huh? What the hell does that mean? I have even had people tell me that it’s not a open competition, but a regular competition. Oh, well that makes total sense! I guess an open competition means that Al Bundy can walk on the football field and gets an opportunity because he played quarterback at Polk High.
Look, I’m not the only one here who thought this was going to be a legit quarterback competition. Hell, The Buffalo News ran interviews with each of the three quarterbacks on the opening day of training camp. I’m sure if this wasn’t an actual competition, those interviews would have been dwindled down to just one.
Now, let me tell you one thing: I don’t care who wins the starting job. I think all three quarterbacks are mediocre and more than likely, one or three of them will eventually lose their starting jobs this season. However, the latest news is that Gailey is saying that the competition is still on, which made me wonder if this whole thing has been fair? Like I said earlier, it hasn’t been. Hell, when Gailey said the competition was still on, I had totally forgetten that we were still having a QB derby.
How the hell can you justify giving the job to Brohm or Fitzpatrick, if neither has taken a snap with the first team? I remember during Dick Jauron’s first year, Kelly Holcomb and JP Losman were battling for the starting job (There’s a real QB controversy-ugh) and Holcomb started the first preseason game and pretty much bombed out, which left the door open for Losman to come in and take the starting job.
To me, that’s how it should be settled, on an even playing field.
In all honesty, I think this whole quarterback competition was a fraud to begin with for two reasons:
1) I’m sure we all know that the Bills selling/marketing points this offseason have been about playing “tough football” (Gailey’s voice) and having intense training camps. This is music to fan’s ears because it’s completely different than what Dick Jauron use to preach. Of course, having a open quarterback competition would only feed into the that mentality of “tough football.” Plus, fans wouldn’t have to stomach the inevitable of Edwards starting until the announcement was made in August, instead of May. Hey, buying season tickets might sound a lot better if you heard that the Bills were having a open competition, rather than just giving the ball to Edwards.
2) I was listening to Jerry Sullivan’s appearance for WGR on Monday and he offered a very revealing comment about Ralph Wilson’s thoughts on Trent Edwards. Sully said that during Edwards rookie year- when JP Losman was still the quarterback, Ralph Wilson told him that Edwards was going to be a star player and actually walked up to Trent to tell him that. Hmmm….sounds like someone in the Bills front office really wanted Edwards to succeed.
Bottom line: Sure, Edwards deserves a shot at the starting quarterback job, but it shouldn’t be handed over to him on a silver platter. By having the other quarterbacks sit out preseason games and complete passes to 4th stringers, it will only help Edwards to succeed. Fitzpatrick and Brohm have every right to win the starting job. If this was legit competition, then Brohm or Fitzpatrick should be starting this Thursday against the Colts. Edwards had his chance and sucked complete ass against the Redskins. It’s only fair to see what the other guys can do. Of course, it’s all about smoke and mirrors for the Bills.
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