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ESPN Bills camp preview: Is Edwards the real deal?
Bills camp preview: Is Edwards the real deal?
By Eric Karabell
ESPN.com
(Archive)
July 1, 2008, 5:20 PM
The New England Patriots seemingly received all the attention in the AFC East a season ago, because most fans figured the other teams in the division were horrible and not worth watching. Well, two of them were. The Buffalo Bills weren't bad at all, flirting with the postseason until losing their final three games. Yes, the Jets and Dolphins have issues, but how far away is this Bills team?
Marshawn Lynch hasn't had a positive offseason off the field, dealing with repercussions from a hit and run accident. But on the field, Lynch had a successful rookie campaign, and there's no reason to expect he will regress. The draft brought exceptional talent on both sides of the ball, and while the Bills have to realize they aren't on par with Tom Brady's Patriots, they do think Trent Edwards can get them to the postseason for the first time this decade. Yes, it has been a while.
The Bills need Edwards to step up and lead the team. With Lynch, the Bills know what they have: a young, hungry running back who is already a top-10 fantasy pick and capable of bigger things. He rushed for 1,115 yards and seven touchdowns last season, but also missed three games. Edwards and J.P. Losman went back and forth sharing the starting quarterback job last season, for whatever confusing reason, but now it's clearly Edwards' job, and they hope he takes advantage of his opportunity. The Bills have finished among the bottom seven in the league in total yards each of the past five seasons, and quarterback play has been a big part of that. New offensive coordinator Turk Schonert might try to throw more and open things up, but head coach Dick Jauron is a running man who preaches ball control. The play calling will be something to watch for its level of conservatism.................
~The Answer
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