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 the 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 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."

(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)