Commentary
Sullivan: QB strategy amounts to convince and repeat
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — One of the toughest things for Bills fans, I imagine, is the gnawing redundancy of it all. After a decade of futility, the circumstances of defeat begin to repeat themselves. A loss feels vaguely familiar, like something grasped at the bottom of a dusty old trunk in the attic.
The Bills' 41-17 loss to the Titans had such a feel. When you've watched this team struggle for so long, there's a sense of looming, inevitable disaster. They'll tease you, show signs of competence, hang around for three quarters. But in the end, inferior talent and coaching find their level.
Actually, this game was a virtual copy of the one from two weeks before, when the Bills gave up 22 points in the fourth quarter of a home loss to the Texans. On Sunday, it was 24 unanswered points in the fourth against the Titans.
If you're keeping score at home, that's 46-0 against in the fourth quarter of the last two games. Not what you'd call finishers.
They're 3-6 now, and clearly inferior to a Tennessee team that was winless a month ago. Dick Jauron's annual heroic march to 7-9 is in serious jeopardy.
Trent Edwards is in a heap of trouble, too. As history lessons go, this brought back memories of '07, when J.P. Losman neared the end of his quest to be the starting QB. With Edwards hurt, Losman faced a big test in Jacksonville and self-destructed in the second half of a winnable game.
That's what this seemed like — the slow, inexorable demise of another failed franchise quarterback.
Edwards had his moments against the Titans. He threw two accurate bombs to Terrell Owens. He threw a fade to Lee Evans for a touchdown. Edwards played mistake-free football and led a 12-play drive for a tying field goal early in the second half.
Then, with a chance to make a finishing statement, Edwards went to pieces. The Bills gained a total of 9 yards on their next four possessions. On the last series, he made three straight horrible throws, the last one a pass into coverage that was picked off by Vincent Fuller and returned for a touchdown.
Jauron then made an uncharacteristic decision. He pulled Edwards. They were down, 34-17, with 2:54 to go. The game was over. But Jauron doesn't yank his QB unless things get really bad. Pulling Edwards was a ringing declaration of no-confidence. Jauron accentuated it when asked if Edwards was still his starter.
"You know, we'll discuss it as we go along," Jauron said. "I need to see the whole game, too. Obviously, from the field you can't see everything that happened. After the fact, you get information as the game goes on."
Ah yes, information acquired as the game goes on. In the second quarter, there was an animated sideline exchange between Owens, Josh Reed and receivers coach Tyke Tolbert. Owens explained that he and Reed were expressing themselves about a "read that we both assessed."
"We felt we missed it and we were trying to get everybody on the same page," Owens said. "Josh obviously saw what I saw, and I saw what Josh saw. We just tried to communicate that to Tyke and across the board."
Owens and Reed wouldn't elaborate. But it doesn't take a crime scene investigator to put it together. The receivers were upset that someone missed a read on the field. They made it clear to their position coach, who presumably sent it "across the board." Jauron said he pulled Edwards because some "things were missed."
So it seems the Bills' two most veteran offensive players complained about Edwards missing a read. It got to Jauron and he pulled his quarterback.
Audio slide show: Jerry Sullivan's postgame analysis
This marks a low point for Edwards in his downward-spiraling career. If Jauron is considering putting Ryan Fitzpatrick back in the lineup, it's not a good sign. Like Losman, Edwards is watching his chances of a lucrative contract extension evaporate before his eyes.
It's hard to prove yourself if you're not on the field. Edwards was asked how he felt about Jauron not committing to him as the starter.
"That's the situation we're in right now," Edwards said. "We're 3-6 and we're not winning football games. The first person you got to look at is the quarterback. I'm coming back from an injury. It's tough to say right now, just in terms of not watching the film. I think he would say the same thing. So it's tough."
He needs to watch the film before defending his job. That tells you a lot. Would Jim Kelly need to see the film? How different would our history be if Grant had sent word to Lincoln that he couldn't proceed until he'd seen the films?
You'd like to see a little passion from your quarterback. Even Drew Bledsoe was defiant when they took his job away. Bud Adams, the 86-year-old Titans owner, flipped the bird at the Bills' sideline after the game. Is it so much to ask for Edwards to act like the fiery leader of an NFL team?
Edwards isn't the only one at fault, of course. The line isn't giving him much time to throw. They had five false starts. Jauron put more pressure on the offense by declining a holding penalty before the Titans kicked a 51-yard field goal to make it 27-17.
Jauron is coaching for his job. He doesn't have many more people to blame for this wreck of a season. The organization has probably made up its mind on Edwards. If he comes back next season, he'll be in the final year of his contract, like Losman a year ago.
On and on it goes. Maybe Jauron will have more to offer when he watches the game film. Maybe he'll insist that T.O. and Reed weren't criticizing Edwards' reads at all, but were merely discussing the quality of the Nashville newspaper.
Let them watch their game films. My advice to Bills fans is avoid them at all costs. Besides, chances are you'll see another one just like it before long.
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