He hasn't led the starting offense to a single touchdown in three preseason games. His new star receiver, Terrell Owens, is out with a toe injury. His new offensive line is struggling. The no-huddle isn't fooling anybody. Saturday night in Green Bay, he acted as if it he had never seen a 3-4 defense before.

Oh, and Trent Edwards' detractors are howling again. Everyone who can tell a football from a

footrest is convinced the Bills' quarterback doesn't throw downfield enough. Edwards,

typically, doesn't see what the fuss is all about.

"There hasn't really been any looks," Edwards said Monday. "You've watched the games just

like I have. I don't know if you've seen any throws I could have made down the field. If you

want to call the plays and throw the ball down the field, that's fine. I'm taking what the

defense is giving me and continuing to go through my reads, and that's the way I'm coached."

I've watched the games, all right, and I've heard it all before. The first team offense's

miserable performance against the Packers brought back ghastly reminders of the Monday Night

loss to Cleveland here last fall, when Edwards suffered a colossal loss of confidence before a

national TV audience.

This is no time to panic. They still have 20 days to get ready for the opener in New

England. Owens should make a big difference when he comes back. But T.O. or no T.O., huddle or

no-huddle, it has been troubling to watch Edwards making many of those same, conservative

decisions under duress.

After last year's Cleveland game, when Edwards lost the nerve to throw downfield after

tossing three interceptions in the first quarter, I called him a quarterback "in full crisis."

August is too soon for crisis, but Edwards continues to show an unwillingness to fire the ball

down the field, to take chances.

Edwards does work for Dick Jauron, a coach who plays not to lose and strings up 7-9 seasons

like Christmas lights. But even Jauron was critical after Saturday's debacle. Jauron said

Edwards should have pulled the trigger earlier on one play. He also said a quarterback cannot

be "timid" or "fearful."

Jauron, who always backpedals from criticism of his players after watching the film, backed

off Monday. But for Jauron to utter the words "timid" and "fearful" in any context tells me

there's concern about Edwards within the coaching staff.

Receiver Lee Evans was more forthcoming. Evans tries to evade tough questions, but when

pressed he'll generally let down and tell you what he actually thinks. Evans said he and Owens

have been urging Edwards to be more willing to throw the ball downfield and give them a chance

to make tough catches.

"Absolutely," Evans said. "Absolutely. That's one of the things we've been talking about ever

since this whole thing started. So we're going to keep talking to him, and getting him to that

point."

This "whole thing" goes back to that Cleveland game. Edwards seems to have lingering

confidence issues. He talks about the way he's coached, but he can't allow himself to be a

reflection of a conservative coaching staff.

At some point, Edwards has to assert himself as the leader of the offense. He has to have

the guts to attempt the big throw, and the courage to fail.

Edwards' future is on the line. It's a make or break season. The NFL is a playmakers' league.

You don't become a star by looking to avoid mistakes. He needs to figure it out soon,

preferably by opening Monday in New England.

If not, Edwards will have more than the radio talk show crowd on his case. Owens has thrown

much better quarterbacks under the bus. I don't imagine it'll take T.O. long to complain if

Edwards is reluctant to throw the ball downfield in the regular season. We might see our first

T.O. tirade within weeks.