Question Mark
Comparing Edwards and Losman by the numbers
Question: Why doesn’t somebody point out Trent Edwards’ numbers in comparison to J. P. Losman’s? Who has a better passer rating in their second season on the job? — Bill Austin, Buffalo
A: Losman’s passer rating in his second season, 2006, was higher than Edwards’ current rating. Losman finished at 84.9 in 16 starts. Edwards’ passer rating is 82.5.
Overall in that 2006 season, Losman passed for 3,051 yards with 19 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. He was sacked 47 times. He had 35 completions of 20-or-more yards and 10 40-plus completions.
If you average out Edwards’ current numbers to 16 games, he would wind up passing for 3,309 yards with 13 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. He would finish with 46 20-plus completions and five 40-plus passes. He’d have 33 sacks.
If you take their career passer rating, Losman is at 77.9 in 33 starts; Edwards is at 76.5 in 19 starts.
Overall, an organization needs to have faith in and commitment to a young quarterback. The Bills did not have Losman’s back anywhere close to the way the Giants, for instance, had Eli Manning’s back. Will the Bills have Edwards’ back? We’ll see.
Q: The announcers Monday night mentioned that the Bills had not thrown a play-action pass all season. Is that true? — Carl Carpenter, Kerrville, Texas
A: Not true. Maybe they were misled by the New England game the week before, when the Bills used mostly shotgun and did not play-action fake.
I don’t keep track of play-action fakes on my statistic sheets, but I mark them down occasionally. I have at least 14 play-action fakes, and I’m sure I’m missing a bunch. The Bills may not do it as much as other teams, but they run them. They ran a play-action fake on the first play of the Jets game, when Marshawn Lynch caught the swing pass for 42 yards. Lee Evans’ 39-yard TD catch in St. Louis came on a play-action fake.
“We’ve had plenty,” coordinator Turk Schonert said.
Q: Is Trent Edwards still having problems from his concussion? The quick decision making that marked him early in the season is not there. — Charley Blaine, Seattle
A: I don’t think so, because in his first game back from the concussion, he was 25 for 30, his best outing of the season. Wouldn’t it have hindered him that day against San Diego?
Q: How much did the Bills blitz Brady Quinn? Why didn’t they blitz Matt Cassel more? — Dean Johnson, Boston.
A: I counted them with 19 blitzes in 37 pass plays against the Browns. That counts all times they sent five or more pass rushers, not four-man zone rushes where they drop a lineman off in coverage. That’s 51 percent, the most Perry Fewell has blitzed any opponent this season. Those blitzes were pretty effective. Even though they only sacked Quinn once, they forced a lot of hurries.
They only blitzed New England on 7 of 35 pass plays, by The News’ count. That’s 20 percent, a lot lower than normal for the Bills. They blitzed the Jets on 39 percent and Miami on 35 percent of pass plays. Obviously, the game plan against the Pats was less aggressive.
Bills beat reporter Mark Gaughan answers your football questions every Friday in the paper and online in a weekly chat at 11 a. m. Send your e-mails to mgaughan@-buffnews.com or mail to Question Mark, The Buffalo News Sports Department, One News Plaza, P. O. Box 100, Buffalo, NY 14240. Please include name and hometown.
