Professor

Democrat & Chronicle: Bills

excerpt:

(August 10, 2007) — PITTSFORD — A large contingent of friends and family will be inside the Superdome tonight to watch Buffalo backup quarterback Craig Nall, a native of Alexandria, La., and a graduate of Northwestern (La.) State, play against the Saints.

Unfortunately for them, it does not look like there will be a whole lot of Nall ball being played in the Bills' preseason opener.

"I probably have about 50 people coming to the game, but I don't know how much I'll be playing," said Nall of his return to the Bayou. "I don't want to speculate, but I don't think it's going to be as much as I was expecting originally."

Coach Dick Jauron indicated earlier in the week that Nall would replace starter J.P. Losman after a series or two and probably finish out the first half before giving way to rookie Trent Edwards.

"We know that our first group will play somewhere between 10 and 15 plays and that's about normal," Jauron said. "And then after that, we're not certain how it will play itself out. Right now, I'm inclined to think that Craig will go second and play a little, then Trent will play most of the rest. It's not etched in stone. We just have to see how we feel, but that's probably what it will look like."

Edwards will benefit from receiving the bulk of the playing time as the Bills begin their four-game exhibition schedule.

Nall is a six-year NFL veteran and is in his second season with Buffalo. He knows offensive coordinator Steve Fairchild's system, and the coaches already have a good feel for what he can do.

The Bills need to get a feel for what Edwards can do. Buffalo surprised many people when it spent its third-round draft pick on a quarterback, but Edwards was a talent the deep-thinkers apparently couldn't pass up. Now he gets his first chance to reward their faith.

"I'm very excited," said the Stanford graduate, who hasn't played in a game since the middle of October 2006, when he suffered a broken ankle that ended his senior season. "It's an opportunity for me to show the coaches and the guys on the team that I can play the position and what I've learned in these couple weeks. Hopefully I'll be able to display that on Friday night."

Jauron likes what he has seen from both Nall and Edwards as they battle to become Losman's primary backup. Based simply on lack of experience, Edwards is behind, so this is a chance to close the gap a bit.

"He has a very quick release, he's generally accurate, struggles some in recognition, but that's to be expected," Jauron said. "He's very smart in the classroom and on the field. He's working on his reads and understanding what he has to do. He's just getting better and appears to be a player that does learn from day to day and rep to rep and sometimes from a mistake, which hopefully won't be repeated."

Edwards said he's not looking to go out and throw for 300 yards. He recognizes the key for him will be to pay attention to the small details and learn as he goes as this is only step one in a long and arduous process.

"I have to be consistent, I think that's what the coaches are looking for," he said. "There's going to be a lot of different things being thrown at me — different routes, protections, the crowd, the play clock, a lot of things. I have to be able to manage all those factors and move the ball down the field and have a clean, no-turnover game when I'm in there."

Edwards won't be the only young player on display. Once the offensive and defensive starters exit, the rest of the Bills' youth will take center stage.

First-round pick Marshawn Lynch will be making his debut, although Anthony Thomas is expected to start at running back. Paul Posluszny, the Bills' second-round choice, may start at middle linebacker because he has taken most of the first-team reps this week, and he figures to see extensive time.

One area to watch will be right guard, where Duke Preston will probably start but free agent acquisition Jason Whittle will get playing time as well.

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