Player Bio of the Week: Trent Edwards
This week I go with one of the main players on the team instead of the role players. He is one of my favorite players on the team also. This week’s bio is going to be on starting QB Trent Edwards.
Edwards’s football career really took off way back in high school. He played for the Los Gators high school in California. Trent was one the #1 highest rated pro-style QB in his recruiting class of 2002 in many publications. The reason for that was the fact that he put up some pretty godly numbers. In his senior year he went 154 for 213 (72.3%), 2,535 yards, 29 touchdowns and only 3 interceptions. To go along with great stats is an even better record. In his junior and senior seasons, Edwards led his team to two undefeated seasons, and back to back Central Coastal Section D-III Championships. Edwards was recruited by a ton of high profile schools. Michigan, Florida, Notre Dame and Tennessee all went after the highly sought quarterback, but he decided to stay close to home and enrolled at Stanford.
His goal to reach the NFL got difficult from this point on, as the Stanford team couldn’t even stay on the field with the other schools going after him. In 2002, Edwards sat the bench as a true freshman. In 2003, he started as the number 2 guy on the depth chart but won the starting job. He started 4 games towards the end of the season, but couldn’t finish it due to a shoulder injury. In 2004, it was Trent’s job but he was knocked out of 2 games, and missed 2 more games all together due to more injuries. At this point a promising young QB looked to be far from the NFL, but it turned around for the good.
Edwards’s best year came in 2005 when he was able to start all 11 games that year. He finished the year 168 for 268 (62.7%), 1934 yards and 11 TDs. The Cardinals went 5-6 that year.
In 2006 Edwards was once again the starter but only played in the first 7 games. He was done for the season after another injury, this time a broken foot. The Cardinals went 10-20 in games that he started. His goal of making the NFL was still intact though. Despite the poor record he was still ranked very high due to his intelligence, arm strength and accuracy. ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. picked him as the third best QB available in the 2007 draft behind only JaMarcus Russell and Brady Quinn.
The Bills selected Edwards in the 3rd round with the 92nd overall pick despite having a good young up and coming QB in JP Losman (or at least they thought that at the time). The Bills were made fun of here in Buffalo on the local radio stations. A QB so early in the draft when they already had one? Little did they realize what a great pick it turned out to be.
The 2007 season started great for Trent Edwards. In his first preseason as a pro he beat out Craig Nail for the #2 spot behind Losman. Edwards and the rest of us here in Buffalo didn’t realize how fast he would become the starter.
In his first action as a pro, he went 10 of 20 for 97 yards and an INT. We all know the rest of the story from that point on. His strong, smart play won him the starting job for the rest of the 2007 season and he entered the 2008 season as the starter. He has looked mature in the Bills first two games going a combined 39 for 55 (70.9%), 454 yards, 2 TDs and 0 INTs.
If the 24 year old QB will have to continue to make plays if the Bills want to make the playoffs this season. He has led the team to a 2-0 record, something they haven’t done since 2003. He also shows great leadership and really trusts in his teammates. The 2nd year pro was also voted one of the team captains by his teammates.
The sky’s the limit for the young QB as he looks to be the quarterback of the future and now for the Bills. The Bills haven’t had a reliable QB since Jim Kelly retired and the city is excited with what they see in the young man as he attempts to lead them to a playoff berth.
