Bills rookie Edwards to start at quarterback
Two wins in three games earned Bills rookie quarterback Trent Edwards the starting job, and sent J.P. Losman to a familiar place -- the bench.
Coach Dick Jauron made the announcement on Tuesday in a two-paragraph statement issued by the team as the Bills (2-4) prepare to travel to play the New York Jets on Sunday.
"We are naming Trent Edwards as our starting quarterback," Jauron said, noting he had informed both Edwards and Losman of his decision.
The statement was a departure from what Jauron said last week, when he declined to name a full-time starter beyond giving Edwards one more start -- against Baltimore on Sunday -- because Losman had looked rusty since recovering from a sprained left knee.
Edwards delivered on the coach's faith, helping the Bills to a 19-14 victory. The win improved the third-round pick's record to 2-1 in three consecutive starts since Losman was hurt during the first series of Buffalo's 38-7 loss against New England in Week 3.
Jauron is expected to provide further details regarding his decision after the Bills return to practice today.
In three starts, Edwards has gone 56-for-80 for 563 yards passing with a touchdown and 2 interceptions. That's more than double the 251 yards passing Losman managed in his first two starts.
Edwards struggled against the Ravens, going 11-for-21 with 153 yards passing, and threw a near-costly interception deep in Bills territory that allowed Baltimore to cut Buffalo's lead to 5 points midway through the fourth quarter. But he still helped the offense produce a season-best 19 points against a Ravens defense that had allowed 10 in its previous two games combined.
Rams release Terrell: The St. Louis Rams released offensive guard Claude Terrell after he was arrested early Tuesday and charged with assaulting his wife at a suburban Houston hotel.
The Rams announced Terrell's release in a news release. A spokesman declined to comment further.
Police in the Houston suburb of Webster said they found a woman with "obvious signs of physical injury" after responding to a disturbance at a Hampton Inn. The woman said she was Terrell's wife and told police he had assaulted her.
The 6-foot-2, 330-pound Terrell was found at a nearby hotel, where he was arrested and charged with assault-family violence, a class A misdemeanor, police said.
Terrell has appeared in six games with three starts for the Rams (0-7) this season.
Terrell was on probation from a 2006 assault charge of causing bodily injury to a family member, according to court records. He was given a $1,000 fine and two years of probation for that charge in February.
Falcons cut Jackson loose: In a surprising move announced without comment from coach Bobby Petrino or general manager Rich McKay, the Atlanta Falcons (1-6) cut starting defensive tackle Grady Jackson on Tuesday.
Falcons spokesman Reggie Roberts said Petrino would address the move today.
Jackson, a 6-foot-2, 350-pound run-stopper who has started 22 of the last 23 games, led the league with 13 tackles for a loss last season. The 11-year veteran had 21 tackles, including 5½ for losses, and 1 sack this year.
Less time to draft in 2008: The NFL on Tuesday cut from 15 minutes to 10 the time between picks in the first round of its draft after a 2007 record round of 6 hours and 8 minutes.
It also moved the starting time of the draft from noon EDT to 3 p.m. and limited the first day to two rounds instead of three.
The change also applied to the second round, which will go from 10 minutes to seven between choices for next year's draft, which will be held April 26-27 at Radio City Music Hall in New York.