Edwards says Brodie Croyle will be his new starting QB

By DOUG TUCKER
AP Sports Writer

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Damon Huard is out and Brodie Croyle is in as starting quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs.

Coach Herm Edwards said Monday the rifle-armed Croyle, who came in for a shaken-up Huard against Denver on Sunday, would start at Indianapolis on Sunday as the Chiefs try to snap a two-game losing streak and revive one of the NFL’s weakest offenses.

“You need a spark,” Edwards said. “We’ve been in some contests now where we haven’t had the ability to score points. That’s part of your job as a quarterback, to put points on the board and move the football team. We’ve moved at times, but we’ve also been very inconsistent.”

Croyle was 17-for-30 for 162 yards, with one interception, in the 27-11 loss that dropped Kansas City to 4-5.

Huard, an 11-year veteran, had been a backup all his career until beating out Croyle in the preseason. He played well in eight starts last year when Trent Green was injured. But he had been inconsistent this year, and before Croyle came in Sunday had thrown two interceptions and lost a fumble.

“Damon’s done a good job helping us win four games. It’s never on one guy, obviously,” Edwards said. “You need a spark. We’ve been in some contests now where we haven’t had the ability to score points. That’s part of your job as the quarterback, to put points on the board and move the football team. We’ve moved at times, but we’ve been very inconsistent. At this point in time, this is a chance for me and this organization to evaluate a young player that we think has a chance to play quarterback. But you don’t know until he has an opportunity.”

A third-round pick in 2006 out of Alabama, Croyle will be the first quarterback actually drafted by Kansas City to start a game for the Chiefs since Todd Blackledge, who was drafted in 1983.

Croyle said earlier Tuesday he did not know if he was going to get the nod.

“If this is the week, then this is the week,” he said. “If not, then I’ve still got to prepare and get better. We will be ready to go when it’s time to go.”

He was expected to win the job in training, but he played poorly in the preseason and Huard, who hardly played because of an injury, was given the job virtually by default.

“I’m a pretty patient guy and I think your patience helps you make the right decision,” Edwards said. “It takes the emotion out of your decision and you gather the information as you play. When you change your quarterback, people always feel like it was all on the quarterback. It’s not. It’s never all on the quarterback. Damon’s been a pro, a standup guy. When I brought him in here today he understood. He gets the big picture. He understands that it’s been nine weeks and that it’s not an emotional decision.

“Maybe some people thought I should have done it earlier,” Edwards added. “I have a feel for this football team. We’re at a point where I’ve got to try to spark something on offense.”

The Chiefs’ major problem all year has been a weak offensive line, which also has led to an inconsistent running game. Huard has been knocked around in almost every game and sacked 25 times.

Some fans have wondered if it wouldn’t be better to keep Croyle under wraps the rest of this year and start him next season when the line is presumably strengthened through the draft or free agency. At Alabama, he was often injured.

“The good thing about it is he’s been in (three) games and he’s also been here,” Edwards said.

“He’s seen it. He understands what we’re struggling with. He’s got to go in there now and not worry about that. He’s just got to go play quarterback. He can’t worry about anything. All he can control is how he plays. That’s what I told him today. I told him, ’You have to get better every week for us.’ We’ll find out what happens.”