Chan Gailey had seven months to judge who the Buffalo Bills' starting quarterback should be.

He staged what he described as an open competition into the preseason schedule, but it really wasn't an open competition. After rotating reps among his three quarterbacks, he saw enough out of Trent Edwards to give him the first-team snaps from the start of training camp.

Ryan Fitzpatrick, Brian Brohm and draft pick Levi Brown fought over the scraps. Edwards played every preseason game. The others did not.

Now, two games into the regular season, Gailey has admitted an error in judgment.

After an 0-2 start, Gailey has benched Edwards and elevated Fitzpatrick to the starter's role.

Bills interim coach Perry Fewell did the same thing last year.

"We're going to make a change at quarterback," Buffalo News reporter Jay Skurski quoted Gailey as saying Monday afternoon. "He's going to take the reins, and see where that takes us. We're looking for a spark. We're looking for something that gives us a new look, a new thought process. … We're looking for the right combination. We haven't found that yet."

The mistake to start Edwards was compounded by Gailey's decision to give him all of the quality reps. Fitzpatrick played in only two preseason games. He worked mostly with backup players in relief of Edwards.

Fitzpatrick will get to start against an agitated New England Patriots squad in Gillette Stadium.