KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Trent Green's sore ankle limited him in
practice Wednesday and there are signs Kansas City coach Herm
Edwards may have his struggling quarterback on a short leash.
Green, who committed three turnovers and got booed in Sunday's
playoff-clinching victory over Jacksonville, is still slated to
start Saturday at Indianapolis. But waiting in the wings is fan
favorite Damon Huard, who was an impressive 5-3 in eight starts
while Green recuperated from a severe concussion sustained in the
season opener.
"I anticipate [Green] starting," Edwards said Wednesday. "But
we'll see how far he comes along tomorrow."
Since returning against Oakland on Nov. 19, Green hasn't looked
as sharp as the quarterback who passed for more yards (16,334) from
2001-05 than anyone in the NFL but the Colts' Peyton Manning.
He has thrown seven touchdown passes with nine interceptions,
and has been sacked 24 times. His poor quarterback rating of 74.1
is dwarfed by the 98.0 of Huard, who threw 11 TDs and only one
interception while subbing for him.
Green came out of the Jacksonville game briefly with an ankle
injury and watched Huard march the offense downfield to a quick
touchdown, setting up the score with a beautifully thrown 40-yard
gainer to Eddie Kennison.
Edwards said Green did not do any team work on Wednesday.
"It's sore, I know that," he said of Green's ankle. "We'll
see tomorrow."
A quarterback controversy has simmered for two months, with a
growing number of fans climbing on board the Huard bandwagon.
Edwards seemed to encourage that faction on Tuesday when he
admitted he would be more inclined to replace a struggling player
in the playoffs than he would in the regular season.
"You have to win the game," Edwards said. "There's no
tomorrow. And you have to do whatever is best for the football team
at that point. I'll do whatever I have to do. When you're in the
playoffs, you're desperate."
Green said Wednesday he's not looking over his shoulder.
"I'm more worried about the Colts' defense and trying to get as
healthy as I can for this game," he said. "I've taken some shots
the last few weeks and am trying to get as healthy as I can and
worry about the Colts' defense. Whatever everybody else is saying
or whatever decisions are being made, the Colts are my main
focus."
Told that he would be giving hope to the anti-Green clamor,
Edwards became defensive.
"People will think whatever they want to think," he said. "At
the end of the day, I make the decisions. I made a decision to
start Trent when he was ready to play. He's our starting
quarterback. He's our starting quarterback going into the playoffs,
and I anticipate he's going to play good."
Huard said he's not expecting to play against the Colts.
"I'm just going to prepare the same as I always prepare every
week," he said. "You've always got to be ready to play on a
second's notice. You never know, just like last Sunday. I had to go
in there when Trent got nicked up. So you're always ready to
play."
Green had started 81 straight games before taking a brutal hit
from Cincinnati's Robert Geathers on Sept. 10. He was taken
unconscious to a hospital and spent 10 weeks recovering from a
severe concussion.
He said he was unaware of Edwards' comments.
"I'm just going to prepare the best I can, play as best I
can," he said.
"Everything else is out of my hands. I just have to do as good
a job as I can do and not get caught up in that. I anticipate going
out and having success and the offense playing well and me playing
well. That's all I can do, I can't worry about any of the other
stuff."