O’Sullivan will start
Sixth-year QB will lead 49ers
J.T. O’Sullivan will start at quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers when the NFL regular season begins next month.
O’Sullivan clinched the job with a strong performance during Thursday night’s 37-30 exhibition victory over Chicago, and 49ers coach Mike Nolan said it was time to make O’Sullivan’s status official after a summer of uncertainty.
“J.T. O’Sullivan will be our starting quarterback going into the season and I’m expecting him to succeed,” Nolan said Friday. “I’m very confident J.T. is at the point where he’s our best man for the job right now.”
O’Sullivan, a long shot to become the starter when training camp began at the end of July, overtook veteran holdovers Alex Smith and Shaun Hill during the past two weeks. The sixth-year player, with his eighth NFL team, has never started a regular-season game in the league.
That is about to change.
O’Sullivan was picked to start San Francisco’s preseason opener Aug. 8 against Oakland and has been practicing and playing with the first unit since. He didn’t take any snaps in 11-on-11 team drills during the first seven days of training camp as Smith and Hill got all the work.
Lions sign QB Henson
The Detroit Lions have signed quarterback Drew Henson, a high school and college standout who has struggled at the professional level in baseball and football.
Terms of the signing, announced on the team’s Web site, weren’t disclosed.
Henson was signed after second-year quarterback Drew Stanton sprained the thumb on his throwing hand in practice Thursday. He will be sidelined about a month.
The 28-year-old Henson shared quarterback duty at Michigan with Tom Brady. He played three seasons as a third baseman in the New York Yankees’ organization before the NFL’s Houston Texans drafted him in the sixth round, 192nd overall, in 2003.
Henson was traded to Dallas in 2004, started one game and was released at the end of the 2006 preseason. He signed with the Vikings, who released him after training camp in 2007.
Edwards out against Indy
Buffalo Bills starting quarterback Trent Edwards won’t play in Sunday night’s preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts because of a bruise above his right kneecap.
Edwards missed his third straight practice since knocking knees in a collision with running back Marshawn Lynch on Tuesday night.
“It’s making minimal progress,” Edwards said.
Edwards, who walked with a limp throughout the workout, was optimistic that he’ll be ready for Buffalo’s final preseason game against Detroit on Thursday.