Chiefs coach wavers in backing QB Green; Huard still starter

Since then, Huard is 5-2 as a starter with a highly impressive quarterback rating of 105.2, second only to Peyton Manning.

He's hit 131 of 203 passes for 1,623 yards. Working behind a weakened, patchwork offensive line, he has saved Edwards' first season in Kansas City and won over the support of a big segment of fans.

Green, on the other hand, is a five-year starter and team leader.

With Green at the controls, the Chiefs have had one of the NFL's most productive offenses the past five seasons, setting a number of league records. Green had more yards passing (20,117) and touchdowns (111) from 2001-05 than any other NFL quarterback than Manning.

Knocked unconscious and carted off the field on a gurney, Green has been working his way back very slowly. He was in uniform in St. Louis for the first time, but Edwards had said he would not play.

"What I don't want to get caught into ... every week we win a game and every week Trent's out, we're going to keep asking the question," Edwards said. "Well, it's not about Trent right now. It's about the football team. That's all that matters."

Huard has maintained a good-soldier approach, insisting his job is to be a backup. But there can be little doubt that he would love a shot at being the starter for the first time in a career that's seen him play second-fiddle to Dan Marino in Miami and Tom Brady in New England.

"If we were the other way, 3-5, we wouldn't be talking about this," Edwards said. "We'd be saying, `Yeah, when is he coming back? But now, we're winning, and it's `What are you going to do when he comes back?

"It's a good problem to have. But at the end, the decision I'll make is the chemistry of this football team. Does it affect it, does it help it more?"

Peterson also denied that Edwards was exhibiting a change of heart.

"I think his point was, `I don't need to discuss making a decision today that doesn't need to be made today.' That's really what he said. And it's not necessary right now. OK? Obviously, a decision will ultimately be made. It will be his decision."