Yes, "pretty quick" describes it. Compared to Rossi, Gibernau, Biaggi, Checa, Capirossi and Tamada and quite possibly Hayden, he's not a contender. Better equipment might help, but IMHO he doesn't have the drive or the talent to consistently win at MotoGP against the "Big Boys" or, more importantly, the championship. He consistently keeps the Honda name up there, and that's why he's liked by the Honda folks. He'll have more podium chances when Rossi retires to race cars, and when Gibernau, Biaggi, Checa, Capirossi, Hayden and Tamada all quit, which they won't, so in all likelyhood Edwards will continue to be the "steady eddy" and take his paycheck. How does the song go? "Nice work, if you can get it."
My 2 cents....