Herman Edwards to Kansas City

[MavKikiNYC]

January 5, 2006
Jets' Loss Is Chiefs' Gain; Deal for Edwards Is Near

By DAMON HACK
After a lost season and several weeks of speculation, the Jets and Coach Herman Edwards were close to parting company last night, only a day after Edwards said he planned to return to the Jets for a sixth season.

The Jets and the Kansas City Chiefs discussed a compensation package yesterday that would make Edwards the new coach in Kansas City while giving the Jets draft picks in exchange, according to a National Football League executive who was granted anonymity because the negotiations were not yet complete.

Neither Edwards nor Terry Bradway, the Jets' general manager, returned telephone calls seeking comment.
The move would bring to an end Edwards's five-year relationship with the Jets that saw them reach the playoffs three times, but sink to a 4-12 record this season amid injuries that seemed to doom the team from the start.

Speculation about Edwards's future with the Jets dominated the second half of the season, most notably when Dick Vermeil, Kansas City's coach and Edwards's longtime mentor, admitted to uncertainty about returning to coach the Chiefs in 2006.

That speculation only grew when Vermeil publicly praised Edwards late in the season, saying he might be a candidate to be the league's coach of the year for the way he guided the Jets through adversity.

After Vermeil announced his retirement Sunday, Edwards maintained that he expected to stay with the Jets, a sentiment that he and several of his players expressed in recent days.

"I intend to be back as the Jets' coach," Edwards said Tuesday when reached at home.

Yesterday, as Edwards's status became less clear, some of the Jets began to prepare for a different ending.
"I'm sure there will be some disappointed players," Pete Kendall, the Jets center, said when reached by telephone yesterday, responding to the possibility of Edwards's leaving. "I don't think any of this should affect anyone's opinion of Herm.

"I don't think any less of any of the parties involved," Kendall added. "I think they all made a business decision that worked out best for everyone."

On Monday, Jets running back Curtis Martin was asked if the team's view of Edwards would change if he left the organization. "No," Martin said. "Because a person makes a certain decision for their future, you can't walk in their shoes. You don't know what they're thinking, how they see their future or how they envision themselves."

Edwards, who has two years left on his contract with the Jets, is among the lowest-paid coaches in the N.F.L., earning about $2 million a year.

In Kansas City, Edwards would most likely garner long-term security and a larger salary, not to mention a team with a nucleus that includes running back Larry Johnson, tight end Tony Gonzalez and one of the league's most respected offensive lines.

Edwards is a close friend of Carl Peterson, the Chiefs' president and general manager, who hired him as a scout for Kansas City in 1990 and who has long admired Edwards from afar. Peterson did not return a telephone call seeking comment.

If Edwards does leave the Jets, at a time of widespread coaching changes around the league, their most obvious replacement candidates are already in the organization. Mike Heimerdinger, the offensive coordinator, and Donnie Henderson, the defensive coordinator, have been mentioned as potential head coaches, although Henderson has also garnered interest for the New Orleans Saints job.

Other possibilities include Jim Haslett, the Saints coach who was fired after the season, and Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz, who once coached under Bill Belichick in Cleveland and whose name often sparks interest around the N.F.L. Ferentz's contract with Iowa runs through the 2012 season.

Jim Fassel, the Baltimore Ravens' offensive coordinator and the former Giants coach, is also available and has already received interest around the league, including from the Chiefs. The Ravens originally hired Fassel in 2004 as a consultant to work with quarterback Kyle Boller.

Although the Ravens finished with a 6-10 record and were ranked 24th in total offense, they scored 94 points over their last three games, with Boller finally appearing comfortable in Fassel's system.

"It was his offense this year," Ozzie Newsome, the Ravens' general manager, said of Fassel in a telephone interview yesterday. "He ran it, called it, it was his. Once we got all of our players in place, once we got them healthy, Jim did a good job, and he'll do an even better job next year if we have the chance to retain him."

Whoever coaches the Jets next season will face many uncertainties with a team coming off a forgettable season and dealing with numerous injury questions, including to Martin and quarterback Chad Pennington.
Edwards was often the one rallying to his players' aid in sickness and in health, exuding optimism regardless of the team's predicament.

With the Jets long out of the playoff picture, he raised his hands in triumph at the conclusion of his team's 30-26 season-ending victory over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday at Giants Stadium.

"You play to win the game!" Edwards shouted during the 2002 season.

Edwards may soon be saving that kind of talk for Kansas City.

[MavKikiNYC]

Not surprising, and probably a good thing for both clubs.

Edwards had some bad breaks with injuries with his club the last couple of years, but he was starting to sound like a cross between a used car salesman and a 7th grade football coach.

I think he might be more than a little overrated.