Goodbye to HermWith the departure of ex-Jets head coach Herm Edwards, for some the
raison d'etre of this blog has been lost. But I will carry on.
Of course, the situation in Israel is much more important than the Jets' situation. I'm posting now about Herm because I want to spend more than just a few minutes on a new post about Ariel Sharon.
Having been away for a week, I haven't followed the media reports as closely as usual, but it appears that GM Terry Bradway has been getting blasted by the New York media.
Bradway has done a mediocre job over the last five years, but isn't it interesting that only when Herm leaves does Bradway get criticized? The media's love for Edwards is almost pathological and says a lot less about Herm than about the media's lack of credibility. Basically, if you give a few good quotes, treat beat reporters as though they are important public figures, and offer some off-the-record tidbits, you'll be lauded regardless of reality.
My overall take on Herm's departure is that the Jets did fantastically well. They not only got rid of a coach who was no longer motivating his players and never had a good feel on gameday, they were released from his contract, and even got a late fourth round pick from the Chiefs, who for some bizarre reason want to continue to underachieve.
It's worth remembering that all of the other teams who got rid of their head coaches - most of whom are better qualified than Herm - received no compensation and had to pay the millions left on those coaches' contracts.
Could the Jets have gotten more from KC than a late fourth rounder? I think so. Herm was - again for reasons unknown - the man that the Chiefs wanted. The Jets did themselves in by all the leaks that came out of their front office informing the world that they were in negotiations with the Chiefs. Once those leaks came out, there was no way Herm could return to the Jets, and all of the leverage shifted to Kansas City. In contrast, no leaks emerged from KC; of course, in fairness, there is a much less active media there.
But the notion that the Jets should have held out for a first round pick is silly. Unlike, say, Dick Vermeil, Herm did not win a Super Bowl. He was coming off a 4-12 season and his record over his five reasons was below .500. Had the Jets not blinked, they probably could have gotten a third and a sixth rounder, nothing close to a first round pick.
Coming back to Bradway, this offseason will be extremely important for the Jets. They need to acquire a new head coach and fill a coaching staff, will have a high first round pick and several extra picks (in addition to the Chiefs' pick, the Jets likely will receive compensatory picks resulting from their losses last offseason of free agents Lamont Jordan, Kareem McKenzie and Jason Ferguson), will have to address their quarterback situation and the future of John Abraham, among other key decisions. While Bradway's track record does not inspire confidence, his apparent recognition that Herm had to go was a strong step in the right direction, and he will have the chance - probably his last - to turn things around and set the Jets on the right course.
posted on 1/13/2006
