HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. -- Herman Edwards made his mark as a player
in one game against the New York Giants. Now he has a chance to
pull off another Miracle of the Meadowlands as coach of the New
York Jets.
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After barely missing the playoffs, the Jets sorely needed some renewed passion, something Herman Edwards will bring as the team's new head coach, says ESPN's Merril Hoge.
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Until he was hired Thursday to replace Al Groh, Edwards was best
known for returning Joe Pisarcik's fumble 26 yards for the winning
touchdown in the Philadelphia Eagles' 19-17 win over the Giants in
1978. The play, with 31 seconds left in the game, was dubbed the
Miracle of the Meadowlands.
"At one time, I thought Giants Stadium held about 70-something
thousand," Edwards said during his news conference at the Jets
complex at Hofstra University, "but the longer this thing goes the
more people that have been at that football game ... every time I
talk to someone, 'Hey, I was there!' "
Edwards also noted the significance of the play.
"We were floundering that year, losing games at the end and all
of a sudden that play comes about," Edwards said. "There's
something about plays like that turning around your fortunes. From
that point on we had a four-year playoff run. A play like that
makes players believe they can win."
And that will be Edwards' job with the Jets, although he said
former coach and director of player operations Bill Parcells left a
solid structure. Edwards on Saturday hired former USC coach Paul Hackett as his offensive coordinator and has interviewed Kurt Schottenheimer for the
defensive coordinator's position.
"These guys know how to win," Edwards said. "This
organization is strong, and my task is to keep it going. Two years
ago, they knew they needed one more win to get to the Super Bowl.
They fell a little short of the playoffs last year, but with one or
two wins at the end maybe I'm not up here talking to you."
It has been a tumultuous two months for the Jets, who dropped
their final three games to blow a playoff berth. Groh resigned on
Dec. 30 to become the coach at Virginia, his alma mater. Then
Parcells resigned. The Jets were back to their dysfunctional
selves, just like earlier last year when Parcells stepped down as
coach, Bill Belichick took over for a day and resigned and Groh was
promoted.
But owner Woody Johnson went out and hired Terry Bradway from
the Kansas City Chiefs as his general manager, and the two drew up
a list of four candidates -- Edwards, Jacksonville defensive
coordinator Dom Capers, Buffalo defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell
and Jets assistant Maurice Carthon.
|  | | Herman Edwards is flanked by Jets GM Terry Bradway, left, and owner Robert Woody Johnson. |
Edwards becomes the third active black head coach in the NFL and
the sixth overall. The other current black head coaches are
Minnesota's Dennis Green and Tampa Bay's Tony Dungy. Edwards is the
first black head coach of a pro football team in New York.
Johnson noted the significance of the hiring, but said, "That
really didn't come into play. We were simply looking for a coach
who could get us where we want to go."
Said Edwards: "I don't want to use that as a crutch. I want to
say that I got hired because I was qualified to get hired. I worked
my way up the ranks like any good solider. I did it without
stepping on people, without talking about people, without
bellyaching it wasn't my turn.
"I live by this: Work hard and when it's your time, it's your
time. I'm an Afro-American and if I didn't get my show, I want to
make sure that I dotted all the i's so when the next guy came along
he's got a better chance."
Edwards is considered one of the brightest assistants in the
game. He spent the past five seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
as Tony Dungy's assistant head coach/defensive backs. Before that,
he worked with the Chiefs under Marty Schottenheimer, and also
played 10 seasons -- nine for the Eagles -- from 1977 through 1985.
Even though Bradway knew Edwards from their years with the
Chiefs, the GM was convinced he had the right man after a daylong
interview earlier in the week.
"He was even more impressive then I advertised," Bradway said.
"He's the best man to lead the Jets on the path to the world's
championship. He has great respect not only for the game, but for
people. His experience as a player, personnel evaluator, a position
coach and an assistant head coach has prepared him for the
challenges that lie ahead."
Tampa Bay players spoke highly of Edwards.
"Herm has got everything. He's a detail guy," Bucs Pro Bowl
safety John Lynch said. "He's as organized and meticulous as
anyone you'll ever find. He demands excellence from his players,
but knows how to have fun, too."
Added cornerback Ronde Barber: "They've got someone who's not
going to give up on them regardless of what happens. He refuses to
lose. He refuses to be mediocre. He does not want to fail, and he
pushes that on his players."
Edwards has yet to finalize any staff decisions. He said he
planned to meet shortly with current Jets assistants, including
Carthon, who could end up as offensive coordinator.
He has not evaluated the players but said Vinny Testaverde is
his No. 1 quarterback, and also had high praise for Chad
Pennington, who along with Ray Lucas are the backups.
Speaking of quarterbacks, Edwards added a kicker to his fumble
return. Noting that Pisarcik ended up with the Eagles the next
season as a backup, Edwards continued: "And the poor guy, he walks
into the locker room and the first thing that they do is throw the
ball on the floor and Bill Bergey says, "Play it again, Joe.' "
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The New York Jets announce Herman Edwards as their new head coach.
Herman Edwards feels the Jets front office chose the best Candidate to run the team.