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| Wednesday, January 24 Associated Press | |||
| TAMPA, Fla. -- New York Jets coach Herman Edwards compared
the hiring of new coordinators Paul Hackett for the offense and Ted
Cottrell for the defense on Wednesday with winning a recruiting war
for talent.
"They have a lot of energy and knowledge, a passion for
football and they're detail oriented, guys who have been around
football their whole lives," said Edwards, hired only last week to
replace Al Groh. "Getting these guys to come is like winning a
high school recruiting battle."
The 53-year-old Hackett, fired Nov. 28 after three years as
coach at Southern California, has 14 years' experience as an NFL
assistant at Cleveland, San Francisco, Dallas Kansas City, and
coached the University of Pittsburgh (1990-92).
Hackett is a proponent of the West Coast offense developed by
former 49ers coach Bill Walsh.
"When quarterbacks get to that offense, they really enjoy it,"
Edwards said on a conference call. "As a defensive guy in the
past, I know the headaches it causes."
At quarterback, the Jets have Vinny Testaverde coming back as
the probable starter following a subpar season, with veterans Ray
Lucas and 2000 first-round draft pick Chad Pennington in reserve.
"The beauty of the situation is that Vinny is the seasoned
veteran and we have a young quarterback waiting in the wings along
with Ray having experience," Hackett said.
The West Coast offense is sometimes criticized as too
pass-oriented, but Hackett said running backs Curtis Martin and
Richie Anderson could thrive under it.
"We have the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield
with more than 150 catches between Curtis and Richie," Hackett
said.
Cottrell, with 18 years of experience as an NFL assistant, spent
the last three seasons as defensive coordinator with Buffalo. The
Bills were ranked sixth, first and third in the league during his
tenure.
"Teddy has gone with a 3-4 defense and a 4-3," Edwards said.
"At this point, we have to vacillate between going 3-4, 4-3 or a
combination of both."
The Jets also announced the hiring of Mike Westhoff as special
teams coach and the signing of free-agent tight end James Dearth,
who spent the last two years on the practice squads at Tennessee
and Cleveland. | ALSO SEE
Jets nab Bucs assistant Edwards as new coach | ||
John Clayton breaks down the comings and goings of the defensive coordinators.