Herm: You're welcome, Kansas City

[Hammock Parties]

Wow.

http://www.kansascity.com/2011/01/03...e-players.html

Shortly before the start of what would be his final season coaching the Chiefs, Herm Edwards called a meeting for many of his best young players: Tamba Hali, Dwayne Bowe, Jamaal Charles, Glenn Dorsey, Brandon Flowers and others.

Perhaps sensing he wouldn’t be their coach much longer, Edwards told those players that the Chiefs eventually would be built around them.

“They were going to be the foundation of this football team down the road, and I told them that,” said Edwards, now an analyst on ESPN. “They didn’t understand what I was telling them. A lot of those guys were too young to think about it. A lot of them looked at me kind of funny”

Edwards, sure enough, was fired after that 2-14 season in 2008. But he was right in what he told those players that day — and his legacy lives on with the Chiefs.

The Chiefs won the AFC West championship and will play Baltimore on Sunday in a first-round playoff game at Arrowhead Stadium with many players acquired by Edwards filling key roles.

Charles and Bowe are Pro Bowlers. Hali led the AFC with 14 1/2 sacks. Dorsey, Flowers and Brandon Carr are fulfilling the vision Edwards had when they were acquired in his final draft. Branden Albert, Barry Richardson and Ron Edwards are starters.

Although the Chiefs won just 15 games in Edwards’ three seasons, he can take some pride that the youth movement he initiated has finally paid off.

“I’m happy for what’s going on there,” Edwards said. “I’m happy for the fans. They had to suffer for three years.

“I tried to leave the team better than when I got here. We didn’t win enough games. I get that part. But I always sensed we had the right kind of guys and they would give us a chance eventually.

“I knew the Chiefs had a chance (after Edwards left) because the cupboard wasn’t bare. You’ve got to give Todd Haley a lot of credit. You’ve got to give Romeo Crennel a lot of credit. Charlie Weis, too. They came in and they had a plan and they were very good with the players. They acquired a quarterback. They’ve done some good things, too, along with having some pieces there.”

Edwards used many of the Chiefs’ best young players as immediate starters. They developed the necessary experience but couldn’t win enough for Edwards to keep his job.

“We weren’t afraid to let them play,” Edwards said. “We knew there was going to be some heartbreak. We knew there were going to be some things they didn’t get because they didn’t have experience. That’s the hardest thing. You want them to have experience, but the only way to get it is to let them play.

“Some of the guys we drafted were really young. We suffered through all of that. We were so young, and we had no veterans to hold on to. We lost some games in the fourth quarter because we just ran out of gas.

“Now all of a sudden a lot of those guys are in their third season and they’ve figured this football thing out. When you’re young and you’re asked to play right away, that’s a burden. A lot of those guys had to mature as they played. They made errors. It wasn’t because of (a lack of) talent. It was because of inexperience.”

Hali was Edwards’ first draft pick. He was selected as a defensive end to be a complementary pass rusher to Jared Allen but had to become the No. 1 rusher in 2008 after the Chiefs traded Allen to Minnesota.

Only this season, under Haley and after being moved to outside linebacker, did Hali flourish.

“He had a great upside,” Edwards said. “Tamba was still learning how to play football and how to be a professional when we had him. Sometimes it takes guys a little bit longer to acquire a pass-rush move. The way they use him now helps him. They stand him up, they move him around.”

Charles was a part-time player behind Larry Johnson in his only season playing for Edwards. But he averaged a healthy 5.3 yards per carry and caught 27 passes. Edwards indicated Charles would have played more the next season had he remained as coach.

Charles finished this season as the NFL’s second leading rusher with 1,467 yards. He came close to setting an NFL record with 6.4 yards per carry.

“Jamaal Charles was 21 when we drafted him,” Edwards said. “He was an immature guy. But you could tell he was going to be a great player. He was a home-run hitter in college. He doesn’t have a big frame, but he’s not afraid to run inside.”

Bowe had solid statistics in his two seasons under Edwards. He caught 70 passes for 995 yards as a rookie.

His numbers this season, 72 catches for 1,162 yards, aren’t significantly better. But he had 15 receiving touchdowns, leading the league.

Haley held Bowe to a high work standard, even to the point of benching him in the preseason last year. Bowe was more consistent this year.

“He didn’t have to work real hard because he’s so big and so strong,” Edwards said. “He could get away with that in college, and it took him a while to figure it out. Even still, his rookie year, he almost had a thousand yards in receptions.

“Todd’s done a great job with him. But I also think a lot of it is on Dwayne. He understood where he was in his career.”

[Hammock Parties]

Originally Posted by Hog Farmer

Not hard to bring in talent when you're drafting top 5 every year

Herm only had one top 5 draft.

[Royal Fanatic]

This tells me all I need to know about Herm Edwards:

Year 1: 9-7
Year 2: 4-12
Year 3: 2-14

Not only that, but in the 2-14 season, after every loss he seemed very happy and satisfied in his post-game press conferences. If he had melted down after a loss like Dennis Green or Jim Mora I would have respected him a lot more. At least it would have looked like he cared.

[Fish]

Not surprising seeing the Herm hate stoked in this thread. He never did get a fair shake from the majority of the fans. But the truth is that he supplied this team with today's leaders. He put the young guys out there, knowing they would make rookie mistakes. And now that experience is really paying off. Everyone saying "F Herm" should stop and think about what this team would be like without Charles, Bowe, Flowers, Hali, Carr, etc.

[Sweet Daddy Hate]

Originally Posted by KC Fish

Not surprising seeing the Herm hate stoked in this thread. He never did get a fair shake from the majority of the fans. But the truth is that he supplied this team with today's leaders. He put the young guys out there, knowing they would make rookie mistakes. And now that experience is really paying off. Everyone saying "F Herm" should stop and think about what this team would be like without Charles, Bowe, Flowers, Hali, Carr, etc.

This.

[ChiTown]

Originally Posted by FAX

Me. Personally. I've given up on this fight. It just isn't worth it, Mr. Dave Lane.

Often, the myth supersedes all evidence to the contrary.

I once asked who Herm actually "scouted" while he was with the Chiefs in that capacity. After some time (and, no doubt, much googling), Mr. Mecca responded with "Dale Carter". Apparently, Dale Carter was an overlooked player from an unknown school when Herm scouted his ass and gave him a chance in the bigs.

I occasionally worry about the future of our country.

FAX

[alpha_omega]

Whew...sure glad we had Herm.

[milkman]

Originally Posted by KC Fish

Not surprising seeing the Herm hate stoked in this thread. He never did get a fair shake from the majority of the fans. But the truth is that he supplied this team with today's leaders. He put the young guys out there, knowing they would make rookie mistakes. And now that experience is really paying off. Everyone saying "F Herm" should stop and think about what this team would be like without Charles, Bowe, Flowers, Hali, Carr, etc.

I think Herman ****ing Edwards deserves credit for getting Clark Hunt to buy into the idea of rebuilding this team through the draft, a plan I wholeheartedly agree with.

I also agree that he deserves credit for getting those young guys on the field and getting them that experience.

But, at the end of the day, the guy was a mediocre coach who didn't prepare his team, who couldn't coach a pop warner team on game day, and never held anyone accountable.

Had Lamar Hunt actually cared, we might not have ever had to go through the shit we've had to go through over the years.

[HemiEd]

Originally Posted by Norman Einstein

I think he would be a great stocker at Price Chopper, maybe a grocery bagger.

Toll booth change collector. He clearly has the demeanor for it.

[2112]

Originally Posted by milkman

I think Herman ****ing Edwards deserves credit for getting Clark Hunt to buy into the idea of rebuilding this team through the draft, a plan I wholeheartedly agree with.

I also agree that he deserves credit for getting those young guys on the field and getting them that experience.

But, at the end of the day, the guy was a mediocre coach who didn't prepare his team, who couldn't coach a pop warner team on game day, and never held anyone accountable.

Had Lamar Hunt actually cared, we might not have ever had to go through the shit we've had to go through over the years.

Herm left the Jets in shambles right after he left. as he did with the Chiefs. the man is a douche and a fraud, he shouldn't get any ****ing credit.

On the flip side, Haley has made the Chiefs a respectable organization again. he should get all the credit.

[zonachief]

Wasnt there talk that herm wanted to blow the thing up after his first year? The team was old and needed to be rebuilded but Carl wouldnt let him do it? Not defending Herm as a coach but he inherted an abomantion of a team that was old as ****.

[2112]

Originally Posted by zonachief

Wasnt there talk that herm wanted to blow the thing up after his first year? The team was old and needed to be rebuilded but Carl wouldnt let him do it? Not defending Herm as a coach but he inherted an abomantion of a team that was old as ****.

What I dont get is Herm being credited for bringing in talent in the draft. did he really tell Peterson what to do on draft day? was Peterson that dumb too?

[Farzin]

Originally Posted by Chiefs Rool

the guy should be hired just to draft, he can do that well. But don't ask him to do anything else.

Strongly agree. He was a scout as a Chief before being the NYJ head coach. I really thought he did a great job of bringing in player. Just couldn't coach them.

[OnTheWarpath15]

Originally Posted by D2112

What I dont get is Herm being credited for bringing in talent in the draft. did he really tell Peterson what to do on draft day? was Peterson that dumb too?

Peterson always deferred to his coaches regarding the draft.

That's why our drafts sucked so hard while DV was the coach.

[milkman]

Originally Posted by D2112

What I dont get is Herm being credited for bringing in talent in the draft. did he really tell Peterson what to do on draft day? was Peterson that dumb too?

What we heard is that Clark Hunt took the final say in the draft out of Carl's hands and gave Kuharich that responsibility, though no source would confirm this.

[milkman]

Originally Posted by Farzin

Strongly agree. He was a scout as a Chief before being the NYJ head coach. I really thought he did a great job of bringing in player. Just couldn't coach them.

None of Carl's drafts, including those that involved Herman ****ing Edwards as a scout, wre worth a damn.

That's not to say that we didn't get some good players through the years, but each indivdual overall draft was mediocre, at besst, until the last draft, the one that rumors had Kuharich responsible for.