Mr. Kotter
01-06-2006, 08:52 AM
Jets Closing in on Compesation Deal with Chiefs
http://www.nypost.com/sports/jets/59997.htm
January 6, 2006 -- Calamity, as always, reigns at Weeb Ewbank Hall.
But that's the way it always is with the Jets, New York's other football team, who now are in serious jeopardy of becoming the butt of league-wide jokes again the way they were during the Coslet-Carroll-Kotite gory years.
Uncertainty, acrimony and spin doctoring have engulfed the Jets' facility and now there is back-stabbing taking place, according to sources inside the building, where people have been walking on egg shells of late.
The uncertainty has stemmed from the fact that the Chiefs, according to team sources, halted draft-pick compensation negotiations with the Jets for Herman Edwards' services all day yesterday before finally agreeing to re-open them last night, leaving the possibility that today he could be named as the new head coach of the Chiefs.
The Chiefs' initial balking left the Jets in a lurch, faced with the possibility of Kansas City not going after Edwards.
That would leave Edwards, who has two years remaining on his contract, still the Jets' coach. That, according to team sources in the know, isn't what owner Woody Johnson wants anymore.
The source said that Johnson was so angry Wednesday with the negotiations faltering that he blurted out, "They can just have him."
What truly appears to be taking place between the Chiefs and Jets is a good, old-fashioned derriere-kicking by Kansas City president Carl Peterson on Jet GM Terry Bradway, who used to work for Peterson.
The mentor seems to be schooling the protege, playing the Jets' bluff and testing their lack of leverage since he now knows the team and Edwards appear to be at the point of no return because of the acrimony that has surfaced.
One team source said he heard one insidious plan the Jets are prepared to enact is, out of spite, holding Edwards to his contract until all of the vacant NFL jobs are filled and then firing him. At that point, the source said, they would interview their three coordinators — Mike Heimerdinger (offense), Donnie Henderson (defense) and Mike Westhoff (special teams) — for the job and Edwards would have no team to coach.
Reports have the Chiefs trying to toss the Jets a fourth- and/or fifth-round draft pick for Edwards' services, which is an utter insult, not to mention larceny.
There, too, seems to be some back-stabbing on the part of Bradway, who according to sources inside the building, hasn't even been keeping Edwards apprised of the goings on, never even asking Edwards whether he wants to stay or go.
Edwards, in fact, spoke to some of his assistants yesterday and said, to paraphrase, that he's "sorry" things have come to this, that the Jets could have squashed all of this Kansas City talk by simply saying they want him to remain a Jet, that they're "going on speculation" that he would want to leave.
"No one ever asked me what I want to do," Edwards said to his assistants, who are off for the next 10 days.
There's been an unspoken chasm between Edwards and Bradway, and unfortunately for Edwards, it's Bradway who has the owner's ear. That's why this mess regarding Edwards and the Jets has been methodically spun so that Edwards looks like the bad guy, the guy trying to land a contract extension and a raise.
To that, Edwards' agent, Gary O'Hagan, told The Post emphatically last night: "We have not made any contract demands. Herm is paid in the bottom quartile of coaches in the league, but we have not made any contract demands nor have we made any trade demands. They're trying to trade him. Why would we ask for an extension when they're trying to trade him?"
mark.cannizzaro@ny post.com
http://www.nypost.com/sports/jets/59997.htm
January 6, 2006 -- Calamity, as always, reigns at Weeb Ewbank Hall.
But that's the way it always is with the Jets, New York's other football team, who now are in serious jeopardy of becoming the butt of league-wide jokes again the way they were during the Coslet-Carroll-Kotite gory years.
Uncertainty, acrimony and spin doctoring have engulfed the Jets' facility and now there is back-stabbing taking place, according to sources inside the building, where people have been walking on egg shells of late.
The uncertainty has stemmed from the fact that the Chiefs, according to team sources, halted draft-pick compensation negotiations with the Jets for Herman Edwards' services all day yesterday before finally agreeing to re-open them last night, leaving the possibility that today he could be named as the new head coach of the Chiefs.
The Chiefs' initial balking left the Jets in a lurch, faced with the possibility of Kansas City not going after Edwards.
That would leave Edwards, who has two years remaining on his contract, still the Jets' coach. That, according to team sources in the know, isn't what owner Woody Johnson wants anymore.
The source said that Johnson was so angry Wednesday with the negotiations faltering that he blurted out, "They can just have him."
What truly appears to be taking place between the Chiefs and Jets is a good, old-fashioned derriere-kicking by Kansas City president Carl Peterson on Jet GM Terry Bradway, who used to work for Peterson.
The mentor seems to be schooling the protege, playing the Jets' bluff and testing their lack of leverage since he now knows the team and Edwards appear to be at the point of no return because of the acrimony that has surfaced.
One team source said he heard one insidious plan the Jets are prepared to enact is, out of spite, holding Edwards to his contract until all of the vacant NFL jobs are filled and then firing him. At that point, the source said, they would interview their three coordinators — Mike Heimerdinger (offense), Donnie Henderson (defense) and Mike Westhoff (special teams) — for the job and Edwards would have no team to coach.
Reports have the Chiefs trying to toss the Jets a fourth- and/or fifth-round draft pick for Edwards' services, which is an utter insult, not to mention larceny.
There, too, seems to be some back-stabbing on the part of Bradway, who according to sources inside the building, hasn't even been keeping Edwards apprised of the goings on, never even asking Edwards whether he wants to stay or go.
Edwards, in fact, spoke to some of his assistants yesterday and said, to paraphrase, that he's "sorry" things have come to this, that the Jets could have squashed all of this Kansas City talk by simply saying they want him to remain a Jet, that they're "going on speculation" that he would want to leave.
"No one ever asked me what I want to do," Edwards said to his assistants, who are off for the next 10 days.
There's been an unspoken chasm between Edwards and Bradway, and unfortunately for Edwards, it's Bradway who has the owner's ear. That's why this mess regarding Edwards and the Jets has been methodically spun so that Edwards looks like the bad guy, the guy trying to land a contract extension and a raise.
To that, Edwards' agent, Gary O'Hagan, told The Post emphatically last night: "We have not made any contract demands. Herm is paid in the bottom quartile of coaches in the league, but we have not made any contract demands nor have we made any trade demands. They're trying to trade him. Why would we ask for an extension when they're trying to trade him?"
mark.cannizzaro@ny post.com