Herm's Not Quitting

by Joel Thorman on Dec 20, 2008 12:57 PM CST in 2008 Kansas City Chiefs Campaign

"I've gotta be honest with you, Herm. I haven't been paying attention to you for the last 20 minutes."

Herm's coaching tactics may not be your cup of tea, but you gotta respect the guy for not quitting. Per Chris Mortensen of ESPN:

Herm Edwards won't quit as coach of the Kansas City Chiefs, but sources say that with only one year left on his contract, he may not have the energy to embrace a run with a new general manager after Carl Peterson resigned Monday.

Clark Hunt indicated that he wanted a "fresh set of eyes" and someone outside the organization which quickly eliminated a perceived candidate in-house, Bill Kuharich. Apparently, Herm Edwards was miffed that Kuharich wouldn't be given the opportunity for the job.

Though Mortensen's report essentially says that Herm won't quit, it also says that "several gut-wrenching losses have taken its toll on him."

Herm's no dummy, though. He sees the writing on the wall. He knows he better secure a future in Kansas City because nothing is concrete right now without a GM.

Edwards does not intend to resign but will wait on a resolution that brings more clarity to his future, the sources said. That could include a mutual decision in which Hunt honors the final year of his contract.

"Clarity" essentially means he doesn't want to be heading into a lame duck year in his contract. One way or the other, Clark's gotta make a decision. You can't leave a coaching hanging in the last year of his deal. Either extend him or see him out the door.

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Can't have a lame duck coach

It hurts the team in so many ways. Can’t hire quality assistants because they don’t want to go to a team where they might only be there one year. Good free agents might shy away from signing with a team they like if the coach could be fired the next year and the whole system changed to one that doesn’t fit them.

Clark will have to make a big decision whether he wants to part ways with Herm Edwards at the end of the season and essentially start all over with the rebuild with a new GM and head coach or sign him to an extension.

But you can’t have a lame duck head coach, thats the absolute worst option of all.

by ChiefDJ on Dec 20, 2008 2:05 PM CST reply actions

Agreed

If it’s not addressed then it has the potential to stunt the growth of our team. Again.

He’s just gotta make a commitment. I’m sure once the GM list is whittled down we can begin to get an idea of what they’re going to do with Herm. But I can’t imagine they’d let him go into the last year of his deal.

by Joel Thorman on Dec 20, 2008 2:10 PM CST up reply actions

Right

People have been saying that Carl Peterson was the tipping point, but really he’s not.

We’re going to see whether Clark has just been regergetating the direction of the team the coaches have been telling him or whether he really is a believer in it and he is actually the guy driving the youth movment and rebuilding.

My biggest fear is that a “big name” GM and coach are hired that want to start all over from scratch, maybe even switching the Chiefs to a 3-4 defensive scheme, which I LOVE but which the players we have and have spent time developing are not suited to. To make that big change would add YEARS to the rebuild.

Whether Herm is involved or not, I just hope that whoever is brought in is willing to continue on the same line scheme-wise so that they make use of the players we have rather than starting all over.

by ChiefDJ on Dec 20, 2008 2:38 PM CST up reply actions

Agreed wholeheartedly

just the thought of the 3-4 makes me shudder

by KansasCityShuffle on Dec 20, 2008 3:17 PM CST up reply actions

Lets assume that the GM will retain Herm...

I don’t buy the lame duck theory. Because this league is based on results and Herm has done little to be offered that clarity that he desires. IF Herm should be given one more year, it was because the team improved tremendously (like (9-7) and ONLY THEN should Hunt consider an extension.
Herm did the same thing at NY asking for stability with his contract with the Jets.

My biggest fear is that a "big name" GM and coach are hired that want to start all over from scratch, maybe even switching the Chiefs to a 3-4 defensive scheme, which I LOVE but which the players we have and have spent time developing are not suited to.

+1 Absolutely agree, the players we have especially Dorsey are more suited to a 4-3 alignment. Warren Sapp did not do well in a 3-4 and he admitted that (used as example because Dorsey is often compared to Sapp). People said that if the coaching is better he should fit in well, wouldn’t that fall into the square peg into a round hole saying? We need a defense similiar to the Giants.

Opinions are like A--holes, everyones got one.

by aPacificChief on Dec 20, 2008 3:23 PM CST reply actions

Best Scenario

Herm falls on his sword and they buy him out. You cannot give him an extension based on what he has done. Call it mutually decided call it what you will but no GM is going to tie himself to Herm.

by FrankPitts on Dec 20, 2008 4:30 PM CST reply actions

+1

We need a future defensive leader, his name is James Laurinaitis and he can be selected in round 1 of the upcoming Draft.

"But what do I know, I’m like an empty room with a large ECHO"

by Lanier63 on Dec 20, 2008 5:46 PM CST up reply actions

+1

We need a future defensive leader, his name is James Laurinaitis and he can be selected in round 1 of the upcoming Draft.

"But what do I know, I’m like an empty room with a large ECHO"

by Lanier63 on Dec 20, 2008 5:46 PM CST up reply actions

Na-na-na-na

Hey,hey, good bye….

Lets hope Clark lets the new GM start fresh, with his guys. Who would want a coach, who has lost twice as many as he has won in KC?

by Eric Allen on Dec 20, 2008 6:10 PM CST reply actions

That's Rich

Apparently, Herm Edwards was miffed that Kuharich wouldn’t be given the opportunity for the job.

Awww, what’s the matter Herm? Do you find it unfair that 2-12 teams don’t much give a damn who the coach wants hired for the front office?

No point in mocking him, though, I suppose. He’s gone before next season anyway. Nobody’s going to extend him with his crap record. This ain’t Buffalo.

Herm Edwards will not be the Chiefs' head coach next season.

by UCrawford on Dec 20, 2008 7:47 PM CST reply actions

LOL

Did they ever announce whats up with the Jauron extension? I remember hearing rumors about it months ago then all of a sudden there was no confirmation.

by Joel Thorman on Dec 20, 2008 8:48 PM CST up reply actions

He Was Extended On December 15

Bill Simmons over at ESPN noted that if Ralph Wilson were one of our parents and he made a financial decision like that we’d be pushing a court to have him declared mentally incompetent because we’d be convinced he’d gone senile.

And maybe he has…Wilson has apparently been whining for years about how crucial it was for the Bills to get to play games in Canada because there was all this interest for it and then they couldn’t even sell out the games they played this year.

Herm Edwards will not be the Chiefs' head coach next season.

by UCrawford on Dec 20, 2008 10:49 PM CST up reply actions

And That Was A Horrible Extension

Dick Jauron has done a terrible job with that team this year. There is no reason for the Buffalo Bills to not be in the playoffs. They have the talent to have done so.

Herm Edwards will not be the Chiefs' head coach next season.

by UCrawford on Dec 20, 2008 10:50 PM CST up reply actions

Man Crawford

What you going to do if they DO extend Herm?

by ChiefDJ on Dec 20, 2008 9:14 PM CST up reply actions

Not Worried About It

Because they aren’t extending him. He’s getting fired before 2009 kicks off.

Herm Edwards will not be the Chiefs' head coach next season.

by UCrawford on Dec 20, 2008 10:44 PM CST up reply actions

Why in the hell

would they extend Herm, are you silly? We have won 2 games in the last 23, if they have that kind of thing going on at Arrowhead, I would have to go put in an application.:)

Lets hope Clark lets the new GM start fresh, with his guys. Who would want a coach, who has lost twice as many as he has won in KC?

by Eric Allen on Dec 20, 2008 11:57 PM CST up reply actions

The thoughts of this post seem misplaced

A lame duck is a coach like Holmgren, when you know that they are not coming back.

My sense of listening to Clark Hunt: his disposition is to keep Edwards next year, but is open to a switch based on the GM.

Entering the last season of his contract, the team needs to play well to justify an extension. That is not a lame duck; that is called pressure. People can perform well under pressure. Perhaps Herm will as well.

by bas on Dec 21, 2008 12:35 AM CST reply actions

Herm cannot perform

without pressure, how is he going to do it with the pressure of everyone on his staff on their way out? I do not see how any new GM would tie their self to that kind of record.

Lets hope Clark lets the new GM start fresh, with his guys. Who would want a coach, who has lost twice as many as he has won in KC?

by Eric Allen on Dec 21, 2008 7:27 AM CST up reply actions

If Herm's Losing His Staff

Nobody’s going to be retaining Herm. That would entail an overhaul anyway, so a new GM is going to do it with a head coach who’s a better gamble than Herm Edwards…someone who’s his hire.

Clark Hunt’s saying nice things about Herm in public because that’s just what a good boss does…speak well of employees in public. I don’t buy for a second that he’s seriously considering keeping Herm around.

Herm Edwards will not be the Chiefs' head coach next season.

by UCrawford on Dec 21, 2008 10:09 AM CST up reply actions