KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -If owner Clark Hunt left it to a vote of the players, Herm Edwards would not only keep his job as head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs, he’d get a hefty raise.
“It would be unanimous that we keep Herm,” said Pro Bowl guard Brian Waters. “Of course, no one is going to ask us.”
They probably won’t. But as owner Clark Hunt sets out to find a general manager to replace Carl Peterson, the Chiefs know that maybe – maybe – they could be playing for Edwards’ job in these next two weeks.
The theory going around Arrowhead Stadium is that beating the playoff-hopeful Miami Dolphins (9-5) in a frigid home finale Sunday and winning the following week at Cincinnati would at least strengthen Edwards’ case.
And that is what the players would like to do.
ck Surtain. “It’s very rare that you find a coach who’s as genuine as Herm Edwards. When they decided to go young this year, I’m sure they told him he would get more than one year.”
Lose these last two and limp home 2-14, the worst record in any 16-game season in team history, and a new general manager who wants his own coach is much more likely to have Hunt’s ear.
Hunt spoke supportively of Edwards on Monday night when he announced the unexpected resignation of Peterson, who had been president, GM and CEO for 20 years.
“He’s as disappointed as anybody that we haven’t turned more of these close games into wins,” Hunt said. “But I continue to think he’s the right person both to have led us through this process and going forward I think he can do a good job as well.”
Hunt was careful to add, however, that the new GM would have “significant input” into the final decision.
In his third season as head coach, Edwards began, with Hunt’s blessing, a full-fledged rebuilding movement. He’ll have 17 rookies on the roster to face the Dolphins.
An informal survey of several players did not find one who would suggest even off the record anything less than full support for Edwards.
stay. A lot of stuff that’s gone on this season has been beyond his control, and he’s not the one that calls all the plays either. He takes all the blame just to protect us and I’ll do whatever I can for a guy like that.”
Last week’s last-second loss to San Diego left the Chiefs 2-21 for their last 23 games.
“Every guy on this team realizes Herm has put forth probably more effort than any one of us trying to keep this thing afloat and make sure the guys stay focused,” said Waters. “I’ve been around a few coaches and I’ve watched what goes on with other teams, and I know that just about any other coach would have crumbled under pressure like this.”
A former player himself, Edwards has always been known as a player’s coach.
“We love the guy,” said center Rudy Niswanger. “It kills us when we lose. But we feel even worse because we feel we’re letting him down.”
For inspiration and hope that a better future lies ahead, the Chiefs need look no further than the Dolphins themselves. After going 1-15 a year ago, Miami brought in a raft of new players, revamped the front office and installed a new head coach. Now, the Dolphins are tied with the Jets and Patriots in the AFC East.
The path for the Dolphins is clear. Win in Kansas City, where temperatures are expected to hover in single digits, and then beat the Jets the following week and they will be the division champions. They own the tiebreaker against New England.
“I don’t love talking about these things, but it’s here,” said coach Tony Sparano. “It’s in front of us. All I would say is this – what it would mean to this club, I think for the 25 or so players that were in that locker room a year ago and went through all those things, you’d like for them to have that success.”
While the Chiefs are playing for pride and maybe their coach’s job these next two weeks, the Dolphins could be making NFL history. With wins in their last two games, they would tie the 1999 Indianapolis Colts for the biggest one-season turnaround.
“Winning cures a lot of things,” said Dolphins running back Ronnie Brown, who was a part of the 2007 debacle before hurting his knee. “When you’re winning football games, you’re not really stressing about a whole lot.”
Not stressing is something the 2008 Chiefs can only dream about.
“I was thinking today,” said Chiefs linebacker Rocky Boiman, “maybe a year from now, we could be like the Dolphins.”
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