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Former Kansas City Chiefs and New York Jets head coach Herm Edwards won’t be on the sideline in the National Football League for the first time since his playing days ended in 1986 with the Los Angeles Rams. That’s a long run. Edwards has taken a gig at ESPN for the time being and he took some time out to talk to WHB in Kansas City to talk about the new job, enjoying things he hasn’t been able to do since embarking on a coaching career, whether or not he has plans to return to the game, and of course, about his tenure in KC.
On whether he agreed that his job in Kansas City might have been safe had it not been for the Chiefs owner Clark Hunt needing to let Carl Peterson go:
“Well I don’t know that so much. I know that we had a good relationship, Clark and myself. And Carl and myself. Now what transpired through all the rest of that stuff, I don’t know. And really it’s not even worth worrying about. I mean, they went in the direction they needed t
o go in. And the thing I’m happy about is I was part of getting it going in that direction.”
Does he think Larry Johnson will be retained by the Chiefs?
“I do. With a new staff in there, he’s got another opportunity to..whatever’s happened in the past has happened in the past. And what he does going forward is probably the most important thing.”
Did he think LJ had the ability to improve himself on and off the field?
“Well I hope so. I think what he went through last year, I don’t think he liked that a whole lot. I think he was a little bit remorseful of what all went down, of when he had to sit down. When he had to sit down, all of a sudden, and when he was healthy, it had nothing to do with his health..it was because of what he had done off the field. That got him. So hopefully he understands where he stands now.”
On his decision to bench Johnson towards the end of the season, not suspend him, which would have cost him a huge chunk of his salary:
“The money’s one thing but I think even that, when you sit a player down and they can’t play – that hurts them more. I mean that even hurts ‘em more. Because that is where they perform; that is what they want to do. You know, football players want to play football. They make enough money now where you fine them, they just kind of look at you and go okay. You know, but when you sit them down and they can’t perform, hopefully that makes them understand, hey you know what, it’s not only about money it’s about you not performing.”
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