“He’s is obviously a good coach, and you hate to see him go through this.”HERM EDWARDS ON JIM FASSEL
Both New York football teams are mired in bitterly disappointing seasons, with identical 4-7 records entering this weekend’s play.
Yet Jet head coach Herman Edwards, in the third year of his program and having been to the playoffs in each of the last two seasons, has job security that is rock-solid at the moment.
Giant head coach Jim Fassel, a year removed from a playoff berth and just three seasons removed from leading his team to the Super Bowl, reportedly is about to be sent to walk the plank because he’d be entering the final year of his contract in 2004 and Giants management, seemingly not confident enough in him to extend his deal, doesn’t want a lame duck in place next season.
Edwards, well aware of the controversy surrounding Fassel’s job, yesterday sounded off in Fassel’s favor when asked about the situation.
“He’s a good football coach,” said Edwards, whose team will host the Titans on Monday night.
“And he’ll coach again, whether it’s with the Giants or whoever it may be. He’s a good ball coach. He took that team to a Super Bowl. He’s been in playoff games … and they’ve still got an opportunity to go to the playoffs.
“I think Jim handles [the pressure] the best way he knows how,” Edwards went on. “You have to be who you are. That’s the first thing you’ve got to understand. When it gets going bad and it gets going to where all these things are happening around you, the thing that stands out most is your character. You have to make sure you keep your character and your wits about you, because at the end of the day, it might be bad for a little while, but if you’re a good coach it all works out.
“He’s is obviously a good coach, and you hate to see him go through this. But we all do. We know that’s the business.”
Edwards called the scrutiny and speculation Fassel is currently enduring “part of the deal and we all know that.”
“When you’re going through some bad times, they get you,” Edwards said. “That’s the way it is. People are going to take shots at you for everything you did bad, and they forget about all the good things you did. They do it to everyone. They’re going to do it to me, they’ve done it to all of them.
“They did it to Tom Landry. Are you kidding me? Tom Landry? With the fedora? Come on. They did it to Tom Landry. Once you know that, you can’t take it personally.
“I think that’s when you’re at your best as a coach, because the things you believe in come out, and you’ve got to stick with the things you believe in,” Edwards continued. “That’s who you are. You can’t let people back you into a corner where you all of a sudden start getting out of your character, and Jim won’t do that.”
Edwards said, before the Jets and Giants played each other on Nov. 2, he and Fassel talked about sticking to their respective beliefs regardless of outside pressures.
“The thing he realizes is that he’s got to do what he’s going to do,” Edwards said. “Believe in what you do and keep working hard and you can’t take what people say personally, because if you do it’ll eat at you.”
* Jets’ DE John Abraham, who didn’t practice again yesterday and isn’t going to play this week, didn’t rule out that he might be done for the season. He said he hopes to return, but won’t rush it like he believes it did in the first place, coming back to play against the Jaguars last week after missing three games.