Edwards has Jets soaring into this weekend's bye

There are few tougher acts to follow than Bill Parcells in New York. Herman Edwards is up to the task.

Parcells is a hero in the Big Apple, the man who coached the Giants to two Super Bowl titles and resurrected the moribund Jets.

Edwards, the new Jets coach, was once an enemy to New York football fans as the man who picked up "The Fumble" -- a play that defined the Giants' ineptitude for more than a decade.

The way the Jets have played this season, Edwards is making New Yorkers forget "The Fumble" and "The Tuna."

Edwards has brought a gust of fresh air to a team that self-destructed under the dour Al Groh late last season with Parcells looking on from the front office. Edwards' openness is a welcome change for the players, peers, fans and media.

"The thing about Herm is he understands what a player goes through, because he was a player," says Aaron Glenn, one of the Jets' team leaders and, like Edwards was for the Eagles, a first-rate cornerback. "He knows how to reach us without screaming or scolding or any of that stuff."

Adds star running back Curtis Martin: "Herm is a class act."

Thus far, Edwards' act is getting solid reviews. The Jets have overcome a horrendous start by their defense to go 7-3 and are on a four-game winning streak heading into this weekend's bye. They lead the AFC East and have swept their archrivals, the Dolphins, including last Sunday's 24-0 victory that was Miami's first shutout loss at home in 31 years.

The defense, which Edwards changed from a 3-4 alignment to a 4-3 this year, took some time to get its footing. Now, it is stampeding opponents.

And while the offense has been sluggish -- other than Martin, the NFL's leading rusher -- it has protected the ball and leads. The Jets are a phenomenal plus-22 in turnover differential, easily the league's best mark.

Beyond the numbers

But what Edwards has done should not be measured in statistics. Never before even a coordinator, he hired a cohesive staff led by defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell, who was in the running for some head coaching jobs last year before leaving the Buffalo Bills.

Edwards has shown his faith in players even after they messed up, using tough actions and tough love.

Safety Damien Robinson, personally recruited from the Buccaneers by Edwards, who was Tampa Bay's secondary coach, was fined one game check (about $30,000) for having a rifle in the trunk of his car when he tried to enter Giants Stadium before a game. When Robinson drew a ludicrous face-mask penalty near the end of another game -- prompting a wild scene in which Saints tackle Kyle Turley ripped off Robinson's helmet and threw it -- the league fined Robinson $20,000.

Edwards issued a warning that no further problems would be tolerated, and the struggling Robinson has turned his game around the last two weeks.

"Right, wrong, whoever's fault it was, I don't like those things when they occur," Edwards said. "It puts a black eye on what we do."

Edwards created a players committee led by veterans such as Martin and center Kevin Mawae. When they have a suggestion, he listens. Sometimes, he even accepts their recommendations.

Can anyone imagine such a thing from Parcells?

"These guys have earned the right to ask me questions. The players have to have ownership of this football team," the 47-year-old Edwards said. "I am making them understand they are going to be held accountable not only for how they play, but for ownership of this team.

"They have the right to ask. Will they get everything they want? No. But I will be fair with them.

"And the great part is when I say 'No,' it is 'No.' The powers that be go back into the locker room and tell them, 'We didn't get that one, boys.' But if it is important to them, and I feel it is the right thing to do, I am going to do it."

Edwards has found the right touch for his team, beginning with less hitting in training camp. He has given players Mondays off -- along with the usual Tuesday off-day -- after a victory. Before the bye, he offered the team the entire Thanksgiving weekend off if they beat Miami.

"That is the secret for a coach," he said. "What are you doing to keep them fresh?

"It can be a little thing that helps them. When they understand the method and what you are trying to accomplish, it makes them feel better. And when you win, it is all good. It's, 'What do you want to do now, coach? OK, we'll do that.'

"The greatest solution is W-I-N."