It didn’t take long for dramatic change to arrive at Weeb Ewbank Hall.
Jets’ defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell met with Herman Edwards at around 10 a.m. yesterday and was informed he was being fired after three years of running the defense.
Edwards said in a conference call about two hours later that he felt the team “needed to go in a different direction” with the defense.
According to several people close to him, Cottrell was furious about being made a scapegoat for the Jets’ 6-10 season, particularly in light of the short hand he had to work with in terms of talent and the fact that the Jets were ranked eighth in the league in points allowed.
According to sources, Cottrell, too, was disappointed with the timing of his firing with six head coach jobs currently open, believing the Jets have tainted his name just one year after he came close to landing the 49ers’ head-coaching job.
When reached last night, Cottrell sounded subdued and disappointed, but he vowed to return to coaching.
“I would think people would recognize what I’ve done,” Cottrell said. “I know I’m a good coach and I get players to play. It’s been that way for 30 years. I’m looking forward to continuing my coaching career and going out and helping someone win.”
Fired along with Cottrell, who has one year remaining on his contract, were defensive line coach Rubin Carter, defensive backs coach Bill Bradley and defensive assistant David Merritt.
Edwards will begin interviewing coordinator candidates as soon as the end of this week. Though Edwards declined to name anyone on his wish list, Tampa Bay assistant head coach defensive line coach Rod Marinelli is believed to be the frontrunner.
Edwards yesterday conceded that he “may” call Marinelli, but added, “I haven’t talked to Rod, though. I have not called any teams or spoke to anyone at this point.”
Sources in Tampa said yesterday no permission had been requested by the Jets to speak to Marinelli.
The Bucs’ assistant is known as a drill-sergeant style coach, the type Edwards believes the underachieving defense needs to kick it in the rear end. And, Marinelli’s specialty is the defensive line, an area where the Jets badly underachieved.
Gregg Williams, who was fired as the Bills’ head coach on Monday, is another candidate with a strong defensive background and is a possible fallback option.
Several things contributed to Cottrell’s demise with the Jets.
He was never a perfect fit with Edwards, who prefers a more attacking style of defense than Cottrell ran.
He had to deal with several devastating injuries, including most of the season missed by Pro Bowl DE John Abraham, CB Donnie Abraham and FS Jon McGraw, along with the loss of DT Josh Evans for more than half the season because of a drug suspension.
His plans were adversely affected by some poor personnel decisions made by GM Terry Bradway and Edwards, such as the signing of CB Aaron Beasley, who became a liability to the team with his poor play.
TED END
Jets defensive coordinator Ted Cotrell got the ax yesterday. Here’s a look at how his defense ranked among 32 teams in NFL during his three-year tenure:
Year Rank Team record Playoffs
2003 21 6-10 Missed
2002 24 9-7 Division champ
2001 12 10-6 Wild Card