Herman's Hermits

No true Jet fan is an optimist. Not if he's seen any chunk of the last 36 years of futility. Shula conveniently misplacing the tarp in '82, E.J. Duhe's 2 INTs, dropping 5 straight after a 10-1 start, a fake spike, Ritchie Kotite, paralysis, concussions, Belichick's one day on the job, Don-Boyd Odegard.

If anything, the Jets are the source of all my cynicism in life. Place faith in these guys? I'd sooner believe in a John Kerry-Hilary Clinton ticket in 2008. But such is the calamity we face when entrusting a portion of our happiness to 53 strangers.

But if only these 53 were led by a man whose know-how matched his charisma. I like Herm Edwards. I really do. A few years back, when he railed at beat reporters asking about a supposedly lost 2-5 season, with his infamous "Hello? We play TO WIN THE GAME" tirade it was a moment of clarity in the fog of Jets delusion. When he speaks matter-of-factly and from the heart about what it take to be a winner--and more importantly, a man--it can generate chills.

But something it takes to win in the NFL eludes Herm and his simple exhortations to "just win a game." Sometimes, you have to know what the hell you're doing. Part of being a good coach is, you know, actually coaching the game.

We can't blame him for the bruised chicken-arm of a quarterback he has or the confused, obvious play-calling of his offensive coordinator (although he should have fired him last year as opposed to this coming Sunday after Saturday's sure loss in San Diego). Should he be blamed for the confusion on defense when rookie linebacker Jonathan Vilma took a play off? Maybe.

But a 2-point conversation when you've taken a 5-point lead late in the third quarter?

At the time, I thought this might have been a borderline call. But then, I was intoxicated. There is NO REASON to go for a 2-point conversation unless ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY. You use it when you're behind in the fourth quarter (and only then, when it's your LAST RESORT). You use it to stay out of reach when your opponent might get one last possession. There is no sense in running a play with a league-average 50% success rate (0% for your team) with a whole quarter to play against a team on pace for 450 yards passing.

Maybe it's not the positive thinking Herm likes to blind himself with, but you simply can't assume that your opponent will not score again with over 15 minutes to play. Especially when you can't stop them. They're gonna score again, and you're gonna need that point.

The extra point they would have kicked might have allowed them (there's no way to play it back and see what might have been) to kick the game-winning field goal at the end of regulation instead of sending it to overtime.

It's typical of the "play with your heart and your will, men" coaching that neglects what it is that allows a heart to beat and a will to assert itself: a brain.