ESPN NFL

Posted by ESPN.com's Bill Williamson

Here your "sound off" responses. This week's question was should the Chiefs fire Herm Edwards as coach?

Your responses were passionate. Most folks believe new Kansas City general manager Scott Pioli should make a change. But Edwards does have some supporters. Here's some of what you had to say. Thanks to all of those who participated.

Tony from Wichita: Quite simply, Herm's gotta go!!! We don't need a lame duck season in KC. We have suffered enough. Make the move. I believe Pioli has a plan and we just have to wait for it to unfold.

Marc from South Bend: Herm is great for veterans, but with young talent he just can't break through. Kansas City's just not the right team for him anymore. They need to go after a vocal leader like Jon Gruden. He would be the perfect fit for the Chiefs.

Nathan from Vienna, VA: Many people look at the Chiefs' struggles and immediately point to the departures of veterans like Wil Shields, Willie Roaf, and Trent Green as probable cause. Forget about the offense for a moment. Consider how the Chiefs defense has faired since Herm Edwards took over three seasons ago. This unit was not hindered by looming retirements. In fact, it was nearly a clean slate for him to work with. Yet the defense has either regressed or moved laterally each year. Young players are being rushed into the starting lineup, but the team is realizing very little development from them. Team morale is at an all-time low. The culture and atmosphere of Chiefs football has become an embarrassment to the tradition in Kansas City. Herm Edwards was not put into a perfect situation, but how many head coaches are that fortunate? Scott Pioli cannot afford to retain Edwards, for what would amount to a lame-duck season.

Lincoln: Of course he should be fired. Just look at his record and all the bad decisions he made over the past 3 years. Let alone his "sitting"on a lead in every game. You cannot play the game now a days and sit on the lead, everyone knows that except Herm and his coaching staff. Many, many, and I repeat many coaches have been terminated for far less success. Like Mr. Pioli said in his news conference, We want the right players, not the best players. That says it all for me, that Herm won't and shouldn't be back. He has a very young and totally undisciplined team. Someone tell me what's the purpose of bringing him back for one year. He coaches for another year and then what? I know kind of a long comment, but I have been a Chiefs fan since I was born. Almost 40 years. There are too many people satisfied with mediocraty. No I did not like Shotenhiemer and yes I did like Vermeil. Thank goodness we are making some progress though. We got Peterson out! Thanks for letting me state my opinion, when you have to register for an hour on other websites to talk.

Kansas City: Sure. We need to clean the house and move forward. We need a fresh start, Herm doesn't not deserve a third chance after being 6-26 the past two seasons. I don't disrespect him as a coach or a person, but maybe it is time for him to make a fresh start somewhere else also.

Reedley: I feel that herm deserves this year to prove himself that the draft worked. Lets be real he didnt have much to work with all year and stayed in almost everygame to the end. That there took some good coaching with what he had to work with. Rookie Quarterback, Cornerbacks, poor defensive line and hurt linebackers. This team was a mess and Herm still was able to moviate his players to compete. Give him one more year.......From a chiefsfan for 30 years he deserves one more chance

Cliff: Why should we keep Herm? If we did, and the Chiefs started out with 5 losses, the season would be a waste, and we would have wasted another year on failed policies. Bring in someone new this year to get the ball rolling.

Mike from KC: why would you bring in a new gm and have him keep the old regime around it makes no sense whatsoever. hurry up and fire him before all the good candidates are gone

Jonathan: I didn't like the hire of Herm from the very beginning. His offensive scheme is great for the personnel we had. Well after some key retirements and changes in the personnel, Herm's philosophy wont work now. Dont get me wrong I am a big fan of Herm and how fired up he is all the time. He is a very exciting coach and I think he is an excellent d-coordinator and defensive mind. And we all know that KC needs more defensive minds right now. Really the only reason that Herm is in KC is because of his buddy Carl Peterson. It was a great hire then but not now. If Herm is fired, I cant wait to see where he ends up whether that is in Admin office or coaching again because i really do like him.

Tulsa: He came from the Jets and made us the Jets. Gee, who whould have saw that coming? Apparently, not Peterson. Good ridence.

David from Denver: Edwards should be fired. The only reason not to fire Edwards would be to gain draft position for the '10 draft. With 2 wins and 23 losses in his last 25 games "coached" he matches Marinelli's ineptitude. "YOU PLAY TO WIN THE GAMES," Herm Edwards is frequently quoted as saying. Apparently not. Perhaps you coach to lose the games. Herm Edwards, nice guy, good quote, Hall of Shame Head Coach.

Nate from Bloomington, IL: I would like to see Herm stay. With the rest of the coaching staff jumping ship, however, I can't imagine they would hire a whole assistant coaching staff for what could possibly be only one season. If they retain Herm and then decide to not renew his contract next year then they'll have to start all over again with a new staff. I would hate to see all of these talented young players suffer because they have to relearn a new system every year. If Pioli is going to bring in a new head coach then he needs to do it ASAP otherwise he needs to commit to Herm for the long haul. We're already starting to fall behind with the Senior Bowl already knocking on the door.

Gilbert from Azusa, CA: Maybe? I've been going back and forth on this question since Peterson got the boot. Yes and no. YES--he's not a good in-game coach and you cannot over look his overall record, rebuilding or not. NO--he's apparently liked by his players seems like a good fit with such a young team... I DON'T KNOW!

Adam from Burtonsville MD: Edwards is 2-23 in his last 25 games. Yes, he's has some disadvantages with poor talent, but 2-23 is unacceptable for any coach in the NFL no matter the circumstances. The Chiefs have been in position to win several games in that stretch but they haven't. Some of that falls on young players making mistakes, but some of it has to fall on the coach and his staff. We could debate additional aspects of his coaching ability, but that is the #1 reason I don't think he should be retained.

Geff from KC: First of all I am a die-hard Chiefs fan. I think Herm is on the right track with this football team and I believe if he is givin another year this is going to be a dangerous team. They were borderline impressive this season but just couldnt find a way to ice the game...sure Edwards should take most of the blame but the players still have to execute. These young guys are going to be much more mature and have the right mindset to win this next year. Give Herm his final year of his contract.

Burlington, Iowa: Taking this long to make a decision, Pioli might not have his ideal coach available at this time. If thats the case, by the time decisions are made they will need to rebuild their coaching staff and in the meantime who is evaluating college t
alent for the draft? Seems like they will be starting out behind everyone else. Thus assuring another bad record in '09, therefore securing another choice draft pick. Hope the loyal Chiefs fans are that patient........me included.

Scott: Should Herm Edwards be fired? I am tossed about this. What happened this year is just about exactly what he wanted - to tear down the roster and see how the young guys played. He told everybody that he was going to do this. He had the blessing of the owner too. So, how can you fire him for doing what he said he was going to do? At the same time, no other coach would be retained for winning 6 games in two years. I'd kind of like to see what the team does this coming season. Then again, maybe its time for a new coach to come in and bring some excitement. Its a crap shoot either way. I do think, however, that Herm did what needed to be done, even if it wasn't pretty and ultimately will cost him his job.

Brian from Denver Co: Bill, have lived in KC most of my life, now live in Denver and still follow chiefs loyally. With respect to Herm being fired. I think it depends on who they have in mind for his replacement. Everyone knew it would be a long haul with a youth movement but Herm's specialty seems to be defense and the Chiefs were terrible last year on defense yes they were young and had injuries but they did not seem well coached or disciplined in their assignments. Herm himself said they were out of position on numerous big plays.That spells coaching, getting players to know what their assignments are and deliver.That being said if Pioli feels there is noone who can do a better job, why change just for the sake of change. I feel their are several people who deserve a head coaching shot one being Ron Rivera (always has his defense ready to play) another would be the Cardinals OC his squad has carried that team for two years now.Their are several others who come to mind but if they can't mesh with Pioli and his belief syatem then why change.Maybe they give Herm one more year to show what he has.But with noone going to the senior bowl and both coordinators rumored to be going elsewhere I think Herm is the equivalent of the walking dead in KC.

Mitch from Raleigh: Hey Bill! I really enjoy your blogs. I honestly would like to see Herm around for one more year. If the Chiefs are still terrible next season then by all means kick him to the curb. I feel like Herm is doing the right thing and I feel that we are just a few players away from being a contender next year. We have over $30 million in cap room so hopefully they will make some noise this off season. The Chiefs need a new Defensive Coordinator because Gunther has yet to prove a thing to me. I say keep Herm and get rid of Gunther.

Memphis: I respect Herm Edwards tremendously and in my heart I would love to give him a chance to fulfill his contract but he hasn't proven much except he has an eye for talent. It is time to gut the entire Chiefs franchise and plug in winning mentality which it has been lacking since Vermiel's exit.

Jackson from Edmonton, Canada: As much as Herm needs to go he's better then the alternatives now. All the good coaches and good new coaches are off the market. We're better off keeping him now and waiting for an "elite" coach (cowher, gruden, shanny, holmgren, parcells) next season. Also if Pioli was going to fire him it wouldve been done by now. They met Thursday and coaches are being hired and Pioli would not waste this much time if he were in need of a new coach. Cunningham and D staff will be gone. Herm will stay.

Abe from Kansas City: Herm Edwards should be fired. Number one, Herm has no idea how to build a team. He did not build on strengths in KC - our greatest strength, Jared Allen, was traded away for youth! (In fact, Herm did not build A strength here.) Herm simply gutted the roster, ignoring veteran free agents who could've helped the team. He cut veteran Chiefs, who have gone on to do well on other teams (ie Wiegeman) Herm cannot assess talent. For example, Brodie Croyle couldn't stay healthy in Alabama. Plenty of tape to prove it. Croyle has the physique of a 16 year old skateboarder, yet Edwards somehow convinced himself, Mr Hunt and several others that Croyle could be a starting QB in the NFL. Croyle was hurt in the first game he started. Croyle was then hurt and done for the season in the game he came back from the 1st injury. Example #2, Herm drafted Justin Medlock (K), while Folk and Crosby were available. Why-- hubris? or is it because kickers don't matter to Herm? He is incompetent in managing games. Check out the fiasco home game v. San Diego this past season. Herm's cover 2 was abysmal, yet this is his specialty. In KC this past year, fans have constantly heard the team was not playing well because they are young. Our young players are not great, problem is, they are not even good. Youth is, in fact, the only thing they got goin' for 'em! It's been a big ruse and Clark Hunt was sold a bill of goods. For any one of these reasons, Herm could be fired. Trust me, most of the fans in KC are besides themselves wondering how Herm still has a job.

Michael Gardner from Fremont, CA: As a Raiders fan I am fortunate to have a good friend who is a Chiefs fan. Seeing Edwards performance from his perspective I see enough positives to wish my team had that much light at the end of the tunnel... and I have seen enough negatives to know he wouldn't have lasted this long in Oakland. It seems a good rule of thumb to ask "What would Al Davis do?" and then do the opposite. Of course, that puts me in a contradiction because Al Davis would have fired Al Davis a long time ago

Dave: Well................as a Bronco fan I think they should keep him forever!

Dennis from KC: I think the decision has already been made. There is no sense of urgency based on either the availability of potential candidates or the need to have a stable situation going into draft preparation. That means that either Herm is staying or Pioli is waiting on someone who is otherwise engaged at this point on the Cards or Steelers staff. My bet is Herm's staying but being forced to clean house.

Nate from Colorado Springs,CO: I believe Herm deserves to be fired. The question is will it do more harm than good. If there is not a top notch candidate available the Chiefs should let him coach one more year. I don't think Herm is an awful coach I just think it's evident building a franchise is not his forte. But one more year could help his effort in next year's coach pool. Cowher is the best fit for the Chiefs and Pioli should give him one more year and lock up Cowher and fire Herm no matter what.

Conrad from Parker: As a big Broncos fan, I'm very familiar with Herm. He's the kind of person you would want to meet, be a neighbor of, or just know in general. I personally can't stand how conservative he is and he doesn't inspire me as a fan. I could see why they would fire him, I just can't wish it on him because he's a great person.

Steve from New York: Hi Bill, great job you're doing. I think Herm is great man. If you needed someone by your side to go to battle, you couldn't get any better. But, I believe the Chiefs need a change right now. If there weren't any good coaching candidates out there I would say "let Herm finish his contract out". But I believe there are many good coaches available (Haley, Frazier, etc.). think keeping Herm would create a lame duck situation. I hear all my fellow Chief fans saying to keep Herm for this year and get Cowher next season. Who says Cowher is interested in coming to K.C. Also, doesn't Cowher, Shanahan, and the likes want a
lot of power. Clark Hunt doesn't seem to like that idea.

Mike from Oklahoma City: There's no need to hang on to Herm for one "lame duck year". Let him go now and put the full court press on Bill Cowher.