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Bucs assistants not in Edwards' plan yet

New Jets coach says he will ask ex-boss Tony Dungy for staff advice.

By ROGER MILLS

© St. Petersburg Times, published January 19, 2001

New York Jets coach Herman Edwards, who spent the past five seasons as assistant head coach and defensive backs coach with the Bucs, said he has no immediate plans to take any Tampa Bay assistants with him.

"That hasn't been discussed yet," Edwards said Thursday after being named to replace Al Groh. "I'm trying to worry about the guys I have in place. The first thing you have to do is to assure these guys how I feel about them, and they should have the opportunity to see how they feel about me. I think that's the first thing I have to get established here."

A longtime close friend of Bucs coach Tony Dungy, Edwards said he spoke to Dungy on Thursday and likely will have more discussions over the next few weeks. He said he expected Dungy to at least advise him on selecting a staff.

"Tony has a plan in mind. He's looking for coaches," Edwards said. "We just had a conversation, and I'm looking for coaches. We're going to spend a lot of phone time together, there's no doubt about it. I'm going to lean on him a lot. He knows that. He's there for me, and he knows I'm going to be there for him. I'm definitely going to make a lot of calls to Tampa in the next month."

Aside from replacing Edwards, Dungy must fill the void left by the firing of offensive coordinator Les Steckel, the departure of linebackers coach Lovie Smith to be the defensive coordinator in St. Louis and the midseason dismissal of offensive assistant Wendell Avery.

Edwards said Dungy brought him to Tampa to be an assistant head coach to groom him for a head-coaching position. He also credited his recognition as a top candidate to the outstanding play of the Bucs defensive backs.

"That's how you get these opportunities, because your players play well and people notice how you coach," Edwards said. "Obviously, my players have helped me along the way by the way they performed."

Edwards said that his departure should not affect the oral commitment his son, Marcus, gave to the University of South Florida. A standout defensive back/receiver at Clearwater Central Catholic, Marcus committed to the Bulls in part because he wanted to stay close to his father.

"He made a commitment down there," Herman Edwards said. "When Marcus commits, he commits. I think that's a good situation for him. He has a lot of people down there who love him dearly. His godfather, Bucs safety John Lynch, is down there. I think he's in good hands. He'll probably have a few travel miles, but he'll do fine."

Edwards said he had not evaluated his new players but Vinny Testaverde is his No. 1 quarterback.

- Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.

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