JETS Edwards apologizes for sideline meltdown

The Jets coach had a shouting match with an assistant during Saturday's game.
HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. (AP) -- Herman Edwards' mother saw this side of him many times before. Now the entire country has seen it, too.
The Jets coach finally let his emotions get the best of him during the wild card game against the San Diego Chargers on Saturday night, getting into a verbal dispute with assistant coach Bishop Harris on the sideline. Edwards knew he was wrong the second he let the words come out of his mouth, so he stepped in front of his team Tuesday and said he was sorry for losing his cool.
He apologized to his mother days ago, after she saw the confrontation from the stands. When he saw her afterward, she said, "They saw the other side, didn't they?"
Mea culpa
"It wasn't right," Edwards said. "The head coach is supposed to keep his composure. That's the one thing I preach to our football team all the time. I have high expectations on myself and I let my guard down and I shouldn't have fallen into the trap.
"I won't embarrass the league by showing me on the TV set instead of showing our team."
Edwards, who usually exudes California cool, had never lost his temper before as a player or a coach. But his players know Edwards is plenty emotional. Veteran receiver Wayne Chrebet said he does not understand how Edwards keeps everything bottled up inside.
"I liked it," Chrebet said. "I know he's got it in him. We need that, to follow his lead. I know what he was like when he played. I know he still has it in him. You just know. You can tell by talking to him. He's got that fire in his belly."
A fire below
Edwards will never be confused with Buddy Ryan, who slugged fellow assistant Kevin Gilbride while they were on the sideline with Houston in a game, coincidentally against the New York Jets, on Jan. 2, 1994.
But the inner fire Edwards has served his team well.
"I don't usually get mad but there's times on the field where I'm a second away from the same type of thing," Curtis Martin said. "That's just emotion, that's football. You can't avoid those things sometimes."
Edwards started screaming at Harris late in the third quarter, but has declined to say why. It is known that Edwards wanted to get backup LaMont Jordan more involved in the game. At around the time of the argument, Martin had just caught a 23-yard pass.
Harris makes the personnel calls after getting the plays from offensive coordinator Paul Hackett over the headset. So the altercation probably had something to do with the use of Martin and Jordan. Harris has declined interview requests this week.
Fullback Jerald Sowell had to stop the two from coming to blows. After Edwards turned away, Harris said something else and Edwards started yelling again. Sowell said he did not know why his coaches were arguing.