Henderson given permission to talk to SaintsNFL.com wire reportsNEW YORK (Jan. 3, 2006) -- The New Orleans Saints were given permission to interview Jets defensive coordinator Donnie Henderson for their head coaching vacancy, a person familiar with the situation said on condition of anonymity.Jim Haslett was fired as Saints coach Jan. 2 after a 3-13 season that included the team being displaced from New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.The Saints have asked several teams for permission to speak with coaching candidates, a member of the New Orleans organization said on condition of anonymity. There was no timetable set for interviews.Phone messages for Henderson and his agent, Tony Agnone, weren't immediately returned.The 48-year-old Henderson has been with the Jets for two seasons. Last year, his defense finished seventh in the league, and was 12th this year. Henderson also is black, and fits the specifications of the "Rooney rule," which requires that all teams with vacancies to interview at least one minority candidate.Last week, Henderson once again expressed his interest in becoming a head coach."It'll always be a goal until I get it," Henderson said. "It's always an honor to hear your name."As for coach Herman Edwards, general manager Terry Bradway said on his weekly radio show that he has yet to hear from the Chiefs, who are expected to ask permission to speak to Edwards for their head coaching vacancy.Edwards used to work in Kansas City and has a good relationship with Chiefs president and general manager Carl Peterson, and retiring coach Dick Vermeil."Obviously there's rumors and speculation," Bradway said. "Officially, I haven't received a phone call from Kansas City. I know Dick did a great job there and Carl will have some options. We'll see what happens."In Kansas City, Peterson declined comment when asked about speaking to Edwards, saying, "I would just prefer to keep that confidential."He also scoffed when asked about the possibility of having to give up draft picks to get Edwards, who has two years left on his contract."I'm not going to speculate on that," Peterson said. "Any time I have to part with a No. 1 draft choice it's painful."
I would be if Herm was going to stay in New York, as I think Donnie Henderson is a terrific defensive coordinator. He turned our defense from like 26th in the league to 7th in the league in just one season. However, I am kinda forced to accept that Herman Edwards most likely wont be back (and its for the best). It is unlikely that a new head coach would want to keep Donnie Henderson and the rest of the Jets coaching staff, so more then likely he will be gone anyways, and id rather him get a chance as a head coach, then be a defensive coordinator elsewheres.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Henderson finishes; Carthon next for Saints?NFL.com wire reportsNEW ORLEANS (Jan. 10, 2006) -- Donnie Henderson, the first coaching candidate brought in for formal interviews at the New Orleans Saints' headquarters, said he was impressed with the team's facilities and talent, as well as the "energy" he sensed in residents rebuilding from Hurricane Katrina."The facilities -- you can't beat this. This is second to none," said Henderson, currently the New York Jets' defensive coordinator, as he stood near the sidelines of the Saints' full-size indoor practice field in Metairie, La. "There's a lot of energy here right now and people see the economy coming back and that's good. If they're upbeat, you've got to believe it's a good thing."If the Saints eventually make Henderson their top choice, he might have other options. Henderson will interview for the head-coaching job with the Jets as well as with the St. Louis Rams, he said.He expected to meet with Jets officials the night of Jan. 10 and Jan. 11.Although the Jets, hampered by key injuries to quarterback Chad Pennington and others, won only four games this season, the defensive unit ranked 12th out of 32 teams.A year ago, when the Jets made the playoffs and nearly eliminated Pittsburgh, their defense ranked seventh.The Saints also have scheduled interviews this week with Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator Maurice Carthon and Dallas Cowboys quarterbacks coach Sean Payton. Carthon arrived Tuesday but the Saints had no immediate plans to make him available for interviews.Henderson repeatedly referred to the Saints as an 8-8 team (their 2004 record), saying their 3-13 record in 2005 was not indicative of their ability. The Saints were displaced from New Orleans by Katrina for the entire regular season, setting up temporary headquarters in San Antonio. In addition to playing home games in three different locations and practicing in temporary facilities, they lost starting running back Deuce McAllister to injury in the fifth game of the season."Defensively, you've got a lot of great players. You have some great skill guys on offense," Henderson said. "Obviously, some areas you'd like to improve. Based on what I've seen on your tape, you're not far away. You've got as much talent as anybody else in the league, so you've got to feel good about that."Henderson said he would preach discipline, hoping to reduce penalties and turnovers while improving the Saints' chances of finishing off drives deep into opponents' territory with touchdowns instead of field goals.The Saints also have the second pick in the NFL draft, although Henderson declined to discuss which player he'd like to see taken if hired. He said he discussed such personnel matters with general manager Mickey Loomis, senior football administrator Russ Ball and director of player personnel Rick Mueller, but did not want to talk about it publicly for now.Henderson said he did not expect to have the ultimate say in personnel decisions but did not see a problem with that."Based on our discussions today, I would have a hands-on approach, but let's be honest, (Loomis) is the GM, and you know who the boss is," Henderson said. "You have your input about who you'd like to have."Part of Henderson's visit included dinner in the warehouse district at a restaurant specializing in Creole and Italian cuisine (Tommy's). He also took a tour of some of the nicer repopulated neighborhoods, as well as some of those areas devastated by flooding.Henderson said he found parts of the metro area to be in fine shape and that he did not expect quality-of-life issues to affect either his or prospective free agents' decisions to join the Saints."From what I see, it's getting repaired. You've got a city that's energetic. Come on and be a part of it," he said.AP NEWSThe Associated Press News ServiceCopyright 2006, The Associated Press, All Rights Reserved</div>http://www.nfl.com/teams/story/NO/9157205
