The Morning According to Us

Would you take an interview that would cost you your job?

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"I'll give you a better record than Kotite, people."

The strange thing, in any season of football coaching vacancies, is how coaches almost always stay humble and quiet about job opportunities until the deal is done. These are not quiet men, generally. They are leaders with strong opinions. And yet they play the humble, quiet card because they don't want to disrupt whatever good thing they already have. Job security, especially these days, helps one sleep at night. Now consider Boston College head coach Jeff Jagodzinski. The BC athletic director told him if he interviewed with the Jets today, he'd be fired. Jagodzinski's response: Screw it. I'm flying to New York anyway.

Jagodzinksi is a long shot to get the job. Super Bowl winner Brian Billick is interested, as is Ravens defensive coordinator Rex Ryan (who looks especially good this week). Bill Cowher's name has been thrown out there. Hell, so has the Tuna's. Jagodzinski is the coach of a 9-5 ACC team which just lost to Vanderbilt in a bowl game. Before that, he went 11-3 with a team quarterbacked by Matt Ryan and recruited by Tom O'Brien. Before that, he was the Packers offensive coordinator. This is his only real claim for the Jets throne.

In many ways, it's foolish for Jagodzinksi to try. And yeah, this interview may only show the impressive reach of the man's ego. But this is also the first inspiring story of 2009. Imagine yourself as Jagodzinski. There's a job you want, but also many, many other viable candidates. Your boss hears of your opportunity and says, If you even so much as interview, you're gone. Now, you're a middle-aged man from a blue-collar town in Wisconsin. You've come from nothing and realize the value of money. You have five kids to worry about in a recession that's bordering on something worse. What would you do? Would you have enough faith in yourself to fly to New York this morning?

Perhaps the Jets will be as impressed with the faith of the man in the interview chair far more than they are his credentials. A little inspiration never hurts.

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