Herman Edwards and Tony Dungy are as close as brothers. But their predicaments this season could not be farther apart.

Edwards is struggling through a 2-10 season with the Jets, while Dungy is having one for the ages in Indianapolis.

“We’re having a season for the ages, too,” Edwards said with a chuckle. “It’s aging me.”

Edwards served as an assistant under Dungy in Tampa Bay, where their friendship grew. The two usually talk frequently during the season, but once Dungy got on a roll with the Colts, Edwards stopped phoning.

“He sends messages to me from his wife through my wife. He doesn’t want to talk to me, because he thinks it will give me bad karma or something,” Dungy said.

Edwards said that was a pact the two made. Whenever a team gets hot, the other cannot call. So messages are sent between intermediaries. Last season, when the Jets started 5-0, he never spoke to Dungy. It was only after their first loss that they talked to each other.

Dungy, at 12-0, has sympathy for what his close friend is enduring. The Jets have lost seven straight.

“When we were in Tampa that first year, we were 1-8 and were wondering if we were ever going to win again. But that was different, because you thought you were going in the right direction,” Dungy said. “This year, for him, has been so tough because you’re one kick from going to the championship game and then you get decimated by injuries and there’s nothing you can do.

New York Jets coach Herman Edwards argues a call during the fourth quarter of the Jets' 16-3 loss to New England on Dec. 4 in Foxborough, Mass. Edwards' Jets are 2-10, while his buddy Tony Dungy's Indianapolis Colts are 12-0.

“But I think that’s when he’s at his best at getting his players to play with energy and enthusiasm. That’s sometimes when you do your best coaching job.”

Edwards stayed mum when asked about the prospects of the Colts finishing undefeated. He also was silent when asked whether he thought Dungy would rest his starters down the stretch or continue for a perfect record.

But he has great admiration for what Dungy has done.

“If anybody deserves it, he does,” Edwards said. “I really mean that. I’m enjoying what he’s doing. What I like about their team is that this is what good teams do. They can win the 10-3 game or they can win the shootout. That’s what good teams do. He’s got them believing.”

¢ No comparison: Jeff Garcia wouldn’t even let a reporter finish his question.

When Detroit’s quarterback was discussing why Lions receivers have struggled, Garcia heard a query start with the premise that Roy Williams and Charles Rogers were faster than two of his targets in San Francisco: Terrell Owens and Jerry Rice.

“No, they’re not,” Garcia said. “When it came to being on the field and running by people, Jerry Rice knew how to do it on gameday. He found a way to do it. He used his leverage to shield (defenders) away from the football. Terrell Owens just flat out ran by people.

“You may go out and time them in a 40-yard dash, and they may not run 4.4s, or 4.3s. But on gameday, they ran by people. We haven’t necessarily been able to do that here yet. We don’t necessarily see the separation taking place.”

The Lions have drafted receivers in the first round the past three years, becoming the first team to do it since the NFL and AFL merged drafts in 1967.

¢ The new Seahawks: Even though they routed an undermanned and seemingly disinterested Eagles team Monday, the Seattle Seahawks proved something – to the rest of the nation in prime time, and, more importantly, to themselves.

The Seahawks have the NFC’s best record, but they’ve looked shaky against some of the other conference contenders, particularly the Cowboys and Giants. They beat both of those NFC East teams, but needed a wild comeback in the final minutes against Dallas, and for Jay Feely to miss three field goals, two in overtime, against New York.

Coach Mike Holmgren felt the victory over the Eagles made a statement.

“While we’ve been improved the last couple years, the idea of getting to be a playoff team and into the tournament and playing for a championship is what you strive for,” he says. “We couldn’t get over the hump and until you eventually do it, I’m sure people will continue to say you are young on defense, or this or that. The players just have to focus on just keep doing what they have been doing and we’ll be OK.”

¢ Great debut: After he picked off a pass in a season-opening victory at Cleveland, Bengals rookie middle linebacker Odell Thurman boasted his performance in that one game would get noticed around the league.

What he’s done in the first 12 is certainly worth a look.

The second-round draft pick leads NFL rookies with five interceptions and is on pace to set several Bengals records. He has tied the club mark for interceptions by a rookie – safety Tommy Casanova and cornerback Ray Horton also had five – and is one shy of Al Beauchamp’s club record for interceptions by a linebacker.

“Odell is leading the way,” outside linebacker Brian Simmons said. “Odell’s done a great job. Odell’s going to make a lot more plays than he’s made this year once he grasps everything mentally. He’s going to be a great player.”

Thurman has been more than the Bengals hoped for. He had only two interceptions in 23 games at Georgia, where he was known more for his speed and sure tackling.