Joe Vitt, who did an admirable job as the Rams’ interim coach when Mike Martz fell ill this season, is so amped about his interview with Jet GM Terry Bradway about the team’s vacant head-coaching job, his enthusiasm just about catapulted him through the phone line during a telephone interview with The Post last night.
“This is an opportunity I never felt I’d have at this stage of my life, and I’m really looking forward to it,” the 51-year-old Vitt said.
“A lot of assistants are going to be interviewed in the coming days and weeks for job openings, but until you do it, there’s no telling how you’re going to react when the gun goes off, no telling what your sideline demeanor is going to be like, what your halftime speeches are going to be like, how to handle tough losses and big wins.
“Those,” Vitt went on, “are things I’ve gone through already. That’s why I feel I can be a head coach in the NFL.”
Vitt, who’s been in the NFL for 27 years, is from Blackwood, N.J., outside Philadelphia. He’s due in today and is to have dinner with Bradway tonight and interview tomorrow.
He said of the Jets, “I don’t think we’re far away. I see a team that’s played very hard and needs a few upgrades on the offensive line, has a hell of a defense and has got some receivers that have a chance.
“We obviously have to address the quarterback position, running back and tight end. There’s a lot of upside on the team.”
Vitt began the season as the assistant head coach/linebackers and was elevated to head coach when Martz fell ill. He went 4-7 with an injury-ravaged team, and upset the Cowboys in the finale, essentially knocking Dallas out of the playoffs.