When I coached baseball I had the reputation of having a “quick hook” with my pitchers. With Jet coaches it is the same thing. The “eye test” is the best evaluator of a football coach. I don’t think I have missed one Jet play in the last 30 years. I would never say I know more than an NFL coach or general manager but the obvious must be addressed. Whether you think it is fair or unfair, Todd Bowles must be replaced as head coach of the New York Jets. Here are 7 reasons why:
1. In-Game Decisions
Either Todd Bowles cannot think more than one step ahead or he is being advised wrongly but some of his decisions are beyond crazy.
2. Time Management
This has been a Jet issue for years. I remember when Herm Edwards hired Dick Curl on Bill Parcels recommendation just to do the time management during the games. Curl must have been owed a favor from the Tuna. He was a disaster. Jet fans see the same thing game after game. His explanation in the Denver game for running out the clock in the first half didn’t make sense. He said that they were not moving the ball and wanted to refresh the offense for the second half when the Jets received the kick. Also he said McCown was getting banged up. Sure was and he should have been removed. I wish someone would have explained to Bowles that the Jets still had a slight chance for the playoffs.
3. Team Penalties
The Jets are fifth in the league for the most penalties. Whether it is Jordan Jenkins going offsides on a 4th and 4 or Mo Wilkerson going offside on a 3rd and 6, the lack of on the field discipline is mind boggling. And if I see another 12 men on the field penalty by the Jets, I’m going to go crazy.
4. Arithmetic
In the fourth quarter in last year’s Buffalo game, the Jets went ahead by 12 points. Todd Bowles decides to go for one point instead of two. Can’t make it up!
5. Team Discipline
Say what you want but last year the team was out of control. Two weeks ago he did come down on Mo Wilkerson (1st quarter sit) and Darron Lee (sit the game). He just doesn’t seem to have the make-up of how and when to be tough on his team.
6. General Unpreparedness For Games
We all know the Jets lack talent but some of the games especially on the road have been staggering (Tampa Bay, Denver) at how unprepared the Jets look.
7. You Are What Your Record Says You Are
In his last 30 games, Todd Bowles is 10-20 coaching the Jets. Need I say more?
NFL Rosters Make-Up Will Change
The future make-up of NFL rosters may soon change. With the slow disappearance of kick off returns in an NFL football game and the amount of injuries offensive linemen have sustained this year, I would not be surprised if teams begin a subtle shift on their roster. Many teams use their sixth and seventh round picks to enhance their special teams. Now kickoff returns are becoming obsolete. Punt returns are still part of the game but there are more and more balls kicked into the end zone for touchbacks or a fair catch. The shift will be to linemen especially on offense. Right now teams carry either eight (Steelers, Saints) or nine (Jets, Pats) offensive linemen on their active roster. This year teams got beat up bad on the offensive line. Look at the Minnesota Vikings. They lost three. And the New York Giants seems to have had their parking lot attendants blocking for Eli Manning. Even the Patriots had issues in their loss to the Dolphins. I’m predicting that teams will soon carry 10 or 11 offensive linemen or hybrid tight ends that block 99% of the time. For special teams you will see starters like Jamal Adams and Marcus Maye covering kicks and punts. This day is coming and coming soon.
Jets QB Draft Situation Changes
As we approach the NFL draft in April, the quarterback situation for the Jets has changed. Here are three reasons why.
1) The 0-16 or 1-15 Jets have done better than anyone expected. They played themselves out of a top three pick and will in all likelihood draft anywhere from 6-11. In this quarterback thick year there is still a good chance the Jets get a quality player. He may not be the type of franchise player Jet fans were hoping to land. The pre-season hopes of Sam Darnold or Josh Rosen wearing the Green and White are just about gone. The Jets may be able to get Josh Allen from Wyoming.
2) Sam Darnold and Josh Rosen have whispered that one or both may return for another year of college. And risk injury you ask? Well that is exactly what Peyton Manning did as all Jet fans remember. I happen to think that both players will come out. The deadline for underclassmen to declare is Monday, Jan. 15.
3) The third reason for Jet fans is a positive. The play of Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield. The recently named Heisman Trophy winner who is listed at 6’ 1” has had an incredible year! All Mayfield does is make big plays and win. Can this translate into success in the NFL? No one knows for sure. The height may be the only negative to Mayfield. One of the biggest positives is the number of college games Baker Mayfield has played. Jet fans remember when Mark Sanchez decided to leave USC that his old coach Pete Carroll wanted Sanchez to go back to USC for another year. Sanchez had played in only 27 college games. Mayfield has played in 47 college games. Baker Mayfield was not really considered a first round draft pick before the season. With the season he is having, he has been moving up the draft charts. His team plays Georgia on January 1st in the Rose Bowl. This game and if Oklahoma wins and gets to the finals, is huge for Mayfield. If he plays great, this may be the player the Jets draft.
Mark Sanchez 27 College Games
Sam Darnold 26 College Games
Josh Rosen 30 College Games
Josh Allen 26 College Games
Baker Mayfield 47 College Games
ESPN’s Todd McShay has the QBs ranked:
1) Josh Rosen, UCLA
2) Sam Darold, USC
3) Josh Allen, Wyoming
4) Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma
5) Mason Rudolph, Oklahoma State
Green Tidbits:
…..Best line of the week from Green Rewind reader Rob August: “If the Jets lose one more game they are out of the playoffs next year”…..Lost a lot of respect for OC John Morton throwing in the towel with 11 minutes to go against Denver. Can’t stand a losers mentality…..Would love to see back-up center Jonotthan Harrison get some reps. He had a good pre-season…..WR Jermaine Kearse numbers thus far, 52 rec., 681 yds. and 5 TDs are pretty good considering he was a throw in with the Sheldon Richardson trade…..RT Brandon Shell has had some rough moments as well as some very good moments. If he continues to develop, he may be a good find…..Punt returner JoJo Natson has not shown us anything…..Jeremy Kerley was playing well before his suspension but now is the time to give the reps to Chad Hansen…..Former undrafted Jet Danny Woodhead continues playing in the NFL. Now 32 years old he has 4,944 yards of combined offense rushing and receiving along with 32 TDs….Joe Willie Namath on WFAN sounded great this week being interviewed by Mike Francesca…..In case you didn’t see it, the Jets signed a QB this week. Former Wisconsin Badger Joel Stave….Two rookie players on the Jets practice squad I’d like to see play the last 3 weeks are Guard Ben Braden from Michigan and running back Jahad Thomas from Temple……
What the Jet Scribes Are Saying
Rich Cimini, ESPN
Mike Maccagnan's job is to find a long-term answer at quarterback. He's had three cracks at it -- three offseasons -- but the general manager still hasn't discovered a solution to the problem that has vexed this franchise for decades. Petty gets a three-game gig to close the season, but there's nothing he can do that would dramatically alter the organization's plan. He's not auditioning for the lead role in the movie; he's trying to secure a place in the 2018 cast. It would be the same for Hackenberg if he somehow manages to get into an actual game. (On Sunday, he'll put on a uniform for only the third time in 30 games.) Maccagnan needs to make a bold move at quarterback in the offseason, something to create hope for a franchise on the verge of missing the playoffs for a seventh straight year. The timing is right because the draft is filled with talented passers and the veteran market will be flooded with big names.
Brian Costello, NY Post
Todd Bowles explained why he did not take a timeout with just over a minute left in the first half Sunday in Denver, but it probably won’t make Jets fans happy.
The situation was this: The Jets stopped the Broncos on third down at the Jets’ 35 with about 1:10 left in the half. Denver called on its field-goal unit. Bowles had all three timeouts left. Instead of using one and giving his offense the ball with about a minute left and two timeouts, he allowed the Broncos to run the clock down before the field goal. After Brandon McManus made the 53-yard kick, the Jets got the ball with 32 seconds left. They took a knee. The Broncos were up 13-0 at the time, and the Jets were receiving the second-half kickoff. Bowles felt with the Jets offense doing nothing, it was not worth taking the risk of going for it at the end of the half.“At that rate we were playing, we needed to go in and regroup,” Bowles explained. That is a puzzling way to look at it with that much time left on the clock. It would be understandable if there were only 30 seconds left, but the offense could have possibly gotten into field-goal range in a minute and with two timeouts.
………
Todd Bowles and the Jets are deep into the portion of their schedule when every move the head coach makes and every game his team plays is going to be a referendum on whether he should stay or go as Jets coach. Sunday was a mark against Bowles. The 23-0 loss to the Broncos featured many of Bowles’ worst qualities as a coach and was fuel for those who would like to see the brothers Johnson make a change at the end of this season.I have felt since the offseason that Bowles would ultimately be judged by how the Jets finished. The bye week created a natural six-game home stretch that I think will leave ownership feeling one way or the other about their coach. That is now a bit complicated by Josh McCown’s injury. You can argue that it will be difficult to get an accurate read on this team if Bryce Petty struggles.However, that won’t change Sunday’s damage to Bowles’ case. The Jets came out flat on the road … again. That has been a recurring theme during Bowles’ time as Jets coach. He made several questionable in-game decisions, another Bowles issue. It was the first shutout the Jets have suffered under Bowles and a historically bad offensive performance, totaling 100 yards, the second-fewest in franchise history.
Manish Mehta, NY Daily News
Josh McCown’s feel-good ride in the twilight of his career came to a crashing halt after he broke his left hand in what appears to be a season-ender for the veteran leader.
McCown suffered a hip pointer on a second-quarter scramble that prompted him to miss his first snap of the season. He returned, but not for long. Bryce Petty took over for the first time this season, but the damage was done.“We got to stay together,” Jamal Adams said about Bowles’ message after the loss. “As a team we didn’t prepare well at times during practice. So we got to lock in at all times and as a team get better. It’s not just one side of the ball. It’s everybody.”
It was a disaster from start to finish thanks to mental gaffes, physical blunders and all-around putrid play against a team that appeared to have quit weeks ago. From two bone-headed defensive plays on the opening drive that led to a Broncos’ field goal to McCown’s pair of turnovers on the Jets’ first three drives, this one was particularly painful on the eyes.
No comments:
Post a Comment