New York Daily News

DON’T GANG

Charley: Unfair to judge Bowles with Jet talent

- MANISH MEHTA

Charley Casserly isn’t in the business of running the Jets, but it would be wise for Woody Johnson to listen to his former consultant about his current coach to help his franchise get through a critical phase.

Casserly, the point man in the organizati­on’s search for new leadership two-and-a-half years ago, hasn’t wavered in his belief in Todd Bowles.

The Jets’ commitment to a fullfledge­d rebuilding season has prompted criticism and laughter. Some believe that Bowles is Dead Coach Walking, the inevitable sacrificia­l lamb in what promises to be a particular­ly painful season in the standings.

No matter how you slice it, Bowles is in a precarious position. Patience is required for a team littered with unknowns, but does patience actually exist in this cutthroat business?

The Jets will probably roll out a 38-year-old journeyman bridge quarterbac­k in Week 1, while keeping their fingers crossed that a second-round, second-year developmen­tal signal caller continues to inch along in his developmen­t.

Nobody would confuse Bowles’ roster with the 1972 Dolphins. Anyone brave enough to witness the team’s preseason opener last weekend will attest to that. The pre- vailing thought in league circles is that these Jets have one of the most talent-deficient rosters in the NFL.

So, how will Johnson & Johnson (Woody and his brother, Chris) know what to do with Bowles if/ when the Jets finish in or near the league cellar?

“The way I evaluated coaches … I didn’t look at the record,” Casserly, a former general manager in Washington and Houston, told the Daily News. “I looked at (it this way): Were they getting the maximum out of the talent available to them? That’s really the answer. That’s why Marvin Lewis weathered some years in Cincinnati, because they weren’t good enough. They had injuries. That’s why Jason Garrett weathered some years in Dallas. Bill Cowher weathered some years in Pittsburgh. Because you can only produce a record based on the talent you have.”

Lewis only had one winning season in his first six years before drafting a quality starting quarterbac­k and reversing course. The Bengals have made the playoffs in five of the last six years with Andy Dalton. The Steelers also stayed the course during Cowher’s three-year playoff-less swoon midway through his 15-year run.

Although Bowles has a few promising young pieces on defense, even the glass-half-full crowd realizes that there are gaping holes, including a gigantic one at the game’s most important position. No matter how many times Bowles and his players put on a brave face, it’s unrealisti­c to expect this team to be relevant in 2017.

Bowles lost competent veteran starters David Harris and Eric Decker in June for Pete’s sake so the owner could save some loot. Although Harris and Decker weren’t magically going to make the Jets a playoff contender, they would have helped the team keep its competitiv­e edge and impart valuable wisdom to the younger core.

So how will Bowles, who is in the third year of his four-year contract, be judged by his bosses given the lack of difference makers on his roster?

“You have to evaluate: Is this talent being coached at the highest level?” Casserly said. “Are they playing hard? Are they motivated? Are the players still listening? So those are the things you evaluate at the end of the year.”

“I think Todd proved in Year One that he can produce a winner,” Casserly added about the Jets’ 10win season in 2015. “Obviously this year … Woody has said he’s not going Bto evaluate the record.” owles made smart adjustment­s on his staff after last season’s five-win disaster, including changing offensive play callers. By all accounts, he significan­tly upgraded the teachers for his quarterbac­ks, defensive backs, defensive linemen and outside linebacker­s.

“He’s made changes in the coaching staff that I think needed to be made,” Casserly said. “I think he took charge of that. He took ownership of it and made the changes. And Woody backed him on it. I’m a Todd Bowles fan.”

Woody Johnson insisted in January that “you’ve got to have the confidence and courage to stick by (your) plan and build that way.”

He chose the exact right words. We’ll find out in a few months whether he actually believes them.

His coach’s future depends on it.

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