Call to action
Bowles tells Jets to figure out who they are
TODD Bowles did not scream. He did not yell. He did not have to. Bowles stood before his team Monday, a day after a 24-3 butt-kicking by the Chiefs and delivered his message in an even tone that got his point across. “Any time you lose like that, you’ve got to have a come-to-Jesus meeting,” Bowles said. “We talked about accountability and just understanding where we are in the season and who we are and what we need to be.”
Bowles better hope the Jets are not who showed up at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday, particularly quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, who threw six interceptions.
It still is early in the season, but this week feels like a crossroads for the Jets. Are they the team that rolled over Buffalo or the team that rolled over in Kansas City? We will find out a lot about the Jets on Sunday against the Seahawks — and a lot about Bowles.
Through his first 19 games as Jets coach, it has been hard to get a read on just how good of a coach Bowles is. He is 11-8, a good record but not amazing. He pulled the team out of a midseason funk last year to win five straight games — before getting outcoached in Buffalo by Rex Ryan to end the season. Players have a ton of respect for Bowles. He seems to hit the right buttons in the locker room. On the flip side, his gameday coaching has holes. Bowles’ ingame adjustments are lacking and he makes some odd choices, like not using a timeout at the end of the first half Sunday when he had three or forgetting to go for two last week in Buffalo.
Bowles’ seat is not hot. It’s not even remotely warm. But he also is no longer a rookie coach. The expectations were high for the Jets after a 10-6 season last year. They had a nice win over the Bills, but then fell on their faces in Kansas City. In order to be serious contenders, the Jets need to start beating contenders on the road. That is something a Bowles-led team has yet to do.
There were few players in the Jets locker room Monday when the media was allowed in, but the two players who talked both said Bowles’ message was received.
“I thought the way he delivered the message today was great,” Fitzpatrick said. “I thought it was something that was necessary and potentially a turning point in the season in terms of the focus that hopefully we come with after this game.”
It would not be the first time a Bowles speech was a turning point. Last year, he angrily addressed the team after a loss in Houston, and the team then went on the five-game run. This year, the message was not loud, but the Jets can only hope it is equally as effective.
“I wouldn’t call it fiery. It was very direct,” tackle Ryan Clady said. “He’s not really a yeller type of coach. I thought it was a good message, though.”
Bowles emphasized to his team the season still is young and the locker room cannot splinter.
“I think the biggest thing is it was the third game of the season,” Fitzpatrick said of Bowles’ message. “It’s not the last time we’re going to face adversity during a game. It’s not the last time a game isn’t going to go our way or we’re going to start off bad. It’s just something we have to learn from. We have to come together, not drift apart from a loss like that, from an experience like that on the road and move on to the next one.”
The next one comes Sunday with a 2-1 Seahawks team coming to MetLife Stadium.
We’ll see if the Jets got Bowles’ message.