Thrilled players stand by once and future leaders
The Jets players have been bowled over by coach Todd Bowles this season.
He wanted to change the culture, so he instituted his “One Team, One Goal” philosophy in the offseason. Images of Jets greats appeared on the walls of the practice facility. Team-building exercises were put in place. The Jets came to feel a part of something bigger, and a team that many thought might not win a game instead has won five entering the finale at New England.
“What he created was a team that was really united,” defensive lineman Leonard Williams said. “That’s really important for a team. We’re really united and it shows. Even at the end of the season, when people believe that we’re not playing for anything, we’re playing for each other. It’s unity.” Bowles has the Jets believing in themselves, and ownership’s move to give him a two-year contract extension through 2020
on Friday got a full-throated endorsement in the locker room.
“Todd really loves the game and really does a lot for us,” linebacker Jordan Jenkins said. “He’s a coach you want to play for.”
Some pointed to Bowles commitment to improvement. Others praised his ability to communicate.
“Guys have gotten better and are committed to getting better, whereas last year, everybody was just kind of doing their own thing,” linebacker Darron Lee said. “This year, everybody is committed to doing better and it’s showed. I feel like a lot of people have taken leaps and bounds from last year.”
Wide receiver Jermaine Kearse played the past five seasons with Seattle before the Jets acquired him in a trade.
“I just got here and I like what I see,” Kearse said. “[Bowles] just relates to the players really well. He’s played the game. He’s won a Super Bowl, so he knows what it takes. He’s been in those shoes. And just the conversations we have out there — he’s a smart dude. He knows what he’s talking about, and he’s building something here that’s going in the right way.”