Ex-Dolphins coach Bowles deserves better
Jets officials gutted roster, put coach on path for future unemployment
Todd Bowles began his NFL career as an undrafted free agent from Temple and ended up playing eight seasons and winning a Super Bowl ring, so he’s faced long odds before.
But this season, Bowles seems to be put in a can’t-win situation as head coach of a stripped-down New York Jets team that intentionally tore down its roster this offseason. Sunday’s game against the Dolphins will be the Jets’ first home game of the season, and don’t be surprised to see fans inside MetLife Stadium alter their rally cry to “J-E-T-S, TANK, TANK, TANK” because it’s obvious that’s what Miami’s AFC East rival is doing.
The Jets cut Pro Bowl center Eric Mangold and released offensive tackles Ryan Clady and Breno Giacomini.
They’re paying Pro Bowl cornerback Darrelle Revis $6 million this season to sit at home, releasing him despite owning him that substantial guaranteed money.
Starting receivers Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker were also released, as were veteran middle linebacker David Harris and kicker Nick Folk.
Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick wasn’t brought back.
The Jets instead opted to sign Josh McCown, a 38-year-old journeyman who has started 64 games in 15 seasons and possesses a 78.2 career passer rating.
And, much like McCown, the Jets’ other free-agent signings were merely patchwork transactions to help this young, talent-starved team get through the season.
The Jets had an extremely redundant draft, selecting two safeties in the early rounds, and subsequently releasing Marcus Gilchrist and trading away Calvin Pryor, both of last year’s starting safeties.
Finally, defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson was traded to Seattle earlier this month for receiver Jermaine Kearse and a 2018 second-round pick.
It’s a pretty safe guess that when this season ends, Bowles — who will have one year left on his contract — will be the sacrificial lamb offered up to the fan base.
“Keep your head down and keep grinding. Never too high, never too low,” said Bowles, who spent four seasons as an assistant with the Dolphins and led Miami to a 2-1 record as an interim head coach in 2011. “The minute you think you’ve reached the pinnacle it will humble you. The minute you think you have no chance you’ll get a reprieve.”
These opportunities to become an NFL team’s head coach don’t come around very often. And history shows that African-American coaches aren’t exactly in a position to be selective.
Bowles, who led the Jets to 10 wins in his first season before following it up with 5-11 campaign in 2016, deserves better.
Jets chairman Christopher Johnson told the New York media this week that the futures of Bowles and general manager Mike Maccagnan won’t be decided by wins and losses this season.
“It’s not going to come down to games. It really won’t. It’s more about the play on the field,” said Johnson, who has taken over operations for his older brother Woody Johnson after Woody became ambassador to the United Kingdom. “Are we getting better? Believe me, losses hurt deeply. I like wins a lot more, but it’s not going to be the sole or even a really important way for me to judge Todd or Mike.”
Like life, football isn’t fair. And bad things sometimes happen to good people, and vice versa.
Bowles deserved a chance to prove he could get the Jets back on a winning track with a competitive roster, and that wasn’t given to him.
Let his story serve as a cautionary tale that not every NFL head coaching job is a good one.
“Keep your head down and keep working,” Bowles said of his mentality. “The elevator from the penthouse to the outhouse is real fast, and it can be reversed, taking you back to the penthouse.”