Bowles close to QB call, but not to revealing it
Todd Bowles isn’t losing any sleep over his quarterback decision.
The Jets coach has a pretty good idea which way he’s leaning in Gang Green’s quarterback derby, and so do his assistants. He’s just not ready to tell the players — or anybody outside the building.
“Sometime next week … maybe,” Bowles said. Asked if he wakes up at night fretting over the decision, he replied, “Not really, no.” Is Bowles struggling with it? “Not really, no.” Bowles’ all-but-made decision is among veteran incumbent Josh McCown, camp standout Teddy Bridgewater and highly touted rookie Sam Darnold, the perceived prohibitive favorite. The call won’t come from some camp-ending caucus but will be based on a body of work that Bowles has largely finished reading.
He’s just not ready to drop any spoilers, even if we already know the ending.
“I don’t think it happens in a week: It happens over the course of spring and summer,” Bowles said. “I always get [my assistants’] opinions. This is not a State of the Union meetingtype thing. They have a feel for where I am … and you tell the players when you tell the players and you go from there.
“It ’s a triple-edged sword. It’s good that the players know when they k n ow, b ut they haven’t been told anything for the record. As coaches, we’ll meet on it and keep meeting on it. I have my ideas in my head, which I’ll keep to myself, at this point. But I have a good idea.”
So do most Jets fans, who view Darnold starting the Sept. 10 opener in Detroit as a fait accompli, despite McCown’s experience and Bridgewater’s hot form.
Darnold got the nod in Gang Green’s past two preseason games, has gotten the lion’s share of f irst-team snaps in practice and has done everything one would expect of a starting quarterback. Everybody else would be shocked if the No. 3-overall pick doesn’t get the job, even if he insists he wouldn’t be.
“I wouldn’t be disappointed, I wouldn’t be s urpri s ed. Throughout my short career playing football, I’ve seen a lot of things,” Darnold said. “Josh and Teddy are great players. I wouldn’t be surprised. At the same time, every quarterback wants to play. But that’s not my job to put the best player out there. That’s the coach’s job.”
Even t he ones who don’ t play. McCown is the coming off career highs in starts (13), passing yards (2,926) and touchdown passes (18) but hasn’t played a single down in preseason after going three-andout to start the opener.
“Regardless, we just come to work and support one another and work hard. That’s all we can control. Those decisions will be made by coaches, and we’ll roll with that, whatever they see fit,” said McCown, 39, who is capable of reading the tea leaves and not vexed over Darnold getting the snaps in games.
“When you pick somebody No. 3 overall and he’s a rookie, obviously they’re going to get a ton of work because they need that,” McCown said. “And it’s been great working with Sam. He’s improved every day, and it’s been awesome to watch.”
Bridgewater has made a stirr i ng re cove r y f ro m c a re e r - threatening knee injuries, but he’s more than just a feel-good story. A legitimate NFL starter, he has outperformed Darnold in preseason with a 104.7 rating but has gotten just two series with the starters and very limited first-team reps in camp.
“For me, whoever is out there with me, you want to maximize those opportunities, make the best of them. You control what you can control,” said Bridgewater, whose name keeps coming up in the trade rumor mill.
“Right now I’m living in the now, taking advantage of this opportunity I have. I said last week I look forward to coming to work every day. … You have your blinders on, living in the now. I’m here in New York, focusing on being the best teammate I can be. That’s that.”