My biggest concern with the Jets is that Woody gets involved in football decisions and not in a way that's helpful.
Agree 1000% But the question that nags me is WHY? You would think any coach, in any sport, would bench players who aren't performing. Yes, proven vets do get some "grace" due to their past contributions, but when they play like Revis, Fitz, and the other dogs did, it's a seeming no-brainer. Is Bowels really that dumb or clueless? It's hard to believe that a guy with his resume and experience - admittedly no HC experience, but still, having been around football his whole life, you would have to think he's learned something - would sit on his hands and watch that crap. Was Woody (or Macc) directing these decisions? IDK, but if he was being told to play these guys despite their horrible play and effort, he should've refused or offered his resignation because the damage it's done to his reputation may prevent him from ever being given another HC job in the future.
I think Bowles truly believed that Revis and Fitz gave the team (and him) the best chance to win. He wasn't thinking developing young players for the future. He was in self-preservation mode. The ironic thing is that in trying to protect his job, he may have done more damage than anything else he could have done. I can't imagine why Mac would have ordered Bowles to keep playing them. To begin with, unless something changed with the org chart that we didn't hear about, Mac couldn't order Bowles to do anything. Bowles decided who played. If anything, Mac would want his young players to see the field and hasten their development. I could possibly understand Woody ordering Bowles to keep playing Revis and Fitz. He had paid them all that money, and it wasn't to sit on the bench. He could have also been afraid that the fans would think the Jets were giving up on the season and stayed away. I can easily see Woody being that stupid or money-conscious. That said, until we see something concrete to show that is the case, it fits in with how Bowles handled the team. There was little or no accountability or discipline. They didn't work that hard in practice. There was no sense of urgency. He also knew how few reps Petty and Burris had received in practice (but whose fault was that other than Bowles?)/
I completely agree with your assessment. I was just wondering out loud if there could've been another reason for his apparent cluelessness. I fear not, and still remain convinced he should've been fired at the end of the season. If they're really doing a "total rebuild" it should've begun with that.
Just take the actions of the locker room last year and its easy to that Bowles has no backbone and does not possess the ability to control his team. Players that respect their coaches do not dog it in games, skip meetings, show up late for work etc. They know if they do that the big man on campus is going to make their lives a living hell or they will lose valuable reps/playing time hurting their future financials. So far it almost seems like Bowles is afraid to bench vets for younger players, somewhat like rex, letting the inmates run the prison.
My opinion is that Bowles thinks a player "once good, always good" and he rationalizes for 15 weeks that "last week's game" (and the previous week(s)) were an aberration and next week he will get back to being good. It takes most coaches much less time, and some coaches make changes in the first game that a player really sucks.
Mike Maccagnan deserves to stay long term. He is building a team. His patchwork in 2015 led to a 10-6 season and would have been better if Fitz wasn't such a loser/choke artist in Buffalo. 2016 it started falling a part win-wise, but he has been putting pieces together his first couple years. Bowles on the other hand has looked like a bad head coach so far. If he is terrible in 2017, I have no problem firing him. If the Jets go (4-12) but you see Bowles is improving, then you can consider bringing him back as the team has such little talent right now. (Especially at QB which is where it matters to me) Have to let the season play out. The defense shouldn't be horrible. If it is, that is on Bowles.
Your second to last line was the best--the jets did play with NO URGENCY. They did not look ready and looked like they never cared that they weren't. The lack of effort by Revis especially to even try to tackle should have alarmed Bowles. Instead, he stood on the sideline like a zombie and then mumbled some mindless excuses after the game which did little to explain what just happened on the field (which errors were often repeated the next week).
For those of you, like me, who are vastly entertained by the "3 years ago today, Jets hired Joe Douglas (June 7th) - POLL" thread, you should re-read this one. Ron
Nothing wrong with the post. It was actually a very good post asking for patience to properly evaluate. He did not say he liked the plan just that one should not let emotions get in the way. But, it is also a very timely post. As there is so much to contrast with how Macs team and this team are being built differently now with JD placing: 1. An emphasis on using premium assets on premium positions. 2. Emphasis on building the line. 3. A long term rebuild rather than quick fixes. 4. Emphasis on adding players that fit tge coaches system rather than what MAC did picking who he liked. 5. Collaborative effort involving everyone in the FO trying to reach consensus rather than the Mac approach to doing it all himself. 6. Not overpaying for FAs and signing reasonable contracts. Not looking for flashy names in FA for publicity but solid players. 7. Emphasis on character players. 8. Providing an infrastructure around a young QB that can give him the opportunity to succeed. OL, TEs that can pass block and skill player weapons. JD may or may not work out but the process and decision making is clearly better than any FO we have had since the late 70s. He has given the coaching staff a solid talented young roster that not only fits their system like a glove but is loaded in the premium positions the CS values. JD has done his job well. It is now up to luck and the coaching staff.
Long Snapper is a great position to get on an NFL team. You can have a long career and if you do your job right, not many teams will even think about replacing you.