“Discipline” and “Accountability”

Loyal to the point of defiance?

People might wonder why I would ask Todd Bowles a the player should be “reprimanded or benched” for that egregious blown assignment on third-and-19.

Some people think it was Jamal Adams, so how the heck could I theoretically ask Bowles about benching Adam? There is no way that would happen.

Maybe because I don’t think it was Adams.

Look, I don’t have access to the Jets’ playbook, but watching the play at the time, and on replays, my gut tells me Adams was assigned to somebody else, and that was his focus.

He took the blame after that game, but that is what leaders do, they often take the blame for teammates mistakes.

So if my gut doesn’t think it was Adams, I’m clearly pointing at finger at one of the inside linebackers.

I told you yesterday that Bowles was in the locker room after the game, and he had a long talk with both of them together, Darron Lee and Avery Williamson.

But in all fairness, he also had a chat with Adams one-on-one.

I think, in general, not necessarily just focusing on that play, the Jets have a coverage issue at ILB.

Yes Darron Lee had two picks in the opener, but he had none his first two years. That Detroit game perhaps was a perfect storm for Lee. First off he claimed he knew the plays before they were coming due to the Jets knowing the Lions offensive signals. Secondly, both passes were kind of thrown right at him.

In this first two years with the Jets, Lee wasn’t a particularly good coverage linebacker, and his new partner in the middle, AWilliamson, was pulled in coverage situations last year by former Titans defensive coordinator, the legendary Dick LeBeau. So if LeBeau didn’t think Williamson was good in coverage, why do Todd Bowles and Kacy Rodgers think differently?

So if I take my question benching or reprimanding players to the ILB position, some people might say, “Ok, who are you going to replace Lee or Williamson with?”

That is easy. The Jets have two good backup ILB’s Kevin Pierre-Louis and Neville Hewitt (who had a terrific summer). They are both good coverage linebackers.

So they have options there.

I think Lee is one of these players where if he wasn’t picked in the first round, and didn’t have a big name, he would be a backup linebacker/special teams player. But the Jets view him as this core player because he was picked so high. If you took the numbers off the players on the practice field, and had no idea who anybody was, and watched them player, you would say, “That guy would make a good backup/ special teams player.” At least that is how I look at it.

Bowles is very loyal to players.

But you know what, the Jets have two signs on the wall in their locker room that read “Discipline” and “Accountability”

And his team needs more of that, especially on defense.

That play was unreal.

Picking up a running back slipping out the backfield on third-and-long, that’s Football 101.

September 17, 2018

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