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New York Jets head coach Todd Bowles took ill late last season. He ended up in a New Jersey hospital with a gall stones.
The man was under tremendous stress last year, and he aged before our eyes.
The 2016 season took a tremendous toll on Bowles.
Not only did the Jets underachieve, but the area of the team, that is the most in his wheelhouse, was really bad, and a big reason why the Jets were 5-11. I’m talking about the secondary. Bowles was a long-time NFL safety and secondary coach.
To have an NFL head coach, who made his bones as a secondary coach, have his defensive backfield play so poorly, really ate at him.
I’m not going to predict how the Jets are going to fair this season overall, but I can guarantee that their pass coverage will be a lot better.
Getting rid of Darrelle Revis will help a great deal. He was a liability for Bowles and secondary coach Joe Danna, who wasn’t retained.
But they were in a tough spot. How do you bench an iconic player, an all-time great?
It’s not easy to do.
Injured reserve would have been an ideal out.
I don’t know how much liability you want to lay at Bowles doorstep for Revis, but I blame people above him a lot more for this move.
But the bottom line is Revis really hurt Bowles reputation as a coach. Not only did his play hurt the team overall (when you play pass defense like the Jets did the last two years, in a passing league, it’s really hard to be successful), but he also contributed to Bowles wheelhouse aspect of the teams being a flat-out embarrassment last year.
So getting him out of the mix, will be like taking gorilla off Bowles back.
They signed a #1 CB in free agency – Mo Claiborne – who just has to stay healthy. He can play, but health has been an issue. His speed, quickness and loose hips are a big upgrade over Revis in all three areas.
I know Mr. Coffee always claims that the Jets stick to the value board, but when your secondary is awful the season before, and you pick safeties in the first two rounds, there is certainly a connection. Yes, Mike Maccagnan is a value board guy, but when two players are close in value, you go with the need, and that is what the Jets did in the second round. The first round, Adams was clearly the best player available, regardless of position.
But signing Claiborne, along with picking safeties in the first two rounds, and then two cornerbacks later in the draft, is Maccagnan telling Bowles, “I’ve got your back, man.”
Bowles also hired a secondary coach who is going to be a little tougher on his players. Danna is a good coach (he got hired by the Jacksonville Jaguars right after the Jets didn’t renew his contract), but he’s kind of a laid-back coach. The Jets probably need a secondary coach who is a little aggressive with the players right now, especially after last year’s debacle, and Dennard Jackson will provide that.
Another factor in what I see as a much-improved pass defense for Gang Green this year will be Darron Lee. He was thrown into the fire last year at a new position (ILB), in a system he never played in (3-4) and really struggled. I expect him to take a quantum leap in year two as a coverage linebacker.
So once again, I have no idea how the Jets will do overall in 2017, but I will make a Joe Namath guaranteed here – the Jets’ pass defense will be much better.
May 14, 2017
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