When a franchise enters a rebuilding period their owner must address each facet of his team. For New York Jets owner Woody Johnson, that includes the head coach. Todd Bowles’ tenure in charge of the ailing Jets has been a tumultuous one and now Johnson has to make a decision on Bowles’ future.
What Should the New York Jets Do With Todd Bowles?
In his first year at the helm Bowles was a coach of the year candidate through the first 15 games. Highlighted by a week 16 overtime victory against the New England Patriots, the Jets entered week 17 needing to beat their division rival the Buffalo Bills. A win would secure New York its first playoff birth under the new regime.
However, the Jets fell flat against Rex Ryan’s Bills and missed the playoffs. That loss started a chain reaction that has led the Jets to today.
In his second year as head coach, Bowles had a lot of problems thrown his way. An off-season surrounded by contract negotiations with Ryan Fitzpatrick, locker room drama, and having to deal with Sheldon Richardson was at the forefront of his problems.
Those distractions didn’t make for a winning culture in the Big Apple and the Jets won a mere five games in 2017.
What Johnson saw in 2017 was that this was not a roster that was ready to win. With no real quarterback behind center and some of their stars climbing up in age, he purged the roster.
Whether not re-signing them or cutting them, Johnson got rid of almost everyone over the age of 30. Former fan favorites like Nick Mangold and Darrelle Revis weren’t re-signed while David Harris and Eric Decker were cut. Cornerstones of the Jets 2016 team are now gone and the team is currently in a full rebuild mode.
Most of the blame for the Jets failures has not been thrown Bowles way and rightfully so. He didn’t build the roster. He can only work with what his general manager gives him. However, that doesn’t help him in the long run.
Decision Time
So where does that leave Bowles?
Whenever the Jets select their franchise quarterback, which will probably be in next year’s draft, Gang Green will want that coach to stick with their young quarterback. Changing systems early in their career could set their development back.
Has Johnson seen enough from Bowles to give him confidence that he is the coach that will not only lead him through this rebuild but will eventually lead this team to a Super Bowl?
Perhaps he is waiting to see how things play out this year. However, if the Jets don’t perform it might be hard to tell how much of the failure is because of the lack of talent on the roster.
These are all questions Johnson will have to answer before the year is over. In the end, the future of Bowles with the New York Jets is at the forefront of those questions.
