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Bowles Unafraid to Make QB Switch if Smith Struggles


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New Jets Todd Bowles coach unafraid to make quarterback switch if Geno Smith struggles

 

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Tuesday, July 28, 2015, 12:00 PM A A A

 

 

New Jets head coach Todd Bowles will keep a close eye on Geno Smith this season.

Todd Bowles wants to shake some sense into you.

 

 

His voice comes to life when asked whether the playoffs are a legitimate destination this year for a franchise that has spent the past four Januaries at the kids' table, watching the NFL's big boys compete for the ultimate prize.

 

 

Will the rookie head coach tell his players when they report for the start of training camp Wednesday that the Jets, coming off a nightmarish four-win season that prompted a radical front office, coaching and roster reconstruction, have a realistic chance to make the postseason in 2015?

 

 

"Yes!" Bowles told the Daily News, raising his decibel level to a relatively high six on a 10-point scale. "You'd be crazy not to! To go in and say we want to go 8-8, I mean, that coach would be fired on the spot. That's not my job to go 8-8. My job is to go try to win a championship for this team and this city. And that's what I'm going to do."

 

 

With Jake Heaps (3), Ryan Fitzpatrick (14) and Bryce Petty on the roster, Geno Smith could be looking over his shoulder if he struggles in 2015.

 

 

On the surface, doubling the win total from a disastrous 2014 season seems like a fair goal, but look closer. The Jets are a blend of ascending stars (Mo Wilkerson, Sheldon Richardson), established veterans (Brandon Marshall, Nick Mangold, D'Brickashaw Ferguson, Antonio Cromartie) and comic book superheroes (Darrelle Revis).

 

This should not be a pressure-free rebuilding season.

 

"I'm not going in to be 8-8," Bowles said. "Regardless of whether you have pieces or not, my job is to get us to the playoffs and get to the Super Bowl. And 8-8 would not be satisfactory for me."

 

Bowles has already put his imprint on the star-crossed franchise with a matter-of-fact disposition that is seeping into the team's collective psyche. The catchy slogans and mottos that had been plastered on the walls ("Play Like A Jet") are gone, replaced by lots of green and white paint.

 

 

Bowles isn't Broadway. He isn't even off-Broadway.

 

 

"Sometimes," Bowles said with a laugh, "Boring is a good thing."

 

 

New general manager Mike Maccagnan grabbed the headlines like a Kardashian during his free agency shopping spree, supplying his coach with far more fire power than his predecessor in an increasingly difficult AFC East. Bowles' desire to snap the Jets' four-year playoff drought hasn't interfered with his core principles. Players, he insisted, should view everything through a 24-hour lens. Win the day and the big picture will slowly come into focus.

 

 

"To say right now that we're going to be in the Super Bowl in February and not care about all the things that we have to take care of is kind of ludicrous," Bowles said.

 

 

Todd Bowles knows that the Jets’ offseason spending spree has increased the expectations for a team that won just four games last season.

 

There are plenty of variables to success, but it's not an oversimplification to suggest that Geno Smith will be the biggest factor. Bowles' defense is a known commodity. His quarterback is far from it.

 

Smith will be the Week 1 starter barring injury or a catastrophic flop in the preseason, but Bowles made it clear that the third-year quarterback doesn't have a season-long appointment.

 

"If you feel that his position or any other position is hurting the team, as a head coach, it's up to you to do something about it," Bowles said. "It's not a year-long thing for anybody. You earn your keep by the week. You earn your keep by the day. … If somebody is not doing their job, it's up to me to rectify the situation."

 

Bowles admitted that the Jets are looking into joining the league's growing virtual reality movement to aid Smith and others. The Buccaneers adopted the technology to help rookie signal caller Jameis Winston. Bowles & Co. are examining various companies offering the software to decide whether it would be beneficial for their quarterbacks.

 

 

The Jets have a proven defense, but quarterback Geno Smith still needs to show he can play up to that group’s level.

Smith might be learning a new system under offensive coordinator Chan Gailey, but that won't preclude the rookie head coach from pulling the plug early if the signal caller gets off to a rough start.

 

 

"A bad two or three weeks is relative," Bowles said. "Whether it's mental, whether it's confidence or whether it's physical. … All those things have to be (considered) and be determined. If you see progress among the mistakes, that's one thing. If you don't see any progress and you see a spiraling for any position, then it's your job to make a move. ... I'm always fair."

 

 

It's possible that Smith won't make it past September as the starter.

 

 

"It all depends on how he's not performing, whether it's the first game, second game, third game," Bowles said. "Is it consecutive? Is it just a bad game? All those factors play into it. Again, it's not just the quarterback. It's every position on our team. … Everybody has to do their job. The quarterback is an important part of it, but he's part of the team. And he's treated like everybody else is treated."

 

 

Bowles was relatively pleased with Smith during the offseason in the face of what is expected to be one of the league's most formidable defenses, but there's a bottom-line quality to the coach that engenders respect.

 

 

He'll make a change at quarterback — quickly — if it's warranted.

 

 

There's too much at stake not to.

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Change Smith into Kap....makes the Jets exponentially better. A dangerous weapon at QB makes this O even more explosive.

Kaep is marginally better than Geno. Look at the #s. He's middle of the pack, at best.

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Kaep is going to be a disaster this year without harbaugh

That team is going to be a disaster. There is no glue outside of Kap. That is why there are these rumors about his availability. The Jets should go get him and win now.

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I don't hate the idea of starting Geno as long as Bowles will have a quick hook if he hasn't improved.  The "more upside" argument is fair enough if one is being objective, but to say he's better than Fitz if he comes up and completes 55% of his passes with an average or worse TD/INT ratio through the first few games then hopefully Bowles pulls him.

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My job is to go try to win a championship for this team and this city. And that's what I'm going to do

Sounds like Rex

 

Rex is the only HC in the history of the NFL to talk about Super Bowls...how dare you!

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I don't hate the idea of starting Geno as long as Bowles will have a quick hook if he hasn't improved.  The "more upside" argument is fair enough if one is being objective, but to say he's better than Fitz if he comes up and completes 55% of his passes with an average or worse TD/INT ratio through the first few games then hopefully Bowles pulls him.

 

He most certainly needs to display this "upside" we've been hearing about/discussing.  If he's going to turn the ball over at a high rate he needs to be putting points on the board.  He has all the weapons he could possibly need, and a HC/OC combo that he should have no complaints about.  No excuses for Geno.

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My job is to go try to win a championship for this team and this city. And that's what I'm going to do

Sounds like Rex

 

Sorry, I must have missed the part where Bowles guaranteed a title.  All I see is him answering a direct question about our postseason chances next season in the way you would expect every HC in the NFL (outside of Rex) to answer it.

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Sorry, I must have missed the part where Bowles guaranteed a title.  All I see is him answering a direct question about our postseason chances next season in the way you would expect every HC in the NFL (outside of Rex) to answer it.

 

Rex was over-confident..."I'm gonna' win a Super Bowl" vs. "I'm gonna' try to win a Super Bowl".

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"Yes!" Bowles told the Daily News, raising his decibel level to a relatively high six on a 10-point scale. "You'd be crazy not to! To go in and say we want to go 8-8, I mean, that coach would be fired on the spot. That's not my job to go 8-8. My job is to go try to win a championship for this team and this city. And that's what I'm going to do."

 

 

Circus.

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"A bad two or three weeks is relative," Bowles said. "Whether it's mental, whether it's confidence or whether it's physical. … All those things have to be (considered) and be determined. If you see progress among the mistakes, that's one thing. If you don't see any progress and you see a spiraling for any position, then it's your job to make a move. ... I'm always fair."

Nothing new in this article. The conversations, even among those who recognized all along that Geno would almost certainly be the opening day starter, have regularly discussed the week five bye week as the likely time to make a QB switch if it's warranted. Here, Bowles is talking about a two or three week bad stretch with no signs of progress before pulling the plug. His comments are right in line with that long presumed timeline.

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Sorry, I must have missed the part where Bowles guaranteed a title. All I see is him answering a direct question about our postseason chances next season in the way you would expect every HC in the NFL (outside of Rex) to answer it.

Nope. Sounded just like Rex. Can't believe he said he's there to win championships and he's making the playoffs.

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Nope. Sounded just like Rex. Can't believe he said he's there to win championships and he's making the playoffs.

 

Where did he guarantee a playoff appearance.  And why can't you believe a coach would say something as audacious as "My goal isn't 8-8"?

 

If a coach isn't in this game to win titles he needs to find a new profession.  Even Rex's problem wasn't making the goal to win and believing he could do so.  His problem was failing to do so because of numerous personality and coaching flaws, and he piled onto the problem by continuing to talk sh*t even when his teams stopped winning.  Don't act like everyone is like Rex when they say confident things. 

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Where did he guarantee a playoff appearance. And why can't you believe a coach would say something as audacious as "My goal isn't 8-8"?

If a coach isn't in this game to win titles he needs to find a new profession. Even Rex's problem wasn't making the goal to win and believing he could do so. His problem was failing to do so because of numerous personality and coaching flaws, and he piled onto the problem by continuing to talk sh*t even when his teams stopped winning. Don't act like everyone is like Rex when they say confident things.

Nope. The head coach can't say anything positive or he's a loud mouth idiot. And yes I know, I'm an idiot.

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Rex invented spoken language roughly 10,000 years ago. Back then he was called Grok and was rightfully worshipped as a god

 

You're flailing..  everyone knows if Rex said this in Buffalo there would be a 20 page thread on here crucifying him.

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The catchy slogans and mottos that had been plastered on the walls ("Play Like A Jet") are gone, replaced by lots of green and white paint.

Catchy slogans and moral victories were high on Rex Ryan's list of accomplishments. It won't be that way under Bowles. I predict a 10-6 season for the Jets presuming Geno Smith operates at a the level he showed down the stretch last season. With better targets and blocking I can see it happening. 

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Where did he guarantee a playoff appearance.  And why can't you believe a coach would say something as audacious as "My goal isn't 8-8"?

 

If a coach isn't in this game to win titles he needs to find a new profession.  Even Rex's problem wasn't making the goal to win and believing he could do so.  His problem was failing to do so because of numerous personality and coaching flaws, and he piled onto the problem by continuing to talk sh*t even when his teams stopped winning.  Don't act like everyone is like Rex when they say confident things. 

Rex didn't say 'confident things' he merely boasted and put unrealistic expectations on the team. He is doing the same thing in Buffalo.

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My job is to go try to win a championship for this team and this city. And that's what I'm going to do

Sounds like Rex

Bowles sounds nothing like Rex.  Either in content or delivery.

 

EDIT:  Just read where you said you were an idiot.  Sorry.  :)

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