Todd Bowles rebuilds Jets' staff with emphasis on hiring teachers

[Gas2No99]

Todd Bowles rebuilds Jets' staff with emphasis on hiring teachers

 

Recent hires mark the Jets' first significant staff turnover under Todd Bowles. After a 5-11 season, it was no more Mr. Nice Guy. AP Photo/Seth Wenig

 

• 
  Dick Spit-miniESPN Staff Writer

 

The New York Jets' coaching-staff makeover is almost complete.

Todd Bowles has filled five of the six vacancies, with the quarterbacks position the lone opening. That may take a few more days. It's an important hire because there are two still-developing quarterbacks on the roster, Bryce Petty and Christian Hackenberg.

This represents the first significant staff turnover under Bowles, who made only one change last offseason -- special teams coordinator. After a 5-11 season, it was no more Mr. Nice Guy. He sent a loud message two days after the season, firing five assistants and announcing the retirement of offensive coordinator Chan Gailey.

While looking for replacements, Bowles focused on finding good teachers. It's one of the most underrated aspects of coaching in any sport, and he evidently felt there was a void in that area. He wanted experienced teachers and technicians, and he appears to have accomplished that objective.

Let's review the changes:

Offensive coordinator: John Morton is the most important addition. He's also the wild card. Not only is Morton, 47, a first-time coordinator, he has spent his entire NFL career under offensive-minded head coaches, making it hard to quantify his contributions. A positive: He'll be surrounded by a veteran offensive staff, so he won't have to waste time coaching the coaches.

Running back: Stump Mitchell, 57, was a terrific hire. He played the position and has coached it for 15 years, including the last four with the Cardinals. He and Bowles spent two seasons together in Arizona, so it should be a seamless transition. He replaces Marcel Shipp, who was a first-time coach.

Defensive line: Bowles swapped out a veteran coach (Pepper Johnson) with another vet, Robert Nunn, who inherits the most talented unit on the team. His challenge will be managing the different personalities in the room and getting them to play up to their potential, something Johnson failed to do. Nunn, 51, is accustomed to being around big names, as he coached Giants' defensive line from 2010 to 2015 -- Jason Pierre-Paul, Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora.

Outside linebacker: Hall of Famer Kevin Greene will bring fire and passion to a young group with considerable upside. Every coaching staff needs a spark plug like Greene, who also is known for his ability to teach pass-rushing techniques. He replaces Mark Collins, who had limited experience at the position.

Defensive backs: Dennard Wilson is only 34, making him the young pup on the staff, but he was on Bowles' must-have list. The Jets were thrilled to get him from the Rams. His lack of experience is a concern -- only two seasons as a position coach -- but he's regarded as a bright, young teacher. He replaces Joe Danna, who presided over a secondary that seemed out of sync most of the season.

[Integrity28]

No complaints about the new staff, honestly. I do want to see what we do for QB development, given that there are 2 raw QBs on the roster and nothing else.

 

[CanadienJetsFan]

Maybe Bruce Arians will do his buddy a favour and become the Jet QB coach.

[Beerfish]

I don;t have a big issue with the hires, but his no more mr nice guy has to be vs the players not the coaches.

If Shel Rich is not traded this off season I don;t want to see even one 'he was excused from off season workouts' bullsh*t.

[Lupz27]

Gregg Knapp is the only non no name option besides Bates who has been out of the league since 2012.

[dbatesman]

Dick Spit-mini

[LWC611]

I like what he as done to replace the coaching staff.  The QB coach is going to be the biggest hire given the reported weaknesses of the players at that position.  They really need a good teacher and they need to be in the classroom soon.

[drsamuel84]

Yep considering the circumstances they all seem like solid hires on the surface.  With more attractive openings especially on the offensive side of the ball and a coach who is very much on the hot seat it was going to be a tough sell but with the state of this team let's find the next up and comer in a guy like Morton as opposed to a retread like Nor Turner.  Nothing against Norv but at his age and experience you'd have to think he'd be better suited for a win now team.

[Gas2No99]

35 minutes ago, LWC611 said:

I like what he as done to replace the coaching staff.  The QB coach is going to be the biggest hire given the reported weaknesses of the players at that position.  They really need a good teacher and they need to be in the classroom soon.

STUPID CBA doesn't make it any easier for them to work together off-season even out of their own volition to personally excel. Stupid Union rules. 

[JoJoTownsell1]

I'd love to bash Bowles, but there is nothing to complain about with these hires. Considering our situation, he and Macc did a really good job of assembling a top notch coaching staff.  

[prime21]

Who is out there for QB coaches?

On thing that is a little troublesome as far as the recent coach hirings is that they all seem to be good choices.  But if they are good choices, why were they available and why choose a team with a coach who could be on the hot seat?

[CotcheryifyouCan]

love all the hires. if bowles gets canned during mid season i think  Dennard Wilson  will be the interim head coach

[Bleedin Green]

9 minutes ago, prime21 said:

Who is out there for QB coaches?

On thing that is a little troublesome as far as the recent coach hirings is that they all seem to be good choices.  But if they are good choices, why were they available and why choose a team with a coach who could be on the hot seat?

I don't think the folks of the NFL are nearly as convinced of Bowles pending demise as Jets fans are.  In truth, all it will take is a healthier team with a few upgrades this offseason, and a few more wins pretty much locks Bowles in for at least one more year.  It's not that crazy to think the Jets could make it to 8 wins and, whether we like it or not, that won't get him fired.  I doubt any assistant coaches are using the reactions of a bunch of fans and local beat-writers about one season to influence their career choices.

[Integrity28]

1 hour ago, Beerfish said:

I don;t have a big issue with the hires, but his no more mr nice guy has to be vs the players not the coaches.

If Shel Rich is not traded this off season I don;t want to see even one 'he was excused from off season workouts' bullsh*t.

I think it is. The coaches serve as an extension of Bowles.

[ASH1962]

Hate to be negative, but since I have less than zero faith in Bubba Gump, I want to know who HIS teacher(s) is / are going to be? The man cannot coach to save his life and is totally clueless, now, all of a sudden he is to be lauded for assembling a "top notch coaching staff"? Give me a break.

This whole thing is a charade leading to nowhere fast. The sad thing is we will be back at square one next January (or sooner) and will have wasted yet another year instead of doing what needed to be done this January. The only saving grace (maybe) is next January, better HC candidates may be available than were available this January, but in reality, who knows for sure?

 

 

[shuler82]

2 minutes ago, ASH1962 said:

Hate to be negative, but since I have less than zero faith in Bubba Gump, I want to know who HIS teacher(s) is / are going to be? The man cannot coach to save his life and is totally clueless, now, all of a sudden he is to be lauded for assembling a "top notch coaching staff"? Give me a break.

This whole thing is a charade leading to nowhere fast. The sad thing is we will be back at square one next January (or sooner) and will have wasted yet another year instead of doing what needed to be done this January. The only saving grace (maybe) is next January, better HC candidates may be available than were available this January, but in reality, who knows for sure?

 

 

probably.   but i'll be rooting for Bowles to do a 180 and for one of our QBs to make a step forward. As Jets fans we certainly can laugh at both of those possibilities, but after almost 50 years our luck has to change one of these days.. I think?

[Jetdawgg]

47 minutes ago, CotcheryifyouCan said:

love all the hires. if bowles gets canned during mid season i think  Dennard Wilson  will be the interim head coach

 

[Tinstar]

52 minutes ago, CotcheryifyouCan said:

love all the hires. if bowles gets canned during mid season i think  Dennard Wilson  will be the interim head coach

How about if the jets have a winning record by Mid season, Bowles will get an extension and we can continue to build us a team instead of tearing everything down again and starting over yet again ?

[Scott Dierking]

5 minutes ago, Tinstar said:

How about if the jets have a winning record by Mid season, Bowles will get an extension and we can continue to build us a team instead of tearing everything down again and starting over yet again ?

Not a chance, he is such a hack, even if he had a talented squad, no way he could even win double digits in a season

[Tinstar]

1 minute ago, Scott Dierking said:

Not a chance, he is such a hack, even if he had a talented squad, no way he could even win double digits in a season

How many games did the Jets win in 2015 again ?  What is wrong with you people  The foundation of the world, Faith, Hope and Love and very little of it exist in the world of the Jets .

[Scott Dierking]

Just now, Tinstar said:

How many games did the Jets win in 2015 again ?  What is wrong with you people  The foundation of the world, Faith, Hope and Love and very little of it exist in the world of the Jets .

10 games do not count that year. It was an odd year in terms of the calendar, and Bowles' inability to manage had not caught up with him at that point.

Outlier and anomaly.

[T0mShane]

2 minutes ago, Tinstar said:

How many games did the Jets win in 2015 again ?  What is wrong with you people  The foundation of the world, Faith, Hope and Love and very little of it exist in the world of the Jets .

He won nine games and was handed one because you know why 

[varjet]

19 minutes ago, ASH1962 said:

Hate to be negative, but since I have less than zero faith in Bubba Gump, I want to know who HIS teacher(s) is / are going to be? The man cannot coach to save his life and is totally clueless, now, all of a sudden he is to be lauded for assembling a "top notch coaching staff"? Give me a break.

This whole thing is a charade leading to nowhere fast. The sad thing is we will be back at square one next January (or sooner) and will have wasted yet another year instead of doing what needed to be done this January. The only saving grace (maybe) is next January, better HC candidates may be available than were available this January, but in reality, who knows for sure?

 

 

Although not perfect, in 2015 Bowles resembled a head coach.  He stumbled at times, as would be expected for a first time HC, but we were optimistic.  2016 was a complete mystery, although it does provide some support perhaps to the notion that a coach is as only good as his players.

On offense, I am not smart enough to explain the Fitz/Overall collapse, but I guess it was because of no Ivory, no Decker, worse Marshall, and teams figuring Fitz out.

On defense, it would appear that bad Revis, no Cromartie (no bargain, but better than Skrine), bad scheme (do to compensating for bad Revis) and bad Mo and SR basically doomed them.

But I do believe that IF (that is a big IF) the Jets can get better QB play in 2017 than 2016, they will win more than than 5 games.  8-8 is about right.  I think with Hack and Petty, a Taylor, Glennon or even Hoyer could do that.  

But signing a FA QB is the only way they approach 8 games won.

For the QB coach, there is good news and bad news.  The good news is that obviously they are on top of the coaching needs and hiring decent people.  The bad news is that they have not hired a QB coach yet, although it is possible/likely that they were waiting to hire the OC first.   My prediction is that the come up with someone that seems ok-I don't think we throw up on it.

[#27TheDominator]

Doesn't he get a bonus because Ryan Fitzpatrick was incapable of winning more than 6 games in a season?

[jetspenguin]

18 minutes ago, Tinstar said:

How many games did the Jets win in 2015 again ?  What is wrong with you people  The foundation of the world, Faith, Hope and Love and very little of it exist in the world of the Jets .

lol I say this all the time....one good year, one bad year loaded with injuries and the man is garbage and about to get fired. Sorry but that is NOT happening unless the team does another season of embarrassing, blowouts. Honestly, I cant imagine looking worse than they did last year so it almost HAS TO look better. I think He is safe this year and maybe at least one after....then the record will call it. 

[Tinstar]

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Todd Bowles didn't win any games . He never lined up opposite any player, made a single block, tackle or completed a single Pass >

The NY Jets won 10 games, the team I root for and hope to one day witness win a championship . I will support anyone who is a part of my Jets as long as thery're a part of my team .

[JustInFudge]

[Happy Clouds]

1 hour ago, prime21 said:

Who is out there for QB coaches?

On thing that is a little troublesome as far as the recent coach hirings is that they all seem to be good choices.  But if they are good choices, why were they available and why choose a team with a coach who could be on the hot seat?

I understand what you're saying. And, this is an example of how cynical many Jets fans have become through the years. Even when we seem to make good choices, we become suspicious of our own good choices.

[lambo]

so will the jets hire someone to teach BOWLES # fired by week 8...

[Tinstar]

5 minutes ago, lambo said:

so will the jets hire someone to teach BOWLES # fired by week 8...

yes, Jet fans who have fixed the jets for 40 years .

[UnitedWhofans]

41 minutes ago, T0mShane said:

He won nine games and was handed one because you know why 

Why?

In fact, one can argue that if we were the worst team in the NFL last year, we shouldn't have won 5 games

People compared last year to the Kotite Jets. This team won more games than both of his teams COMBINED

[Skeptable]

They should hire Chad Pennington as the QB coach... Smart analysis guy, that works with QBs in the offseason.

[BigRy56]

Bowles has made some really nice offseason moves thus far. Now it's time to shed the dead, old, overpaid weight and get this ship steered back on track with some young motivated talent. Free agency is only a month away and let's get ready to make some moves.

[BigRy56]

3 minutes ago, Skeptable said:

They should hire Chad Pennington as the QB coach... Smart analysis guy, that works with QBs in the offseason.

I would not be opposed to this hire at all. In fact, I think it'd be a good hire considering how cerebral Pennington was.

[Jetsplayer21]

3 hours ago, Gas2No99 said:

Todd Bowles rebuilds Jets' staff with emphasis on hiring teachers

 

Recent hires mark the Jets' first significant staff turnover under Todd Bowles. After a 5-11 season, it was no more Mr. Nice Guy. AP Photo/Seth Wenig

 

• 
  Dick Spit-miniESPN Staff Writer

 

The New York Jets' coaching-staff makeover is almost complete.

Todd Bowles has filled five of the six vacancies, with the quarterbacks position the lone opening. That may take a few more days. It's an important hire because there are two still-developing quarterbacks on the roster, Bryce Petty and Christian Hackenberg.

This represents the first significant staff turnover under Bowles, who made only one change last offseason -- special teams coordinator. After a 5-11 season, it was no more Mr. Nice Guy. He sent a loud message two days after the season, firing five assistants and announcing the retirement of offensive coordinator Chan Gailey.

While looking for replacements, Bowles focused on finding good teachers. It's one of the most underrated aspects of coaching in any sport, and he evidently felt there was a void in that area. He wanted experienced teachers and technicians, and he appears to have accomplished that objective.

Let's review the changes:

Offensive coordinator: John Morton is the most important addition. He's also the wild card. Not only is Morton, 47, a first-time coordinator, he has spent his entire NFL career under offensive-minded head coaches, making it hard to quantify his contributions. A positive: He'll be surrounded by a veteran offensive staff, so he won't have to waste time coaching the coaches.

Running back: Stump Mitchell, 57, was a terrific hire. He played the position and has coached it for 15 years, including the last four with the Cardinals. He and Bowles spent two seasons together in Arizona, so it should be a seamless transition. He replaces Marcel Shipp, who was a first-time coach.

Defensive line: Bowles swapped out a veteran coach (Pepper Johnson) with another vet, Robert Nunn, who inherits the most talented unit on the team. His challenge will be managing the different personalities in the room and getting them to play up to their potential, something Johnson failed to do. Nunn, 51, is accustomed to being around big names, as he coached Giants' defensive line from 2010 to 2015 -- Jason Pierre-Paul, Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora.

Outside linebacker: Hall of Famer Kevin Greene will bring fire and passion to a young group with considerable upside. Every coaching staff needs a spark plug like Greene, who also is known for his ability to teach pass-rushing techniques. He replaces Mark Collins, who had limited experience at the position.

Defensive backs: Dennard Wilson is only 34, making him the young pup on the staff, but he was on Bowles' must-have list. The Jets were thrilled to get him from the Rams. His lack of experience is a concern -- only two seasons as a position coach -- but he's regarded as a bright, young teacher. He replaces Joe Danna, who presided over a secondary that seemed out of sync most of the season.

I like this philosophy.. question is will someone teach him how to coach and grow balls ?