After conquering 3,000-mile trail, coach faces new challenge: Jets QBs

[Gas2No99]

After conquering 3,000-mile trail, coach faces new challenge: Jets QBs

"It was the right time for me to step aside, find out some things about myself and have the opportunity to do some things outside football," Jeremy Bates said of his four-year absence from the game. Photo courtesy of Beverly Bates

 

After more than 30 years in the family business, Jeremy Bates needed to get away. Burned out by football, perhaps disillusioned by the cutthroat nature of the NFL, the one-time rising star in the coaching ranks bolted after the 2012 season. Only 36, he disappeared from the football landscape for four years, losing touch with some of his closest friends in the game.

"What the hell is Jeremy up to?" Jon Gruden, his first NFL boss, often asked Jim Bates, Jeremy's father and a retired coach.

Jeremy went from the Chicago Bears to the grizzly bears of Montana. During his sabbatical, he spent five months hiking the 3,000-mile Continental Divide Trail. With a 40-pound backpack, he walked on two surgically repaired knees from New Mexico to Colorado to Wyoming to Idaho to Montana to Canada. He endured blizzards, lightning storms at high elevation and the ever-present danger of rattlesnakes and bears.

Only 200 people a year navigate the CDT, and he did it alone. It was a harrowing time for his family, which heard from him every week or so. He grew a beard and a ponytail -- "his mountain man look," his father said -- straying from the image of the clean-cut football prodigy who impressed coaching heavyweights Gruden and Mike Shanahan with his work ethic and X's and O's acumen. Maybe he had lost his way. A map got him from New Mexico to Canada, but sometimes people need to find themselves even when they're on a marked trail.

"Football is a 24/7 commitment and he just needed some time off," Jim Bates said. "When he first walked away, it was real tough on him, but I think it really helped him. I think he's really matured and he appreciates the game that much more. ... It was a very, very valuable time for Jeremy, and he's real excited to be on the football field again."

Now 40 and clean-shaven, Bates came down from the mountains, so to speak, to coach the New York Jets' quarterbacks for Todd Bowles, who plucked him out of the thin air to preside over the development of Christian Hackenberg and Bryce Petty. If Bates thought 15 to 20 miles a day on the CDT was a challenge ... well, this is the NFL version of Mount Everest.

The polarizing Hackenberg, whom the organization hopes can win the starting job ASAP, has yet to take a regular-season snap. His mechanics were a mess when he came out of Penn State, and he spent his rookie season on the bench, languishing on the scout team. Job No. 1 for Bates is to fix Hackenberg.

"Can this kid throw the ball like he did as a freshman at Penn State? Can he regain his confidence? I don't know, nobody knows," said Gruden, who hired Bates as a quality-control assistant for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2002. "Is there enough talent in New York to find a quarterback right now? I don't know, but if there is, Jeremy will develop it. That's what I do know."

From the fast track to crashing out

Gruden and Shanahan are huge fans of the former wonder boy, who worked three years for each coach. Bates was the Denver Broncos' quarterbacks coach when Jay Cutler made the Pro Bowl in 2008, dazzling Shanahan with his knowledge of defenses and pass-protection schemes. Shanahan was fired after the season, so Bates joined Pete Carroll at USC and followed him a year later to the Seattle Seahawks.

Bates was an offensive coordinator at 34, seemingly on the fast track to becoming a head coach, but he was fired after one season -- a playoff year, no less. There was reported strife between Bates and offensive line coach Alex Gibbs; Carroll, in an out-of-character move, sent Bates packing.

After sitting out a year while getting paid by the Seahawks, Bates reunited with Cutler, this time in Chicago. It was another one-and-done, as the Bears cleaned house despite a 10-6 record. Bates, known for his intensity, chafed some people in the organization, a source said. Former Bucs quarterback Shaun King, recalling their days in Tampa, told the Chicago Tribune that Bates "had that cocky, I-know-more-than-you attitude. We would give him a hard time about that."

With a 40-pound backpack, Jeremy Bates walked on two surgically repaired knees from New Mexico to Colorado to Wyoming to Idaho to Montana to Canada. Photo courtesy of Beverly Bates

Bates headed for the hills, deciding to explore another meaning of the word "hike." In addition to the CDT, he tackled the 2,200-mile Appalachian Trail last year. Why the detachment?

"That's a good question," he said last month. "There were a couple of things going on at the time. I don't think you can mess with your life's journey, if you will. I think at the time it was the right time for me to step aside, find out some things about myself and have the opportunity to do some things outside football."

It was the first time he was away from football. He had played quarterback in high school and went on to Rice University after a one-year stop at Tennessee, where he was Peyton Manning's teammate. Actually, his education began long before college.

Because of his father, who coached at seven colleges and for seven NFL teams, Bates grew up around the game. He was a 3-year-old ball boy at Texas Tech, sleeping in the dorms during summer camp and hanging around at practice. At 17, he was a ball boy for the Cleveland Browns, whose quarterback, Vinny Testaverde, became his pupil when he coached the Jets' quarterbacks in 2005 under Herm Edwards.

In a way, Bates has been victimized by bad timing, as he walked into three one-and-done coaching situations. It's the ugly part of the business, and it took a toll on him. Before hiring him, Bowles wanted to make sure his head was in it. After all, a four-year absence is practically a generation in the NFL.

"You have to see if he has the desire to come back, why he left, why he wants to come back, where he is mentally," Bowles said. "Then you have to make an executive decision. Jeremy was all the things I was looking for."

Always a hunch he would return

Coaches and players describe Bates as bright, meticulous, demanding and direct. He already has a comfort level with new offensive coordinator John Morton, as they worked together on Carroll's staff at USC.

Josh McCown said Bates tweaked his footwork in 2012, when they were together in Chicago. Bates taught him to throw from a shoulder-width base, improving his velocity. That adjustment, McCown said, "helped propel me to play into my late 30s because I felt like I got a little more juice on the ball. I give him a lot of credit."

Hackenberg, who has struggled with accuracy, revamped his footwork and showed signs of improvement in the spring. The Jets hope it's the Bates Effect.

"This guy knows what he’s talking about," Gruden said. "This guy is a hard-ass guy, he’s a tough guy. He’s not going to let you step with your right foot if he wants you to step with your left foot. If he wants a little stagger in your feet, have your feet staggered. If he wants you to read a progression this way, you'd better read it that way or he's going to jump your ass."

While away from the game, Bates lived in Colorado and was into snowboarding. As for football, he didn't go cold turkey. He did his own "projects," according to his father, exercises that involved breaking down game tape. He also attended a couple of camps with Shanahan, who always had a hunch Bates would return to coaching.

"It's not going to take long for Jeremy to get back into the swing of things," Shanahan said. "He was a very bright guy who was always on top of his game. To get a guy like Jeremy, with his background and his mentality of X's and O's, I think they got themselves a pretty special guy. He'll be at the top of the food chain when it's all done."

Bates, in his only media availability since being hired, was reluctant to talk in detail about his four-year hiatus. He wants to focus on now. He's reunited with his first love, hoping he can scale new mountains.

"At the end of the day, I think it made me a better person," he said. "I think it made me a better teacher. I look forward to being a coach."

[Beerfish]

I do have a concern about every coach in the NFL knowing 'the best way to do things'.  You do things exactly as i want them done, then the guy gets fired and the player has a new coach next year who has a different opinion.  This is especially important re QB, no wonder so many promising QBs get ruined.

[BCJet]

Great article and I love the hire even more now.  Having a ton of success at such a young age is rarely a good thing and it make sense that he may have been a bit arrogant - I dont care  how good a coach you are, you should differ to someone like Alex Gibbs if you are 34 years old.  Seems like he used the time off to get some humility which will hopefully help him become a better teacher.

[Joe Jets fan]

Say hello to our next HC. 

[peebag]

6 minutes ago, Joe Jets fan said:

Say hello to our next HC. 

or the next Unibomber.

[Beerfish]

Just now, peebag said:

or the next Unibomber.

[Sarge4Tide]

So much of what Cimini writes is such complete bullsh*t, that it's surprising to see him write something like this.  Cynically, I wonder if it was ghostwritten by some ESPN staffer to go under his byline 

[Pac]

It still is shocking to me that they wasted an entire year with Hack by declaring they'd get to fixing any mechanic issues in the off season.  Who the fukk does that and then openly admits it like it's no big deal.

That alone was grounds to dismiss Bowles.  

[Jet Nut]

32 minutes ago, Pac said:

It still is shocking to me that they wasted an entire year with Hack by declaring they'd get to fixing any mechanic issues in the off season.  Who the fukk does that and then openly admits it like it's no big deal.

That alone was grounds to dismiss Bowles.  

Any and every team with 4 QBs? Especially when the 4th is so young?  And who wasn't going to play?  

[Jet Nut]

1 hour ago, Beerfish said:

I do have a concern about every coach in the NFL knowing 'the best way to do things'.  You do things exactly as i want them done, then the guy gets fired and the player has a new coach next year who has a different opinion.  This is especially important re QB, no wonder so many promising QBs get ruined.

I cant think of a single QB who was coached by someone, had success and then failed because his QB coach moved on.  

The last thing I would be worried about

[Beerfish]

15 minutes ago, Jet Nut said:

I cant think of a single QB who was coached by someone, had success and then failed because his QB coach moved on.  

The last thing I would be worried about

There have been a lot of QB's that looked semipromsing that fell on their asses.  The point is all of these coaches have their absolutes (which the article talks about) our dline coach under rex refused to let his dlineman ever do a spin move. 

[Gas2No99]

25 minutes ago, Jet Nut said:

I cant think of a single QB who was coached by someone, had success and then failed because his QB coach moved on.  

The last thing I would be worried about

Colin Kaepernick - he's was a project when SF selected him in the 2nd round, was developed, preferred, and plugged-in as a starter by Harbaugh, went on a good run to the SB. Harbaugh left and Kaepernick has regressed (or never continued to develop his game) and has been GARBAGE since.

[Jet Nut]

Just now, Gas2No99 said:

Colin Kaepernick - he's was a project when SF selected him in the 2nd round, was developed, preferred, and plugged-in as a starter by Harbaugh, went on a good run, Harbaugh left and Kaepernick has been GARBAGE since.

Colin Kaepernick was coached up to his success and lost it?  He lost plenty of talent around him.  He never had great numbers, he was a physical guy with a gun for an arm.  His numbers were similar after the coaching change and fell off under Kelly who runs an unconventional offense.  Not sure how much of his decline was due to a QB moving on though,  it get your point, didn't think of Kaep

[Gas2No99]

1 minute ago, Jet Nut said:

Colin Kaepernick was coached up to his success and lost it?  He lost plenty of talent around him.  He never had great numbers, he was a physical guy with a gun for an arm.  His numbers were similar after the coaching change and fell off under Kelly who runs an unconventional offense.  Not sure how much of his decline was due to a QB moving on though,  it get your point, didn't think of Kaep

He was a RAW project, was coached up to play at the Pro level and had success in his 2nd year under that staff which catered to him and his skill set. IF Kaep were TRULY a Franchise QB he'd be able to carry the team or continue to progress as a QB in years 3-5, but he didn't. He still can't read defenses and continues to make poor decisions on the field - he's merely a SICK athlete playing the QB position. If that Harbaugh staff had not left, I believe he would have continued to progress and improve as a Pro QB, but he hasn't. Chip Kelly's system, if anything, would have HELPED Kaep as it was an offense suited to his skill set and limited ability to read defenses - QB options and quick outs to the primary WR. 

Not saying I'm right, but that's how I see it and why teams are not willing to meet Kaep's salary demands for the poor performance he's shown since Harbaugh left SF. 

[Jet Nut]

14 minutes ago, Gas2No99 said:

He was a RAW project, was coached up to play at the Pro level and had success in his 2nd year under that staff which catered to him and his skill set. IF Kaep were TRULY a Franchise QB he'd be able to carry the team or continue to progress as a QB in years 3-5, but he didn't. He still can't read defenses and continues to make poor decisions on the field - he's merely a SICK athlete playing the QB position. If that Harbaugh staff had not left, I believe he would have continued to progress and improve as a Pro QB, but he hasn't. Chip Kelly's system, if anything, would have HELPED Kaep as it was an offense suited to his skill set and limited ability to read defenses - QB options and quick outs to the primary WR. 

Not saying I'm right, but that's how I see it and why teams are not willing to meet Kaep's salary demands for the poor performance he's shown since Harbaugh left SF. 

I agree.  Harbaugh, his system and the talent he brought in on both sides of the ball all contributed to Kaeps success.  So on that level yes.

i was thinking more and assistant, like a QB coach leaving costing a QB his career.  

[BCJet]

1 hour ago, Pac said:

It still is shocking to me that they wasted an entire year with Hack by declaring they'd get to fixing any mechanic issues in the off season.  Who the fukk does that and then openly admits it like it's no big deal.

That alone was grounds to dismiss Bowles.  

Couldnt agree more, this is a massive failure by all 3 of Mac, Bowles and chan gailey, not only for not working more with Hack, but for also hiring that useless QB coach we had.

Preparing Hack to play is one thing - no way should he have gotten first or second team practice reps.  But to completely ignore working on his mechanics, and then say so in the press with that golf analogy, is ridiculous.  I firmly believe had we had someone like Bates in place last year, who could have at least worked after practice with Hack on footwork etc, he would have been further along than where he is now.

Plus, it seems like someone like bates would have had an offseason program designed that Hack could have worked on with Palmer, as opposed to having Palmer set the program.

[Joe Jets fan]

1 hour ago, Jet Nut said:

I cant think of a single QB who was coached by someone, had success and then failed because his QB coach moved on.  

The last thing I would be worried about

Colin K says hi

[flgreen]

This guy blows a circuit  because he is involved in 3 one and done situations ,  goes and walks the CDT.  He comes back and gets involved  in what has all the earmarks of a one and done situation.  Whats next, a stroll on Mars?

[Integrity28]

Perfect, he'll be ready to take a hike when he becomes the most recent member of the Jets scapegoat hall of fame.

[Jet Nut]

2 hours ago, Joe Jets fan said:

Colin K says hi

1.  We were talking about QB coach

2.  We had a whole Kaep discussion.  

[Gas2No99]

This guy's pedigree, CV, and "Fuçk Y'all Society!" Spirit Quest story (I did a similar solo trip in 2004 backpacking through Central & South America) is just weird & off-kilter enough that he may be the solution to all the Jets' offensive woes. Perhaps he still has a chip on his shoulder after being burnt out and wants to prove to himself that he can succeed. . . . and as the article stated: The Jets QB position is the Mount Everest of  NFL challenges. 

[Larz]

6 hours ago, Sarge4Tide said:

So much of what Cimini writes is such complete bullsh*t, that it's surprising to see him write something like this.  Cynically, I wonder if it was ghostwritten by some ESPN staffer to go under his byline 

His ESPN stuff is opposite of his tabloid crap

[Joe Jets fan]

2 hours ago, Jet Nut said:

1.  We were talking about QB coach

2.  We had a whole Kaep discussion.  

It was addressed but he is a QB that played well and sucked with a coach change

[Jet Nut]

52 minutes ago, Joe Jets fan said:

It was addressed but he is a QB that played well and sucked with a coach change

HC replaced by a spread offense guru and the entire SB team broken up.  Hard to draw hard conclusions especially because Kaeps success was W&Ls, not stats.  

But I get the reference 

[joewilly12]

He will wish he's back on that 3000 mile trail again if Hackenberg,Petty and McCown stink up the place. 

[rangerous]

23 hours ago, Gas2No99 said:

This guy's pedigree, CV, and "Fuçk Y'all Society!" Spirit Quest story (I did a similar solo trip in 2004 backpacking through Central & South America) is just weird & off-kilter enough that he may be the solution to all the Jets' offensive woes. Perhaps he still has a chip on his shoulder after being burnt out and wants to prove to himself that he can succeed. . . . and as the article stated: The Jets QB position is the Mount Everest of  NFL challenges. 

yep. it has all the makings of a hallmark movie.  maybe nick cage will play him.