KRL Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 http://nypost.com/2015/10/15/todd-bowles-task-avoid-a-trap-rex-ryan-couldnt-escape/ The Jets — 3-1 and feeling good about themselves — are in a precarious position as they return from their bye week of rest and relaxation and attempt to turn the switch back on Sunday at home against the Redskins. Pitfalls sit in their path like potholes on the Cross Bronx Expressway. There are two ways to look at teams coming off a bye week: They will be fresh and rested, had a chance for injured players to heal and are hungry to get after it again. They will be rusty from having been removed from the game for more than a week and will have lost any momentum they had from the previous game. Which Jets team turns up Sunday at MetLife Stadium is anyone’s guess, but recent history — albeit under the leadership of a different head coach — is not on their side. The bye week for previous coach Rex Ryan was like a Rubik’s Cube. He never figured it out, with his teams going 1-5 the week after the bye. There is a belief inside the Jets locker room that new coach Todd Bowles has a better handle on things. “It’s a totally different team, a new regime, a different mindset on how we go about our business, and how we practice is totally different from when Rex was here,’’ guard Willie Colon told The Post on Thursday. Different how? “We’re called out more now,’’ Colon said. “Bowles makes sure that if we come out flat, he lets us know about it. It’s easy to have a veteran team and allow the veteran team to just put in a day’s work. But Bowles doesn’t let that happen. He makes sure we have the right mentality and enthusiasm, that we’re on our Ps and Qs and that we’re playing the right way. “He understands we do have a good team here, that we can do things here and we can be a special team. But it’s not something that’s granted to you. You’ve got to earn it.’’ This is what one of Bowles’ messages to his players has been since they returned to work Monday: We haven’t accomplished anything yet. “It’s only 3-1, a quarter of the season,’’ Bowles said Thursday. “We’ve only played one quarter. It’s like a game. The first quarter doesn’t mean you lost the game. The first quarter of the [season] doesn’t mean we got to the playoffs. We’ve got a long way to go. The season’s young. You can go from the penthouse to the outhouse real quick.’’ Here is another pitfall staring the Jets in the face: next week’s impending AFC East showdown with the Patriots in Foxborough, Mass. Allow your mind to wander beyond Sunday and imagine a Jets win over the Redskins to get them to 4-1 and a New England win over the Colts to get them to 5-0, and think about the overwhelming hype machine that will spin madly. Now, we know the Jets are not good enough to be looking past any team and ahead to another. But do they know? This is where another stern behind-the-scenes Bowles message is ringing in the ears of his players like whatever song is piping through their headphones in pregame warm-ups. “It would be very foolish for us to think anything about New England with the Redskins coming here in two days,’’ Colon said. “When it’s time for New England, we’ll approach that accordingly. If our minds aren’t in it, we will get embarrassed. It could be ugly early if we come in there and our minds aren’t right.’’ Colon said the team “learned’’ its “lesson’’ in its lackluster 24-17 home loss to the Eagles — the only blemish on its record. “If we don’t want a repeat of that we have to start fast and physical and set the tone,’’ Colon said. “We still have a long way to go to get better and do the things we need to do,’’ Bowles said. “So we have no reason to be patting ourselves on the back.’’ The question is: Do his players fully understand that? We’ll know the answer by about 4 p.m. Sunday. If the answer is what the Jets hope it is, then let the Patriots showdown-week hype begin in earnest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jet Nut Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 Someone is going to be pissed when he's asked about these comments. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AFJF Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 Tons of fans trashed Willie all year in '14 and wanted him gone with Rex. I for one, am glad he was brought back in by Mac. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
faba Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 Bowles is saying all the right things so far- gotta love the change from Rex Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JiFtheOracle Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 Bowles is saying all the right things so far- gotta love the change from Rex Seriously. The biggest issue I had with the first 3 games was the way they started. Just no energy, very flat and sloppy. They completely fixed that in London and are still talking about it during the bye. Bowles is the man!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drdetroit Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 Tons of fans trashed Willie all year in '14 and wanted him gone with Rex. I for one, am glad he was brought back in by Mac. Colon played well for us the previous 2 years fans put way too much emphasis on his penalties. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nyjunc Posted October 16, 2015 Share Posted October 16, 2015 did Bowles make sure they didn't come out flat vs. Philly? I hate when players pass the blame. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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