Jets’ Bowles isn’t Trying to Tank, it Just Looks That way

[JetNation]

The Jets’ week one loss to the Buffalo Bills wasn’t a loss that most fans didn’t see coming, but it was the way that they lost that should be the greatest cause for concern.

When a team in the midst of a legitimate tank job, nobody should expect the players or coaches to be complicit in the organization’s efforts to acquire a top pick in the upcoming draft, but yesterday, it sure looked like Todd Bowles had no interest in coming away with a win against the Bills up in Buffalo.

Todd Bowles made a number of questionable decisions before and during the Jets’ 21-12 loss.

For starters, Bowles went to battle with one of the most injury-prone quarterbacks in the NFL in Josh McCown.  With this being the case, Bowles, perhaps more than any other coach in the league, should be placing a great deal of emphasis on having a game-ready back up waiting in the wings.  Instead, he opted to go with Christian Hackenberg as his number two, despite the fact that aside from a few screen passes during week one of the pre-season, Hackenberg couldn’t hit the side of a barn over the past month or so.

Meanwhile, Bryce Petty, who was light years ahead of Hackenberg in terms of on-field results in the pre-season, was put on ice and made inactive.

According to ESPN New York’s Rich Cimini, Petty didn’t seem happy with the decision, but took it in stride saying it was the coach’s decision, and that his knee feels fine.

Todd Bowles' decision on backup quarterback makes no sense https://t.co/jOlEoLqNlt

— Rich Cimini (@RichCimini) September 10, 2017

 

A quick peek at your twitter feed would have revealed a theory from those who still believes Bowles has what it takes to be a great coach, as they claimed it was due to the minor sprain Petty suffered to his knee three weeks ago played a role in the decision.  When questioned about what impact Petty’s injury had on making him inactive, Bowles repeated what he’s been saying all week, saying Petty is as full go.

It appears Christian Hackenberg has been handed the number two QB spot despite his horrific on-field performance.

The decision to go with Hackenberg over Petty is so illogical that one can only wonder if a deal is in the works for the Jets to unload Petty, and they didn’t want to put his health at risk.

According to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, two teams contacted the Jets in an effort to make a deal for the signal caller, but the Jets weren’t willing to make a move.  In a season that has the Jets trying to add draft picks, could the Jets be hoping to see some better offers for Petty during the season?

As #Jets prepare to start Josh McCown today, worth noting: 2 teams inquired about trading for Bryce Petty this summer. NYJ wouldn’t deal him

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 10, 2017

Going with an inferior back up quarterback wasn’t the only odd call Bowles made on Sunday.

He also featured Matt Forte in the first half despite the fact that he is undoubtedly the team’s second best running back behind Bilal Powell, and it’s quite likely that by season’s end, we’ll find he’s actually third behind Powell and rookie Elijah McGuire.

Neither Forte nor Powell were effective as the two combined for just 38 yards on 13 carries, but knowing that Bowles doesn’t recognize how much better Powell is than Forte is alarming at the very least, especially for a head coach who consistently claims to always play the players who give his team the best chance to win.

Bowles’ personnel gaffes were later overshadowed by his in-game decisions.  To start things off, he chose to forego possible points late in the second half when he ate all three of his time outs with :30 seconds left on the clock, rather than give his offense a chance to make a play to get in to field goal range from their own 20 yard line.

Much later in the game, Bowles topped that decision by making a move that puzzled writers, fans and players alike when he had Lac Edwards punt the ball away with 4:00 left in the game while trailing by two scores.

Why not go for it? Two possession game w/ 4 min left

— Damien Woody (@damienwoody) September 10, 2017

Officially, Jets had fourth-and-8 at their own 44-yard line when Todd Bowles opted to punt with about 4:20 left in a 21-12 game.

— Darryl Slater (@DarrylSlater) September 10, 2017

Oh god. He's punting.

— Brian Costello (@BrianCoz) September 10, 2017

The “pro-tank” crowd couldn’t be much happier this morning, because to them, this season isn’t about competing for the playoffs or a Super Bowl.  Their goal is to get the top pick in the 2018 draft, and with Todd Bowles, it appears they have the head coach who gives them “the best chance to win”.

 

 

Click here to read the full story...

[AFJF]

Worst part of Bowles' approach is that the "scared" or "tentative" thing was understandable when he was a rookie HC.  Now with two full seasons under his belt and nothing to lose, he's still going about it the same way.

[Gen X Jet]

It's years like this where we need the Gate D spirals back.

[ScarletKnight89]

I'm not judging Bowles on wins and losses with this roster. But his game management and decision making is still horrendous after week 1.

[southparkcpa]

12 minutes ago, Gen X Jet said:

It's years like this where we need the Gate D spirals back.

Is that the "Show us your tlts" Gate???

[Jetster]

6 minutes ago, ScarletKnight89 said:

I'm not judging Bowles on wins and losses with this roster. But his game management and decision making is still horrendous after week 1.

Has he ever made the RIGHT decision when forced to do so? This should be the discussion on the sideline, Bowles: "let's punt", Morton: "that means we should go for it".

[nycdan]

8 minutes ago, southparkcpa said:

Is that the "Show us your tlts" Gate???

Yep.  Because the boobs we are seeing on the field and sidelines just aren't cutting it.

[JoJoTownsell1]

2 hours ago, JetNation said:

 

The “pro-tank” crowd couldn’t be much happier this morning, because to them, this season isn’t about competing for the playoffs or a Super Bowl.  Their goal is to get the top pick in the 2018 draft, and with Todd Bowles, it appears they have the head coach who gives them “the best chance to win”.

 

I've been saying this all off-season. Bowles proved last year that he gives this team the best chance to lose. He plays scared and doesn't trust kids. On a team of kids, he won't trust anyone outside of hsi defense because, like Rex, that's all he knows. So punting on 4th and 8 didn't surprise me, it was what I was counting on. We are 1 step closer to the golden child. 

[nycdan]

3 minutes ago, JoJoTownsell1 said:

I've been saying this all off-season. Bowles proved last year that he gives this team the best chance to lose. He plays scared and doesn't trust kids. On a team of kids, he won't trust anyone outside of hsi defense because, like Rex, that's all he knows. So punting on 4th and 8 didn't surprise me, it was what I was counting on. We are 1 step closer to the golden child. 

And with the 1st pick of the 2018 NFL Draft, the New York Jets select...

 

Derwin James, Safety, Florida State.

[ASH1962]

Name me one thing this HC does well and I will shut my trap forever; one facet of head coaching that he is proficient at.

That is a simple answer - N O T H I N G

 

[sciond]

20 minutes ago, ASH1962 said:

Name me one thing this HC does well and I will shut my trap forever; one facet of head coaching that he is proficient at.

That is a simple answer - N O T H I N G

 

He is the coach who will finally get the Jets a franchise QB.

So I am all in on Bowles for this season.

T-A-N-K Tank Tank Tank

[prime21]

I can't say he was wrong, I can only disagree with his punting decision.  He's a former player, assistant coach and now head coach while I'm an office manager. I and pretty much most of everyone is not qualified to say he was wrong.  We can only hate the decision.    Fire away.

[BleedinGreenNC]

That punt was Blowes was the strangest decision i have ever seen.

[ScarletKnight89]

1 hour ago, JoJoTownsell1 said:

I've been saying this all off-season. Bowles proved last year that he gives this team the best chance to lose. He plays scared and doesn't trust kids. On a team of kids, he won't trust anyone outside of hsi defense because, like Rex, that's all he knows. So punting on 4th and 8 didn't surprise me, it was what I was counting on. We are 1 step closer to the golden child. 

Totally agree. What's the point of gutting/rebuilding the roster and evaluating young players just to watch Josh McCown throw the ball to Jermaine Kearse and hand it off to Matt Forte? Where's is the future there. I get we dont have a QB. But give Petty/Hack some seasoning at least for a potential backup role going forward, give Stewart and Hansen a chance to go up against established DB's. Give Powell a freakin chance, it's astounding he continues to be forgotten. 

[JohnnyLV]

1 hour ago, prime21 said:

I can't say he was wrong, I can only disagree with his punting decision.  He's a former player, assistant coach and now head coach while I'm an office manager. I and pretty much most of everyone is not qualified to say he was wrong.  We can only hate the decision.    Fire away.

Not true. From every angle the punt was the wrong decision. It is correct if down by 8, but down by 9 (which he caused) going for it even on 4th and 8 is mandatory.  Bowles seemed to fundamentally miss that the Jets had to stop the Bills twice with 3 timeouts.  You use the first 3 on their first possession so even if you score in a mnute, you only have like 2:30 left which means you cant give them the ball ( you'd get it back best case with around 40 seconds) so you HAVE to recover an onsides ick. Plus, going for it at the 44 does not put them in guaranteed FG position so the situation there is really no different than what you would get after the punt, making the 4th down try (in relation to the situation) effectively FREE. I think he should be fired for it. It is like Football for Dummies simple.

[prime21]

6 minutes ago, johnnysd said:

Not true. From every angle the punt was the wrong decision. It is correct if down by 8, but down by 9 (which he caused) going for it even on 4th and 8 is mandatory.  Bowles seemed to fundamentally miss that the Jets had to stop the Bills twice with 3 timeouts.  You use the first 3 on their first possession so even if you score in a mnute, you only have like 2:30 left which means you cant give them the ball ( you'd get it back best case with around 40 seconds) so you HAVE to recover an onsides ick. Plus, going for it at the 44 does not put them in guaranteed FG position so the situation there is really no different than what you would get after the punt, making the 4th down try (in relation to the situation) effectively FREE. I think he should be fired for it. It is like Football for Dummies simple.

He basically said, without saying it, that they probably wouldn't get the 1st down and Buffalo would probably get the fg yardage needed and make it a 3 score game.  More than likely the Jets were going to lose the game either way however e decided trying to keep it at two scores with a miracle needed was better than no chance with a 3 score lead.   It boils down to not having any confidence in his O or his defense in that situation.  

[JetFreak89]

2 minutes ago, prime21 said:

He basically said, without saying it, that they probably wouldn't get the 1st down and Buffalo would probably get the fg yardage needed and make it a 3 score game.  More than likely the Jets were going to lose the game either way however e decided trying to keep it at two scores with a miracle needed was better than no chance with a 3 score lead.   It boils down to not having any confidence in his O or his defense in that situation.  

Difference is, and as of yesterday's press conference he still doesn't understand, is that going for it and missing MIGHT have lost the game. Punting down two scores with the offense we had on the field DEFINITELY lost the game. 

This is going to be a similar situation to last year or the year before when he didn't know that he should have went for 2 instead of kicking the PAT, then defended the decision in his presser and then a couple of days later admitted he made a mistake and didn't know the right score at the time! LOL this guy is a head coach but believe me, it doesn't mean he knows more about game management than fans who have been watching games for 20+ years. 

[jack48]

5 hours ago, JetNation said:

The Jets’ week one loss to the Buffalo Bills wasn’t a loss that most fans didn’t see coming, but it was the way that they lost that should be the greatest cause for concern.

When a team in the midst of a legitimate tank job, nobody should expect the players or coaches to be complicit in the organization’s efforts to acquire a top pick in the upcoming draft, but yesterday, it sure looked like Todd Bowles had no interest in coming away with a win against the Bills up in Buffalo.

Todd Bowles made a number of questionable decisions before and during the Jets’ 21-12 loss.

For starters, Bowles went to battle with one of the most injury-prone quarterbacks in the NFL in Josh McCown.  With this being the case, Bowles, perhaps more than any other coach in the league, should be placing a great deal of emphasis on having a game-ready back up waiting in the wings.  Instead, he opted to go with Christian Hackenberg as his number two, despite the fact that aside from a few screen passes during week one of the pre-season, Hackenberg couldn’t hit the side of a barn over the past month or so.

Meanwhile, Bryce Petty, who was light years ahead of Hackenberg in terms of on-field results in the pre-season, was put on ice and made inactive.

According to ESPN New York’s Rich Cimini, Petty didn’t seem happy with the decision, but took it in stride saying it was the coach’s decision, and that his knee feels fine.

 

A quick peek at your twitter feed would have revealed a theory from those who still believes Bowles has what it takes to be a great coach, as they claimed it was due to the minor sprain Petty suffered to his knee three weeks ago played a role in the decision.  When questioned about what impact Petty’s injury had on making him inactive, Bowles repeated what he’s been saying all week, saying Petty is as full go.

It appears Christian Hackenberg has been handed the number two QB spot despite his horrific on-field performance.

The decision to go with Hackenberg over Petty is so illogical that one can only wonder if a deal is in the works for the Jets to unload Petty, and they didn’t want to put his health at risk.

According to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, two teams contacted the Jets in an effort to make a deal for the signal caller, but the Jets weren’t willing to make a move.  In a season that has the Jets trying to add draft picks, could the Jets be hoping to see some better offers for Petty during the season?

Going with an inferior back up quarterback wasn’t the only odd call Bowles made on Sunday.

He also featured Matt Forte in the first half despite the fact that he is undoubtedly the team’s second best running back behind Bilal Powell, and it’s quite likely that by season’s end, we’ll find he’s actually third behind Powell and rookie Elijah McGuire.

Neither Forte nor Powell were effective as the two combined for just 38 yards on 13 carries, but knowing that Bowles doesn’t recognize how much better Powell is than Forte is alarming at the very least, especially for a head coach who consistently claims to always play the players who give his team the best chance to win.

Bowles’ personnel gaffes were later overshadowed by his in-game decisions.  To start things off, he chose to forego possible points late in the second half when he ate all three of his time outs with :30 seconds left on the clock, rather than give his offense a chance to make a play to get in to field goal range from their own 20 yard line.

Much later in the game, Bowles topped that decision by making a move that puzzled writers, fans and players alike when he had Lac Edwards punt the ball away with 4:00 left in the game while trailing by two scores.

The “pro-tank” crowd couldn’t be much happier this morning, because to them, this season isn’t about competing for the playoffs or a Super Bowl.  Their goal is to get the top pick in the 2018 draft, and with Todd Bowles, it appears they have the head coach who gives them “the best chance to win”.

 

 

Click here to read the full story...

TB doesn't exctly want to win.  He just wants his team to have the best chance to win.  And you can quote him on that.

[jack48]

5 hours ago, JetNation said:

The Jets’ week one loss to the Buffalo Bills wasn’t a loss that most fans didn’t see coming, but it was the way that they lost that should be the greatest cause for concern.

When a team in the midst of a legitimate tank job, nobody should expect the players or coaches to be complicit in the organization’s efforts to acquire a top pick in the upcoming draft, but yesterday, it sure looked like Todd Bowles had no interest in coming away with a win against the Bills up in Buffalo.

Todd Bowles made a number of questionable decisions before and during the Jets’ 21-12 loss.

For starters, Bowles went to battle with one of the most injury-prone quarterbacks in the NFL in Josh McCown.  With this being the case, Bowles, perhaps more than any other coach in the league, should be placing a great deal of emphasis on having a game-ready back up waiting in the wings.  Instead, he opted to go with Christian Hackenberg as his number two, despite the fact that aside from a few screen passes during week one of the pre-season, Hackenberg couldn’t hit the side of a barn over the past month or so.

Meanwhile, Bryce Petty, who was light years ahead of Hackenberg in terms of on-field results in the pre-season, was put on ice and made inactive.

According to ESPN New York’s Rich Cimini, Petty didn’t seem happy with the decision, but took it in stride saying it was the coach’s decision, and that his knee feels fine.

 

A quick peek at your twitter feed would have revealed a theory from those who still believes Bowles has what it takes to be a great coach, as they claimed it was due to the minor sprain Petty suffered to his knee three weeks ago played a role in the decision.  When questioned about what impact Petty’s injury had on making him inactive, Bowles repeated what he’s been saying all week, saying Petty is as full go.

It appears Christian Hackenberg has been handed the number two QB spot despite his horrific on-field performance.

The decision to go with Hackenberg over Petty is so illogical that one can only wonder if a deal is in the works for the Jets to unload Petty, and they didn’t want to put his health at risk.

According to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, two teams contacted the Jets in an effort to make a deal for the signal caller, but the Jets weren’t willing to make a move.  In a season that has the Jets trying to add draft picks, could the Jets be hoping to see some better offers for Petty during the season?

Going with an inferior back up quarterback wasn’t the only odd call Bowles made on Sunday.

He also featured Matt Forte in the first half despite the fact that he is undoubtedly the team’s second best running back behind Bilal Powell, and it’s quite likely that by season’s end, we’ll find he’s actually third behind Powell and rookie Elijah McGuire.

Neither Forte nor Powell were effective as the two combined for just 38 yards on 13 carries, but knowing that Bowles doesn’t recognize how much better Powell is than Forte is alarming at the very least, especially for a head coach who consistently claims to always play the players who give his team the best chance to win.

Bowles’ personnel gaffes were later overshadowed by his in-game decisions.  To start things off, he chose to forego possible points late in the second half when he ate all three of his time outs with :30 seconds left on the clock, rather than give his offense a chance to make a play to get in to field goal range from their own 20 yard line.

Much later in the game, Bowles topped that decision by making a move that puzzled writers, fans and players alike when he had Lac Edwards punt the ball away with 4:00 left in the game while trailing by two scores.

The “pro-tank” crowd couldn’t be much happier this morning, because to them, this season isn’t about competing for the playoffs or a Super Bowl.  Their goal is to get the top pick in the 2018 draft, and with Todd Bowles, it appears they have the head coach who gives them “the best chance to win”.

 

 

Click here to read the full story...

Thing about Petty is he is very "nick-able."  He gets hurt during games a decent amount of the time.  If you are going to a backup, you would like to think he has some durability--if you are dressing 2 QBs.  Actually might make more sense to start him---with a team as bad as the Jets.  

[Sonny Werblin]

38 minutes ago, prime21 said:

He basically said, without saying it, that they probably wouldn't get the 1st down and Buffalo would probably get the fg yardage needed and make it a 3 score game.  More than likely the Jets were going to lose the game either way however e decided trying to keep it at two scores with a miracle needed was better than no chance with a 3 score lead.   It boils down to not having any confidence in his O or his defense in that situation.  

Sometimes the smart play is to take the 9 point loss. It was a good loss for this group. They go for it on 4th down and don't get it (which was the likely result), then the Bills ram it down the Jets throat for 7 more points and suddenly a respectable 21-12 loss turns into a 28-12 beat down.  

[Gen X Jet]

3 hours ago, southparkcpa said:

Is that the "Show us your tlts" Gate???

Yup

[JetsFanatic]

2 hours ago, prime21 said:

I can't say he was wrong, I can only disagree with his punting decision.  He's a former player, assistant coach and now head coach while I'm an office manager. I and pretty much most of everyone is not qualified to say he was wrong.  We can only hate the decision.    Fire away.

I disagreed with the 2 point conversion attempt. It was still the 3rd quarter. Big difference in a 1 possession deficit game instead of 2. I also thought taking a knee at the end of the half with 3 TOs was a mistake. Cantanzaro was booming them yesterday. He should have tried to at least get into range for an attempt.

[nycdan]

48 minutes ago, prime21 said:

He basically said, without saying it, that they probably wouldn't get the 1st down and Buffalo would probably get the fg yardage needed and make it a 3 score game.  More than likely the Jets were going to lose the game either way however e decided trying to keep it at two scores with a miracle needed was better than no chance with a 3 score lead.   It boils down to not having any confidence in his O or his defense in that situation.  

Down by 9, giving up a FG does not make it a 3 score lead.  Unless you are really, really bad at math.

[nycdan]

8 minutes ago, Sonny Werblin said:

Sometimes the smart play is to take the 9 point loss. It was a good loss for this group. They go for it on 4th down and don't get it (which was the likely result), then the Bills ram it down the Jets throat for 7 more points and suddenly a respectable 21-12 loss turns into a 28-12 beat down.  

In a non-tanking situation, taking a 'good loss' should never be preferable to trying to win a game.  Same point can be made about taking a knee at the end of the first half.  30 seconds is plenty of time if you throw the ball downfield more than 8 yards.

[JetFreak89]

1 minute ago, nycdan said:

In a non-tanking situation, taking a 'good loss' should never be preferable to trying to win a game.  Same point can be made about taking a knee at the end of the first half.  30 seconds is plenty of time if you throw the ball downfield more than 8 yards.

Seriously! I really think that these HC's get so caught up in the minutiae of the game that they severely lack big picture thinking. Does Bowles know how easy it is to draw a Pass Interference nowadays? You think he would since he probably drills that point into the DB's heads every practice.

I think our team might be better off with a HC who has never played football but has a PhD in statistics and studied game management and who left the OC and DC to run their respective groups entirely. 

[Sonny Werblin]

6 minutes ago, nycdan said:

In a non-tanking situation, taking a 'good loss' should never be preferable to trying to win a game.  Same point can be made about taking a knee at the end of the first half.  30 seconds is plenty of time if you throw the ball downfield more than 8 yards.

Why do you think Bowles is trying to win games? Unless he spent the summer on Mars, even he knows the Jets NEED to lose this season. In fact, if he went for it on 4th and the Jets pulled out a miracle win, it would be grounds for termination.

[Warfish]

3 hours ago, nycdan said:

And with the 1st pick of the 2018 NFL Draft, the New York Jets select...

 

Derwin James, Safety, Florida State.

You joke, but I wouldn't be surprised at all if we wind up picking say, 5th, and choose a 1st round Cornerback over say, the 3rd rated QB in the Draft.

That would so Jets.

[UnitedWhofans]

I supported him for a while but I'm done now. He's a dimwit. 

[Jetster]

45 minutes ago, JetFreak89 said:

Seriously! I really think that these HC's get so caught up in the minutiae of the game that they severely lack big picture thinking. Does Bowles know how easy it is to draw a Pass Interference nowadays? You think he would since he probably drills that point into the DB's heads every practice.

I think our team might be better off with a HC who has never played football but has a PhD in statistics and studied game management and who left the OC and DC to run their respective groups entirely. 

I was thinking the same thing & I was thinking about what Gannon had said earlier that the Bills had revamped their entire secondary,lol. This wasn't the Seahawks we were trying to move the ball against. But, I'm ok with the loss, just another knife in Bowles back. He's stumbling to the ground & will fall eventually this year.

[joewilly12]

"There were coaching mistakes and there were playing mistakes," coach Todd Bowles said. "We're all involved."

[jpoppy717]

2 hours ago, JetFreak89 said:

Difference is, and as of yesterday's press conference he still doesn't understand, is that going for it and missing MIGHT have lost the game. Punting down two scores with the offense we had on the field DEFINITELY lost the game. 

This is going to be a similar situation to last year or the year before when he didn't know that he should have went for 2 instead of kicking the PAT, then defended the decision in his presser and then a couple of days later admitted he made a mistake and didn't know the right score at the time! LOL this guy is a head coach but believe me, it doesn't mean he knows more about game management than fans who have been watching games for 20+ years. 

I have to think he lost track of the score and/or couldn't do the math to realize Jets were down two scores.  Because there is no way this makes any sense down nine.  Down eight, still the twong move, but I can understand the logic.  

[Spoot-Face]

4 hours ago, ASH1962 said:

Name me one thing this HC does well and I will shut my trap forever; one facet of head coaching that he is proficient at.

That is a simple answer - N O T H I N G

 

He makes a mean shrimp gumbo.

[Sperm Edwards]

Craziest thing about this is his mentor was known for going for it on 4th down whenever and from wherever.

We didn't have enough time left, were at midfield, and were at a manageable (<10 yards) distance to go.

There is no rational basis for punting here, even if he's the most conservative HC in NFL history.

[jackhuntr]

5 hours ago, ASH1962 said:

Name me one thing this HC does well and I will shut my trap forever; one facet of head coaching that he is proficient at.

That is a simple answer - N O T H I N G

 

He does a great cigar store Indian.

[Augustiniak]

23 minutes ago, Sperm Edwards said:

Craziest thing about this is his mentor was known for going for it on 4th down whenever and from wherever.

We didn't have enough time left, were at midfield, and were at a manageable (<10 yards) distance to go.

There is no rational basis for punting here, even if he's the most conservative HC in NFL history.

there is, if you understand his objective.  he knows he has a bad team.  his goal is to keep the score as close as possible, it makes him look better, and (at least in his mind) gives him a better shot of keeping his job.  he would rather lose by 9, and punt, then take a chance, go for it on 4h down and try to score, while simultaneously giving the bills a better chance to score at least a fg if they do not convert the 4th down.  he is conceding defeat in an effort to make his coaching efforts look respectable via the relatively closer final score.

there is no way bowles should be allowed to have any influence on the next jets qb.  we can debate whether there should also be a new gm, that's fair.  but i'd rather have a new hc than gm, and let mccags pick a hc who can groom a qb.