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The Jets on Monday opted against a midseason firing of coach Todd Bowles, whose team was a complete disaster in Sunday’s 41-10 loss to the Bills at MetLife Stadium.
So was this the right move?
It was, at least, an unsurprising move from the brotherly ownership duo of Woody and Christopher Johnson, who is the acting owner with Woody serving as the United States’ ambbadador to the United Kingdom.
Remember, Woody did not fire Rex Ryan midyear in 2014, despite a 1-8 (and 2-11) start. The Jets finished that year 4-12, and Ryan was replaced by Bowles.
Ultimately, firing Bowles now — with the Jets at 3-7 and on a four-game losing streak entering their bye week — would have served as little more than a punitive, public relations-oriented move to appease angry fans, who are thirsty for somebody — anybody — to pay immediately for the Jets’ lack of progress. And that lack of progress this year has been jarring, no doubt.
Odds are, Bowles will eventually pay with his job after this season. It would be stunning if he is able to do enough in the final six games — including two meetings with the Patriots, and one each with the Packers, Titans, and Texans — to save his job.
What practical purpose would firing Bowles now have served? Probably not much of one.
It’s not like the Jets would have immediately solved all their problems, like the talent gaps in their roster and the offensive woes created by rookie quarterback Sam Darnold’s inexperience and coordinator Jeremy Bates’ lack of answers and creativity.
Bates is the Jets’ quarterbacks coach, too, so firing him almost certainly wasn’t going to happen. You don’t yank away a high-valued rookie quarterback’s position coach midway through the season, regardless of how miserable an offense is. And the Jets’ offense is surely miserable right now, in yet another lost season for a fan base growing weary of these failures.
Then there is the matter of a potential Bowles replacement. There is really nobody on the Jets’ staff right now who is fully capable of taking over as head coach. Yes, wide receivers coach Karl Dorrell has head coaching experience — from 2003-07 at UCLA. The Jets’ badistant head coach — inside linebackers coach Mike Caldwell — has never been a head coach.
This is not like the Browns’ situation, in which coach Hue Jackson and offensive coordinator Todd Haley — with whom Jackson has been bickering — were both axed earlier this season, and defensive coordinator Gregg Williams (a former NFL head coach) was promoted.
It would be one thing if the Jets were firing Bowles with two or three games left in the season. But to do it with six games left — and to put Dorrell or Caldwell in charge — could be considered a questionable move, in retrospect, for Darnold’s development … and the development of a young locker room.
Typically, a rookie starting quarterback needs consistency at all levels of his coaching staff. There is a very good chance Darnold will have to deal with a change after the season, when the Jets’ coaching staff almost certainly will be wiped out, and a new offensive approach brought in. But an in-season change could be particularly jarring for a kid in Darnold’s position.
Christoper and Woody Johnson have obviously come to these conclusions, having taken the frustrated emotions out of the decision-making process, as they opted to keep Bowles for now.
There is no clear, perfect answer here. The Jets are coming off their worst loss in recent memory, and it sure looked like Bowles’ players quit on him during Sunday’s loss to the Bills.
But they have many big-picture problems beyond just Bowles being their head coach. He is a flawed coach, no doubt, and certainly part of the problem. But general manager Mike Maccagnan’s roster building has still left far too many question marks and holes.
And while Darnold might wind up being a great quarterback, most rookies at that position struggle, and losses pile up. Darnold has obvious limitations right now that are holding the Jets back — which is perfectly fine for this season, because it is part of his normal growing process.
Jets head coaching candidates
The brothers Johnson need to determine after this season if Maccagnan is indeed the right man to carry this rebuilding process into Year 3, in 2019. Ideally, they want stability within their organization, but also some eventual results. On Monday — at least in the short term, and absent any tangible results from this spiraling season — they opted for stability.
It would be a shocker if Bowles is the coach again trying to deliver those long-awaited results next season. But stranger things have happened, especially to the Jets.
Darryl Slater may be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @DarrylSlater. Find NJ.com Jets on Facebook.
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