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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 of Woody and Christopher Johnson, who is the acting owner with Woody serving as the United States' ambassador to the United Kingdom.
Remember, Woody did not fire Ryan Rex 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 bye week – would have served as a punitive, public relations-oriented move to appease angry fans, who are thirsty for somebody – anybody – to pay for the Jets' lack of progress. Jarring, no doubt.
Odds are, Bowles will eventually pay with his job after this season. It would be great if it was 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 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 was not going to happen. You do not have a high-valued rookie quarterback's position midway through the season, regardless of how miserable an offense is. And the Jets' offense is surely miserable right now, in yet another year for a growing base 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 the coach. Yes, wide receivers coach Karl Dorrell has been coaching experience – from 2003-07 at UCLA. The Jets' assistant head coach – Mike Caldwell coach coaches – has never been a head coach.
This is not the Browns' situation, in which coach Hue Jackson and offensive coordinator Todd Haley – with whom Jackson has been bickering – were both axed and this defensive coordinator Gregg Williams (a 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 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 will certainly be out, and a new offensive approach brought in. Aim 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's being watched 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. General goal manager Mike Maccagnan's roster building.
And while Darnold might be a great quarterback, most rookies at this position struggle and stack 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.
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The brothers Johnson need to determine 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 can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @DarrylSlater. Find NJ.com Jets on Facebook.
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