Todd Bowles
On January 14, Todd Bowles was hired to be the 18th head coach of the New York Jets franchise. The last three head coaches of the Jets were able to get Gang Green to the National Football League Playoffs at least once during their respective tenures. But no Jets head coach has been able to hoist the coveted Vince Lombardi Trophy as Super Bowl Champions since Weeb Ewbank did it in 1968. The Jets hiring of Bowles is a homecoming as he was born in Elizabeth, New Jersey and the township could be renamed after him if he were to lead Gang Green to a Super Bowl Title. But Bowles does have his work cut out for him with the Jets.
Bowles is replacing Rex Ryan as Jets head coach and he inherits a defensive unit that was sixth in the NFL in total defense last season. But the Jets biggest problem right now is on the offensive side of the football where they were 22nd in total offense this past season. The Jets inept offense was a big reason why they were 4-12 last season and thus Bowles was hired to replace Ryan. This past season Geno Smith and Michael Vick split the duties as Jets starting quarterback and neither player left you bubbling with optimism about their potential. Vick is now an unrestricted free agent and I don’t see the Jets bringing him back while Smith is still under contract with the Jets for two more seasons. In two seasons with the Jets, Smith has a record of 11-18 to go along with 25 touchdowns, 34 interceptions, a 57.5 completion percentage, and a 71.5 quarterback rating. And now because of this Bowles and the Jets are in a very awkward situation.
Geno Smith
The quarterback class of the 2015 NFL Draft is not expected to be the deepest and with the Jets slotted to pick sixth overall in the first round, they more than likely will not get their hands on Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston or Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota. Winston and Mariota both have question marks surrounding them as they are both set to embark on professional careers, but it will be slim pickings behind them this April for teams that are looking for a new franchise quarterback. Bowles or new Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan have not given their public endorsement for Smith as new general manager/head coach combos tend to want to bring in their type of player at quarterback instead of rolling with a holdover which puts Gang Green back at square one AGAIN!!!!!
Unfortunately for the Jets they are still searching for the next Joe Namath and he doesn’t appear to be arriving at Florham Park anytime soon. If Bowles and Maccagnan decide to stick with Smith then they have to make sure that they put a very strong supporting cast around him as far as a solid running game and wide receivers. Smith has shown a flash here or there, but I am not sure if it will be enough to convince Maccagnan and Bowles to give him a legitimate shot to be the Jets starting quarterback of the future. These next few months will be extremely important for Maccagnan, Bowles, Smith, and the Jets as this organization is in dire need of some answers at the quarterback position.
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