New York Jets Continue Cycle of Mediocrity With Todd Bowles Extension

After the Jets fell to 1-5 back in mid-October last year, I penned an article saying Todd Bowles days as Jets head coach were numbered. Gang Green went on to finish Bowles second season 5-11, posting their worst point differential since the horrific Rich Kotite coached team back in 1996. It was that ugly in 2016, but I understood that Todd deserved the right to be back this year. With the team breaking down their roster, Bowles was either guaranteed to be back in 2018 or a lame-duck coach waiting to be fired.

Joe Benigno is suicidal over the #Jets giving Todd Bowles a contract extension.

cc: @MMehtaNYDN pic.twitter.com/KaDU3tzZca

— Ƒunhouse (@BackAftaThis) December 29, 2017

Staring down the barrel of another 5-11 campaign, both Todd Bowles and GM Mike Maccagnan were rewarded with two-year extensions through 2020  before flying into the death trap of Foxborough to end the season on a low note Sunday. This will be the first time the Jets have had back-to-back losing seasons since 1994-1996. I really believed this would be a one or two win season and the team would be looking for a new offensive-minded coach to pair with a franchise QB from the 2018 draft. Amazingly, the New York Giants will be the lucky team to do that, who already cleaned house and hired a new GM, who was also introduced today, and with a loss will hold the number two pick in May’s draft. It’s actually quite laughable, a team who had Super Bowl aspirations executed a better tanking campaign than us.

If you think #Jets didn’t make the smart move by giving Mike Maccagnan & Todd Bowles extensions… you are a stone-cold dope: https://t.co/qS2Zglpd8V pic.twitter.com/90MPJbSanF

— Manish Mehta (@MMehtaNYDN) December 29, 2017 

Writers like Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News called the move a no-brainer and others crowned the move as “well deserved.” This is where I have a huge issue, the Jets are too easily satisfied, which keeps us in this cycle of mediocrity. Are these people watching the same games as me? This duo has missed the playoffs in all three of their seasons with the last two being five-win campaigns. How on earth do those stats make this move a no-brainer? What are we striving for here?

It all started for me on that dreary New Year’s Day in Buffalo where Rex Ryan kept the Jets out of the playoffs in a game Todd Bowles looked unprepared for and it’s been all down hill since. I challenge anyone who believes Bowles can lead this team to the promise land one day to come forward and present their case. I continue to fail to find reasons for optimism that Bowles is the man for the job. In my mind, we are delaying his inevitable firing, whether that be in 2018 or 2019. (No involvement in offense, his defense is nothing special, awful special teams, brutal in-game decision maker, non-motivator)

General Manager Mike Maccagnan is not absolved from this cathartic rant either. With Christian Hackenberg looking like a huge miss in the 2nd round, your tenure with the Jets will be defined by the next man you tab as the quarterback of the future, whether it be via free agency by paying a veteran or drafting a kid early next May.

As the 2018 season marks 50 years since the Jets lone Super Bowl win, next off-season is sure to be an interesting one for Maccagnan and Bowles with a plethora of cash to spend and some job security. I’m looking forward to the next corny catch phrase used to trick fans into buying season tickets. Before we cross that bridge, one more beat down from our big brother in New England is in line to rightly crush the spirits of Jets fans one more time to close out another depressing year.

“I believe we are headed in the right direction.” – CEO Christopher Johnson