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http://bleacherreport.com/articles/..._medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=new-york-jets
excellent BR article
Rex Ryan's six-year tenure as head coach of the New York Jets has set the table for new head coach Todd Bowles in more ways than one.
The Jets hired Ryan as their head coach back in 2009 on the heels of four straight years ranking in the top 10 in total defense as the Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator. Under his tutelage, the Jets defense lived up to the expectations beset upon it by his previous defenses and ranked in the top 10 in total defense in five of his six seasons in New York.
That was never the problem. Rex's Achilles' heel would eventually be his undoing. The Jets could never pull themselves out of the gutter on offense; they ranked in the bottom half of the league in total offense in five of Ryan's six years at the helm. In each of his last three years, the Jets ranked in the bottom 10 in both points and yards.
Bowles, on the other hand, has ranked in the top 10 in scoring defense in each of the past two years as defensive coordinator with the Arizona Cardinals. His style of defense is a perfect fit for the Jets simply because they've been building in a similar direction under Ryan for the past six years.
But much like Ryan, Bowles comes to New York with absolutely no experience coaching the offensive side of the ball.
The great players, in any sport, are the ones who round out their game when weaknesses become exposed. Coaches should be able to do the same.
Through a revolving door of offensive coordinators, Ryan's lack of knowledge of offensive football became apparent, as he wanted nothing to do with the offense. Who knows if the results in New York would have been different if Ryan had rounded out his game—if he could only have taken his knowledge of defense and apply it to his offense, figuring out ways in which he would attack his own offense if given the chance.
For his part, Bowles said all the right things about his role on both offense and defense when he was introduced as the head coach on January 21.
"Offensively, I’ll have my hand on the print," he said. "I'm the head coach of the football team. We have an offensive coordinator that’s going to call plays and run the show, but we have to do what's best for our team and play complimentary football and it's my job to make sure we do that."
It's important that he leans on the likes of offensive coordinator Chan Gailey, who has 18 years of experience coaching NFL offenses. But that leaning can only last as long as the learning process.
New York Jets offensive coordinators Name Years Tenure
Brian Schottenheimer 6 2006-2011
Tony Sparano 1 2012
Marty Mornhinweg 2 2013-2014
Chan Gailey Current 2015-
Source: Pro-Football-Reference.com
Who knows if Gailey will last long in New York. He has coached an average of three seasons in each of his six locations in the NFL. The Jets have been burning through offensive coordinators in the past few seasons like a train burning through coal, and Gailey will be the team's fourth different coordinator in the past five seasons.
No one is expecting Bowles to eventually assume a role as autonomous play-caller like New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick did back in 2009, but at some point in his career, Bowles is going to have to have a working knowledge of the offensive side of the ball.
If not, the Jets could be headed nowhere fast as they try to leave the Ryan era behind them.
excellent BR article
Rex Ryan's six-year tenure as head coach of the New York Jets has set the table for new head coach Todd Bowles in more ways than one.
The Jets hired Ryan as their head coach back in 2009 on the heels of four straight years ranking in the top 10 in total defense as the Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator. Under his tutelage, the Jets defense lived up to the expectations beset upon it by his previous defenses and ranked in the top 10 in total defense in five of his six seasons in New York.
That was never the problem. Rex's Achilles' heel would eventually be his undoing. The Jets could never pull themselves out of the gutter on offense; they ranked in the bottom half of the league in total offense in five of Ryan's six years at the helm. In each of his last three years, the Jets ranked in the bottom 10 in both points and yards.
Bowles, on the other hand, has ranked in the top 10 in scoring defense in each of the past two years as defensive coordinator with the Arizona Cardinals. His style of defense is a perfect fit for the Jets simply because they've been building in a similar direction under Ryan for the past six years.
But much like Ryan, Bowles comes to New York with absolutely no experience coaching the offensive side of the ball.
The great players, in any sport, are the ones who round out their game when weaknesses become exposed. Coaches should be able to do the same.
Through a revolving door of offensive coordinators, Ryan's lack of knowledge of offensive football became apparent, as he wanted nothing to do with the offense. Who knows if the results in New York would have been different if Ryan had rounded out his game—if he could only have taken his knowledge of defense and apply it to his offense, figuring out ways in which he would attack his own offense if given the chance.
For his part, Bowles said all the right things about his role on both offense and defense when he was introduced as the head coach on January 21.
"Offensively, I’ll have my hand on the print," he said. "I'm the head coach of the football team. We have an offensive coordinator that’s going to call plays and run the show, but we have to do what's best for our team and play complimentary football and it's my job to make sure we do that."
It's important that he leans on the likes of offensive coordinator Chan Gailey, who has 18 years of experience coaching NFL offenses. But that leaning can only last as long as the learning process.
New York Jets offensive coordinators Name Years Tenure
Brian Schottenheimer 6 2006-2011
Tony Sparano 1 2012
Marty Mornhinweg 2 2013-2014
Chan Gailey Current 2015-
Source: Pro-Football-Reference.com
Who knows if Gailey will last long in New York. He has coached an average of three seasons in each of his six locations in the NFL. The Jets have been burning through offensive coordinators in the past few seasons like a train burning through coal, and Gailey will be the team's fourth different coordinator in the past five seasons.
No one is expecting Bowles to eventually assume a role as autonomous play-caller like New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick did back in 2009, but at some point in his career, Bowles is going to have to have a working knowledge of the offensive side of the ball.
If not, the Jets could be headed nowhere fast as they try to leave the Ryan era behind them.
