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Bickley: ex-Cardinals coordinator Todd Bowles trading in Big Red for Gang Green
Dan Bickley, azcentral sports 9:28 p.m. MST July 23, 2015
NFL: New York Jets-OTA
Green is the color of growth, balance and harmony. The latter is difficult to achieve when coaching the New York Jets.
Welcome, Todd Bowles, to the biggest fishbowl on Earth.
“It’s a great opportunity to prove I can do the job,” he said.
The Cardinals’ former defensive coordinator is the new leader of Gang Green, and one of seven new head coaches in the NFL. The 2015 class is a mix of new blood and inspired veteran hires. Bowles is the most intellectually intriguing of the bunch, and many expect to him to make an instant impact.
MORE: NFL offseason grades: Cardinals' moves could pay off
He was a dominant force as a defensive coordinator, concocting blitzes that awed the industry. Phil Simms, former quarterback turned analyst, said Bowles was the only coordinator that consistently surprised him. He richly deserves this opportunity.
He is also the antithesis of former Jets coach Rex Ryan. That means culture change is coming to team headquarters in New Jersey, a place where talk had become very cheap.
“I think anytime anyone gets a new job, the culture is going to change some, whether it was good or bad,” Bowles said. “As for the talking, the whole league talks, player-wise. That’s not anything new. You just don’t like a whole bunch of nonsense.”
Bowles is smart and decent. He’s an excellent teacher who knows how to tell the truth, characteristics that players respect more than anything else. Behind closed doors, he is said to be tough, unwavering and occasionally loud. He has a dynamic personality, and an even better defense waiting to serve him in 2015.
That could make for a very interesting season ahead.
He is also coaching in New York, where bad decisions get the tabloid treatment, where the insults are fierce and the pressure to win immense. Even worse, he doesn’t seem to have much of a quarterback.
“I know some football,” Bowles said. “And to me, it’s all about football. It’s about moving and managing people, and getting guys in the right places. It’s understanding how everybody ticks and getting them to respond as a cohesive unit. It isn’t anything bigger or smaller than that. Whether you’re standing in front of 10 guys or 53, you have to get them to relate to your message.
“So the pressure is no different than playing and walking into a stadium in Philadelphia or Chicago. There’s no more pressure because the football game is the same. You have to focus on what you have, and keep true to who you are.”
Green is also the perfect color for a brand new coaching tree, and ultimately, that’s what is sprouting some 2,382 miles from the desert. Bowles is flying a flag for Bruce Arians, the first Arians assistant turned head coach, spawned from inside a football fairy tale. He takes this job very seriously.
The two men remain very close, with a bond that goes well beyond football. Remember, Arians once balked at coaching the Bears because the franchise wanted him to keep their in-house defensive coordinator, Rod Marinelli. The Cardinals are no longer a football punch line, and had no such restrictions.
Arians dismissed Chicago because of personal preservation, seasoned enough to know that every head coach must hire his own staff. He also did so out of loyalty to Bowles, his handpicked defensive coordinator. And the new head coach of the Jets has never forgotten.
“When Bruce talks, he talks from the heart,” Bowles said. “Bruce is an outstanding person. He wants all his guys to become head coaches. He understands what I am, and what I may downplay, he’ll brag and boast about. He has supreme confidence in me, and I don’t want to let him down.”
RELATED: Arians enjoying football life like no other
Like Arians, Bowles has previous experience as interim head coach, guiding the Dolphins to a 2-1 record in 2011 after they fired Tony Sparano. But that’s where Bowles’ story became a nightmare. The Dolphins passed him over, and Bowles signed up with Andy Reid’s Eagles in 2012, enduring one of the hardest seasons of his career.
But that led him to Arizona, where he blitzed the quarterback with malice, elevating the defense and his own reputation. His absence is one of the few question marks facing the Cardinals in 2015.
Bowles is dealing with many more issues, like conducting his very first training camp. But he sounds confident and calm, ready for the moment. He’s heard the same advice from those he values most, from Arians to Bill Parcells:
There will be five things that surprise a head coach every day on the job. And the biggest failure is to become someone else, to let the job change you.
“I can never be Bruce,” Bowles said. “I can coach a million years and never be Bruce. And I’m not trying to be. You have to have your core beliefs as a coach, and learn the game as it goes. Because it changes every five years. And you go from there.”
All the way from the Big Red to the Big Apple, where trees grow big and strong.
Reach Bickley at dan.bickley@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-8253. Follow him at twitter.com/danbickley. Listen to “Bickley and Marotta,” weekdays from 12-2 p.m. on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM.
Dan Bickley, azcentral sports 9:28 p.m. MST July 23, 2015
NFL: New York Jets-OTA
Green is the color of growth, balance and harmony. The latter is difficult to achieve when coaching the New York Jets.
Welcome, Todd Bowles, to the biggest fishbowl on Earth.
“It’s a great opportunity to prove I can do the job,” he said.
The Cardinals’ former defensive coordinator is the new leader of Gang Green, and one of seven new head coaches in the NFL. The 2015 class is a mix of new blood and inspired veteran hires. Bowles is the most intellectually intriguing of the bunch, and many expect to him to make an instant impact.
MORE: NFL offseason grades: Cardinals' moves could pay off
He was a dominant force as a defensive coordinator, concocting blitzes that awed the industry. Phil Simms, former quarterback turned analyst, said Bowles was the only coordinator that consistently surprised him. He richly deserves this opportunity.
He is also the antithesis of former Jets coach Rex Ryan. That means culture change is coming to team headquarters in New Jersey, a place where talk had become very cheap.
“I think anytime anyone gets a new job, the culture is going to change some, whether it was good or bad,” Bowles said. “As for the talking, the whole league talks, player-wise. That’s not anything new. You just don’t like a whole bunch of nonsense.”
Bowles is smart and decent. He’s an excellent teacher who knows how to tell the truth, characteristics that players respect more than anything else. Behind closed doors, he is said to be tough, unwavering and occasionally loud. He has a dynamic personality, and an even better defense waiting to serve him in 2015.
That could make for a very interesting season ahead.
He is also coaching in New York, where bad decisions get the tabloid treatment, where the insults are fierce and the pressure to win immense. Even worse, he doesn’t seem to have much of a quarterback.
“I know some football,” Bowles said. “And to me, it’s all about football. It’s about moving and managing people, and getting guys in the right places. It’s understanding how everybody ticks and getting them to respond as a cohesive unit. It isn’t anything bigger or smaller than that. Whether you’re standing in front of 10 guys or 53, you have to get them to relate to your message.
“So the pressure is no different than playing and walking into a stadium in Philadelphia or Chicago. There’s no more pressure because the football game is the same. You have to focus on what you have, and keep true to who you are.”
Green is also the perfect color for a brand new coaching tree, and ultimately, that’s what is sprouting some 2,382 miles from the desert. Bowles is flying a flag for Bruce Arians, the first Arians assistant turned head coach, spawned from inside a football fairy tale. He takes this job very seriously.
The two men remain very close, with a bond that goes well beyond football. Remember, Arians once balked at coaching the Bears because the franchise wanted him to keep their in-house defensive coordinator, Rod Marinelli. The Cardinals are no longer a football punch line, and had no such restrictions.
Arians dismissed Chicago because of personal preservation, seasoned enough to know that every head coach must hire his own staff. He also did so out of loyalty to Bowles, his handpicked defensive coordinator. And the new head coach of the Jets has never forgotten.
“When Bruce talks, he talks from the heart,” Bowles said. “Bruce is an outstanding person. He wants all his guys to become head coaches. He understands what I am, and what I may downplay, he’ll brag and boast about. He has supreme confidence in me, and I don’t want to let him down.”
RELATED: Arians enjoying football life like no other
Like Arians, Bowles has previous experience as interim head coach, guiding the Dolphins to a 2-1 record in 2011 after they fired Tony Sparano. But that’s where Bowles’ story became a nightmare. The Dolphins passed him over, and Bowles signed up with Andy Reid’s Eagles in 2012, enduring one of the hardest seasons of his career.
But that led him to Arizona, where he blitzed the quarterback with malice, elevating the defense and his own reputation. His absence is one of the few question marks facing the Cardinals in 2015.
Bowles is dealing with many more issues, like conducting his very first training camp. But he sounds confident and calm, ready for the moment. He’s heard the same advice from those he values most, from Arians to Bill Parcells:
There will be five things that surprise a head coach every day on the job. And the biggest failure is to become someone else, to let the job change you.
“I can never be Bruce,” Bowles said. “I can coach a million years and never be Bruce. And I’m not trying to be. You have to have your core beliefs as a coach, and learn the game as it goes. Because it changes every five years. And you go from there.”
All the way from the Big Red to the Big Apple, where trees grow big and strong.
Reach Bickley at dan.bickley@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-8253. Follow him at twitter.com/danbickley. Listen to “Bickley and Marotta,” weekdays from 12-2 p.m. on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM.
