Todd Bowles’ tenure as Jets head coach got off to such a good start that it was nearly impossible to envision the failure that would transpire shortly thereafter.
New York fell just short of the playoffs in Bowles’ first season as head coach in 2015, but went 10-6 and showed enough to indicate that it would be a contender under the long-time defensive assistant’s watch for years to come. That never came close to becoming a reality, as the Jets went 5-11 in 2016 and 2017 before going 4-12 in 2018.
That proved to be the final straw for Bowles, as he was fired after three seasons of failing to manage personalities in the locker room and falling even shorter in the in-game coaching department. Clock management was a major issue for Bowles, as was being far too passive in situations where the Jets should have been pushing the envelope. His calm demeanor, meanwhile, didn’t always play well in the New York spotlight.
