For so long, he was part of the group. As a free safety for the Washington Redskins in the late 1980s, Todd Bowles was in the back watching bigger names, like Charles Mann, Dexter Manley and Darrell Green, pull headlines. Even when first hired to join a coaching staff, Bowles was a backup voice to a famous former Redskins player. Doug Williams was the coach at Morehouse in 1997, all big shoulders and charisma, with Bowles as the steady defensive coordinator.
After Morehouse, there was Grambling State. Then, the NFL. Bowles was a defensive coach for six teams during 14 years. He was the Miami Dolphins’ interim coach for three games in 2011. He had interviewed for head coaching jobs, but the final yes call eluded him. Finally, on Jan. 14, Bowles was hired by the New York Jets, breaking free from a career as part of the pack.
“When I got the job it [was] surreal,” Bowles said. “I’d been on a couple of interviews before that. You never know until it actually happens, and when I finally got the job and sat down the first thing was like, ’Wow, I got the job.’ Then about a second later, you had to get to work. You had to try to do a lot of things that you’re not used to doing, but it’s been good. The city has been good. The team has been good. The people in this building have been great and nothing but supportive. So, I’m happy.”
The job puts Bowles back in his native New Jersey, where his Jets will host the Redskins on Sunday. It also has presented him the headaches that can come with being the top man.
In August, linebacker IK Enemkpali punched starting quarterback Geno Smith and broke his jaw in a locker room fight. As a young, struggling quarterback, Smith already presented Bowles with a challenge. Then, the fight. Welcome to New York.
“As a head coach, [Bill] Parcells and Doug Williams tell you that there are five things that you have to prepare for every day that you don’t know are going to happen, whether it’s off-the-field issues, which we’ve had our share of, obviously, in the spring and in the summer,” Bowles said. “Those things you don’t prepare for. You just try to deal with them on a case-to-case basis and not get too caught up in them and move forward.”
Williams and Bowles became friends during their time with the Redskins. Bowles was signed as a free agent out of Temple in 1986. He lived near the more famous Williams, who was a first-round pick, and the two would share meals at Williams’ house.
Bowles spent eight seasons in the NFL. Seven were with the Redskins, with whom he started at free safety from 1987 through 1990, winning Super Bowl XXII along the way. He played one season for the San Francisco 49ers in 1991 before returning to Washington and closing his career.
“Any time you mention the Redskins, there’s a soft spot in my heart, because that’s the team that gave me my start,” Bowles said. “A lot of guys are gone from there, but I have a lot of friends down there. So, I’ll always be grateful and thankful for the opportunity coach [Joe] Gibbs and those guys gave me.”
Williams has said what he saw of Bowles in practice, when he was the Redskins’ quarterback and Bowles was aligning the defense, made him think Bowles would be an excellent coach. He had an understanding, a steadiness and an ability to communicate. Gibbs noted Bowles’ calm.
“One thing that really stood out about Todd was that he was always calm despite the situation,” Gibbs said. “I don’t think he ever got too high or too low. Coaching is a tough profession, and I think that is a quality that can really help you, because you never know what situation might come up each week.”
For the same reasons Williams hired him at Morehouse, Bowles ascended in the NFL. His first job was as the Jets’ secondary coach in 2000. By 2014, he was the defensive coordinator of the Arizona Cardinals, working in the league’s most ferocious division under coach Bruce Arians. Bowles was named the assistant coach of the year last season by The Associated Press, the first time the award was presented.
Often, taking over a team after a coach has been fired means a bumpy start because of meager supplies. That has not been true for the Jets (3-1), who are within a game of last season’s win total. They partnered in woefulness with the Redskins at 4-12 in 2014. They are off to their best start in five years.
The anchor, predictably under Bowles, is the Jets’ defense. New York finished sixth in total defense last season, providing Bowles with a clear spot to capitalize. His strength matched the team’s strength. The Jets are No. 1 in total defense this season. The return of cornerback Darrelle Revis has been a significant aid.
The offense was, and is, the issue. Smith was dismal in 2014. He threw 13 touchdown passes and 13 interceptions after a rookie season when he tossed 21 interceptions. The Jets could not pass — they were last in the league in yardage — but could run, finishing third. Their offensive problems remain similar this season. The Jets are 28th in passing, with Ryan Fitzpatrick at quarterback for the injured Smith, and 18th in rushing. Yet, they have found ways to score, entering Sunday’s game 12th in points.
“I don’t really look at statistics, but we’ve been fortunate enough to get turnovers, whether it was by mistake or whether we made some plays,” Bowles said. “Turnovers can limit a lot of things that offenses do.
“We don’t have a secret of how we do it. I’ve been on teams where you practice and you get them and on teams where you don’t practice it and you don’t get them or you get a bunch of them. We just try to get better every week going forward. Being a new staff and a new team, there are some kinks that we’re still trying to work out while becoming a team. The whole thing is to try and win while you do it.”
Replacing Ryan’s bombast with the more measured Bowles has not changed the Jets’ pursuits. Again this season, the New England Patriots are moving forward like a brakeless train. Subsequently, the Jets will likely be after a wild card playoff spot. And, like Bowles did, will be trying to separate themselves from the group after so many years of being part of it. His next step could come against his old team.
• Todd Dybas can be reached at tdybas@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.