A normally even-keeled, mild-mannered Todd Bowles is finally firing back as the end draws near in New York.
The Jets coach was hot after his team squandered a 16-point lead to lose 26-22 to the Tennessee Titans.
"I'm fuming," he said, via Rich Cimini of ESPN. "I may not show it here, but, yeah, I'm fuming."
The Jets fell to 3-9 on the season.
"I don't know how many [penalties] we had, but it felt like we had one every play," Bowles steamed. "It cost us, and it's disgusting."
Eleven. The Jets committed 11 penalties for 96 yards.
Bowles, who seems destined to join jettisoned head coaches Hue Jackson and Mike McCarthy, was asked his message to a plunging team.
"Pissed off. Frustrated. Look in the mirror, just look in the mirror," he said. "We won't be a good football team until we're a smart football team."
The Jets have now lost 18 of their last 23 games under Bowles. With Sam Darnold sitting out, there is little to be optimistic about in New York. The defense is inconsistent, can't get stops when needed, and struggles to pressure the quarterback. The offense is an unimaginative mishmash that can't coax more out of lesser players. And the mental mistakes come in bunches, which speaks to a poorly coached team.
"We played the same way the whole day, and just dumb mistakes at dumb times cost us ballgames," Bowles said. "That's why we're in the position we're in."
Jamal Adams, the best player on the field Sunday, defended the coaching staff, placing blame for another flop on the players.
"We need discipline in here, period," Adams said. "It's not the coaches, man. That game is on us. We gave it to them. ... No disrespect, but it bothers me that we keep hearing [it's the coaches' fault]. It's not their fault."
By the end of the month it won't likely matter who should shoulder the blame for another lost season, and Gang Green will be looking for its latest new head coach.
