Post by I definitely have a cock~~~ on Oct 14, 2015 9:48:24 GMT -5
-- They were introduced by a third party and wedded in shotgun style, hardly the ideal foundation for a long-lasting relationship, but Todd Bowles and Ryan Fitzpatrick have developed a good thing in a short time. Their thing isn't your typical coach-quarterback bond, but it works for the New York Jets.
They don't have brainstorming sessions during the week, a la Bill Belidick and Tom Brady. Truth be told, Bowles and Fitzpatrick don't share much one-on-one time, except for an occasional conversation in the hallway. Bowles is busy with the defense and Fitzpatrick is immersed in the offense -- separate universes in an NFL facility -- but the new coach and the well-traveled quarterback have found a connection.
Maybe it's because their personalities are so much alike. They're even-tempered and unflappable. With apologies to Kenny Chesney, just call them the Poise of Fall.
"It's important for the team," Bowles said of the coach-quarterback dynamic. "You have to have the same chemistry because it steers where you want the team to go. (Quarterbacks) get the command post while you sit back and make sure your attitude is getting expressed through certain guys, the quarterback being one of the main guys."The relationship is vital to the success of the franchise. If there's tension, it can impact the entire organization. Just look at the Jets' upcoming opponent, the Washington Redskins, who were torn apart by the Mike Shanahan-Robert Griffin III strife in 2013. In Fitzpatrick, Bowles has an extension of himself, which is how it should be.Bowles and Fitzpatrick are at different places in their careers, yet they found each other at the right time.Fitzpatrick, starting for his sixth team and playing for his fourth team in four years, is looking for stability, a place to call home. Bowles, in his first head-coaching gig, was seeking to stabilize the quarterback position when he traded for Fitzpatrick last March. Bowles always admired him from afar and got a strong recommendation on Fitzpatrick from one of the quarterback's former coaches, offensive coordinator Chan Gailey -- a.k.a. the matchmaker.
The Bowles-Fitzpatrick relationship turned serious faster than anybody could've imagined because of the events of Aug. 11, when Geno Smith was punched out by IK Enemkpali. Suddenly, Fitzpatrick was the starter.Todd Bowles is usually the picture of calm, but the first-year coach can get animated from time to time."When I was in Miami (as an assistant), I knew this guy could play quarterback and if something ever happened to Geno -- unfortunately, it did -- I knew this guy could play and we wouldn't fall off very much," Bowles said.Fitzpatrick, 32, has been a calming influence for the offense, making good decisions and behaving like a leader during the Jets' 3-1 start. This has been an adjustment because he's not accustomed to playing for a defensive-minded head coach. In fact, five of his seven head coaches were offensive specialists, which "means they're in the room with you all day," he said. "With Todd, there isn't a ton of interaction like there would be with an offensive head coach."
The conduit is Gailey. He and Bowles meet every week to discuss the game plan, with Bowles sharing his thoughts.
"They get relayed to Ryan," Bowles said.
It may seem like an odd arrangement, but it happens more than you think in the NFL. Bowles said Fitzpatrick knows what he wants at the quarterback position. The coach wants a game manager, not a celebrity fixated on passing stats. Fitzpatrick is cool with that. After years of being tossed around the league like a sock in a dryer, he understands what it takes to win: Don't panic and lead the offense."That probably comes with experience, being around and seeing a lot of different things," he said. "As a football team, you do tend to take on the persona of your head coach and his personality. His personality is (low-key), but he's also ultra-aggressive and supremely confident. Those are traits he's trying to instill, not just in me, but the entire team."
Fitzpatrick said the most animated he has seen Bowles was last month, when Temple -- the coach's alma mater -- upset Penn State. Bowles, who did some woofing behind the scenes, acknowledged it was his most impassioned moment ... as the Jets' coach."Talk to the guys in Arizona," said Bowles, the Cardinals' defensive coordinator in 2013 and '14, "and they will tell you a whole different story."Bowles was so angry with his players during halftime of a Cardinals-Redskins game last season that he punched a movie screen and projector in a meeting room, stunning those in attendance. That, he said, was an all-timer. He doesn't do angry, and there's a method to his ... uh, lack of madness."For me to be animated, it means I lose some of my edge, coaching-wise, on the field," he said. "I can't do that bluster, yelling and screaming. You can say one or two things, but you have to get back to the game. You correct it and move on. That helps keep me calm. I try to stay two or three plays ahead in every situation, so that's the reason I have to keep myself calm."
Bowles said he most fired up he has seen Fitzpatrick was in the last game on a long scrambles outside the pocket."When he was running for his life in London and he turned the corner and I didn't see him slide, I thought, 'Oh, God, he's going to get killed,'" Bowles said, laughing. "But he made a heck of a play. That's the most animated I've seen him. He was fired up when he got to the sideline."Fitz is a dog now, he goes for the throat. He doesn't look like it, structurally, but he sees everything and he'll try to take advantage of every situation possible. I guess I'm a lot like that."
Both men have their moments, but they're not the excitable types. Bowles is the calmest guy in the room, and Fitzpatrick is his alter ego. Maybe, just maybe, they can curb their enthusiasm all the way to a special season.
> espn.go.com/blog/newyork-jets/post/_/id/54948/todd-bowles-and-ryan-fitzpatrick-cool-calm-and-connected
They don't have brainstorming sessions during the week, a la Bill Belidick and Tom Brady. Truth be told, Bowles and Fitzpatrick don't share much one-on-one time, except for an occasional conversation in the hallway. Bowles is busy with the defense and Fitzpatrick is immersed in the offense -- separate universes in an NFL facility -- but the new coach and the well-traveled quarterback have found a connection.
Maybe it's because their personalities are so much alike. They're even-tempered and unflappable. With apologies to Kenny Chesney, just call them the Poise of Fall.
"It's important for the team," Bowles said of the coach-quarterback dynamic. "You have to have the same chemistry because it steers where you want the team to go. (Quarterbacks) get the command post while you sit back and make sure your attitude is getting expressed through certain guys, the quarterback being one of the main guys."The relationship is vital to the success of the franchise. If there's tension, it can impact the entire organization. Just look at the Jets' upcoming opponent, the Washington Redskins, who were torn apart by the Mike Shanahan-Robert Griffin III strife in 2013. In Fitzpatrick, Bowles has an extension of himself, which is how it should be.Bowles and Fitzpatrick are at different places in their careers, yet they found each other at the right time.Fitzpatrick, starting for his sixth team and playing for his fourth team in four years, is looking for stability, a place to call home. Bowles, in his first head-coaching gig, was seeking to stabilize the quarterback position when he traded for Fitzpatrick last March. Bowles always admired him from afar and got a strong recommendation on Fitzpatrick from one of the quarterback's former coaches, offensive coordinator Chan Gailey -- a.k.a. the matchmaker.
The Bowles-Fitzpatrick relationship turned serious faster than anybody could've imagined because of the events of Aug. 11, when Geno Smith was punched out by IK Enemkpali. Suddenly, Fitzpatrick was the starter.Todd Bowles is usually the picture of calm, but the first-year coach can get animated from time to time."When I was in Miami (as an assistant), I knew this guy could play quarterback and if something ever happened to Geno -- unfortunately, it did -- I knew this guy could play and we wouldn't fall off very much," Bowles said.Fitzpatrick, 32, has been a calming influence for the offense, making good decisions and behaving like a leader during the Jets' 3-1 start. This has been an adjustment because he's not accustomed to playing for a defensive-minded head coach. In fact, five of his seven head coaches were offensive specialists, which "means they're in the room with you all day," he said. "With Todd, there isn't a ton of interaction like there would be with an offensive head coach."
The conduit is Gailey. He and Bowles meet every week to discuss the game plan, with Bowles sharing his thoughts.
"They get relayed to Ryan," Bowles said.
It may seem like an odd arrangement, but it happens more than you think in the NFL. Bowles said Fitzpatrick knows what he wants at the quarterback position. The coach wants a game manager, not a celebrity fixated on passing stats. Fitzpatrick is cool with that. After years of being tossed around the league like a sock in a dryer, he understands what it takes to win: Don't panic and lead the offense."That probably comes with experience, being around and seeing a lot of different things," he said. "As a football team, you do tend to take on the persona of your head coach and his personality. His personality is (low-key), but he's also ultra-aggressive and supremely confident. Those are traits he's trying to instill, not just in me, but the entire team."
Fitzpatrick said the most animated he has seen Bowles was last month, when Temple -- the coach's alma mater -- upset Penn State. Bowles, who did some woofing behind the scenes, acknowledged it was his most impassioned moment ... as the Jets' coach."Talk to the guys in Arizona," said Bowles, the Cardinals' defensive coordinator in 2013 and '14, "and they will tell you a whole different story."Bowles was so angry with his players during halftime of a Cardinals-Redskins game last season that he punched a movie screen and projector in a meeting room, stunning those in attendance. That, he said, was an all-timer. He doesn't do angry, and there's a method to his ... uh, lack of madness."For me to be animated, it means I lose some of my edge, coaching-wise, on the field," he said. "I can't do that bluster, yelling and screaming. You can say one or two things, but you have to get back to the game. You correct it and move on. That helps keep me calm. I try to stay two or three plays ahead in every situation, so that's the reason I have to keep myself calm."
Bowles said he most fired up he has seen Fitzpatrick was in the last game on a long scrambles outside the pocket."When he was running for his life in London and he turned the corner and I didn't see him slide, I thought, 'Oh, God, he's going to get killed,'" Bowles said, laughing. "But he made a heck of a play. That's the most animated I've seen him. He was fired up when he got to the sideline."Fitz is a dog now, he goes for the throat. He doesn't look like it, structurally, but he sees everything and he'll try to take advantage of every situation possible. I guess I'm a lot like that."
Both men have their moments, but they're not the excitable types. Bowles is the calmest guy in the room, and Fitzpatrick is his alter ego. Maybe, just maybe, they can curb their enthusiasm all the way to a special season.
> espn.go.com/blog/newyork-jets/post/_/id/54948/todd-bowles-and-ryan-fitzpatrick-cool-calm-and-connected
