Todd Bowles’ name has surfaced yet again as a potential head-coaching candidate.
This time around, the Bucs defensive coordinator and former Jets head coach plans on being more selective, and rightfully so. Bowles is going to wait for the right opportunity to present itself.
“I think the situation has to be right and you go from there. If the situation’s not right… if it’s not a match, I won’t take it to take it,” Bowles told CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones. “First time around, probably, because you really want to be a head coach and do good and save the world. But after going through it with experience and you know situations have to be right for you to succeed anywhere, and obviously, you have to bring a lot to the table. But they have to bring something to the table, too. And if it’s not a match then it’s just not a match.”
Working for his mentor, Bruce Arians, in Tampa Bay, Bowles has yet again garnered interest thanks to the job he’s done with the Bucs defense, which is home to the NFL’s best rushing defense.
While Bowles garnered valuable experience as Gang Green’s head honcho, he also dealt with a lot of limitations — his own and the organization’s. The Jets were a mess from a personnel standpoint and Bowles cycled through five different quarterbacks in four years.
After going 10-6 but narrowly missing the playoffs in his first season at the helm, Bowles Jets’ teams never recovered. In his final three seasons, he went just 14-34 before being let go.
“You learn as you go, especially as a first-time head coach, about the structure of how you want to do things and how you want to get things done. And get an opportunity again if everything’s right I know I’ll do some things differently,” Bowles said.
He continued, “There’s so much more to it than running a football team on and off the field. And you have some ideas and some things you would tweak that you probably wouldn’t know otherwise, and you could only get that from experience. I can’t really put a finger on everything. But there are things you learn as a coach that would flow a lot easier going into next time around.”
Bowles wasn’t without his faults as a head coach. He was often criticized for showing little emotion, whether it was on the sideline or during press conferences. Between clock management, lack of in-game adjustments and being overly conservative with his decision-making, there are certain aspects Bowles needs to improve if and when he gets another head coaching gig.
In any event, Bowles can wait until the right job comes along. Whether that’s this offseason or years down the road remains to be seen, but he’s a name worth watching again.