Jets' Todd Bowles In NFL Coach Of The Year Talks
By Abraham Gutierrez
Off to a 3-1 start, the New York Jets are raising eyebrows and changing people's perception in 2015, especially with Todd Bowles – a head coach with limited NFL experience – at the helm. Gang Green has literally gone from dismissed as the team with the worst odds to win the 2015 AFC East crown, to not only becoming the biggest threat to the mighty Patriots, but their head-coach has also entered the conversation of early 2015 NFL Head Coach of the Year candidates.
According to NFL oddsmakers, the Jets head into their bye week with their first-year leader having the third best odds to win the most prestigious honor in pro football for a head coach. NFL Week 5 betting figures reveal that only two other guys have a higher probability to win this elite title over Bowles (+700) – Dan Quinn (+400) of the Atlanta Falcons and Arizona Cardinals skipper, Bruce Arians (+600).
Nevertheless, one would never know that New York is off to the franchise's best start in five years judging by Bowles' demeanor. In fact, the 51-year-old from Elizabeth, New Jersey, made it clear to reporters this week that he and his players are not about to rest on their laurels this early into the season.
"We understand we've only played one quarter of the season and all we did is get off to a good start," Bowles told media members on Tuesday. "We haven't accomplished anything. We know we have a lot of work to do. Our mindset is such."
The Jets go into the bye week sitting in second place in the division, and thus far, have proven to have the ingredients of an AFC playoff-caliber team. Having found an identity, Bowles hopes to continue developing a team that's sure to rely heavily on its stoic defense and bruising rushing attack.
"I think we're growing together," Bowles added. "I think everybody is starting to realize that we can become a good team, but we've got to cut out a lot of mistakes ahead and we have a long haul to go. It's not going to happen overnight. But the guys are getting a lot more confident."
As far as the skeptics, who aren't buying into the Jets' early success, go, it's worth noting that if the season ended today, Bowles would be more likely to be named the 2015 NFL Coach of the Year than Bill Belichick, the man many consider to be the greatest coach in NFL history. The four-time Super Bowl champion starts Week 5 of the 2015 NFL season tied with the fourth best odds to win the 2015 NFL Coach of the Year Award alongside Marvin Lewis (Cincinnati Bengals) and Mike McCarthy (Green Bay Packers) at +1000.
Following the bye, the Jets will be taking on the Washington Redskins (Week 6), before their biggest test of the season against the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium (Week 7). That gives Bowles and the improbable Jets three weeks to gear up for what should be a playoff atmosphere in Foxboro, Massachusetts.
"We're working on how to become a cohesive unit and how to win ball games," he added. "We've still got to get better from a penalty standpoint. Our guys know that."
Here's a look at how the rest of the league stacks up in the category of betting odds to win the 2015 NFL Head Coach of the Year prior to Week 5:
Dan Quinn +400
Bruce Arians +600
Todd Bowles +700
Bill Belichick +1000
Marvin Lewis +1000
Mike McCarthy +1000
Mike Zimmer +1500
Tom Coughlin +1500
Gary Kubiak +2000
Ron Rivera +2000
Jason Garrett +2500
Rex Ryan +2500
Pete Carroll +3000
Jack Del Rio +4000
Andy Reid +5000
Jay Gruden +5000
Jeff Fisher +5000
Ken Wisenhunt +5000
Mike Tomlin +5000
Sean Payton +5000
Mike McCoy +6000
Chuck Pagano +7500
Chip Kelly +10000
Gus Bradley +10000
John Fox +10000
John Harbaugh +10000
Jim Tomsula +15000
Lovie Smith +15000
Mike Pettine +15000
Jim Caldwell +20000
Bill OBrien +25000
Abe Gutierrez's (Twitter: @GutierrezAbe) passion led him to ditch law school journey in order to launch his own publishing company. His expertise make him a valued addition to Examiner.com, AXS.com and the CBS-Sports family. Some of his work can be found on CBS-Miami (Dolphins), CBS-LosAngeles (Chargers), CBS-BayArea (Raiders), CBS-NewYork (NY Jets), CBS-TampaBay (Buccaneers), AXS.com, Examiner.com and other online publications.