Todd Bowles doesn’t want to talk about loss to Bengals
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Head coach Todd Bowles of the New York Jets looks on in the second half against the Cincinnati Bengals at MetLife Stadium on Sunday, Sep. 11, 2016 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Credit: Jim McIsaac
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Todd Bowles may have “moved on to Buffalo,” but he already sounds like Patriots coach Bill Bel ichick.
Bowles bristled Monday when asked about his secondary’s subpar performance in the Jets’ 23-22 loss to the Bengals on Sunday, telling reporters that he didn’t “have time to go over” what transpired less than 24 hours earlier.
Rather than shed light on how his defense could surrender 180 receiving yards to A.J. Green or give an assessment of Darrelle Revis’ play, Bowles instead shifted the focus to Thursday night’s AFC East matchup with the Bills. When asked about Revis, who was burned on Green’s 54-yard touchdown, Bowles said sternly: “I think I told you. We’ve moved on to Buffalo . . . We went over it in the coaching staff meeting. We went over every player. I’ve moved on, they’ve moved on.”
When pressed later, he snapped: “I’m not going to talk about it. So unless you got Buffalo questions, I ain’t gonna be here long.”
In prime time, “Revis Island” will have to prove he can contain Bills speedster Sammy Watkins. Although he didn’t practice Monday because of discomfort in his surgically repaired left foot, Watkins told local media he’s “definitely” playing. That could spell trouble for the Jets. They not only lost to the Bills twice last year, but during their Week 17 meltdown in Orchard Park — a 22-17 defeat that knocked them out of playoff contention — Watkins torched them for 136 yards on 11 catches, including a 38-yard completion.
“He’s similar to A.J.,’’ Bowles said. “And we’ve got our work cut out for us.”
Sunday’s loss to Cincinnati was a blueprint for how to begin a season 0-1. A blocked field goal and a missed extra point were compounded by offensive breakdowns in the red zone and below-average pass coverage. Now the Jets are set to face a team they haven’t beaten since Sept. 22, 2013.
Since 1990, only 26 teams have made the playoffs after starting at least 0-2, according to the NFL. But it’s far too early to panic, receiver Brandon Marshall said.
“I don’t know why everyone’s talking about sense of urgency. It’s almost like the talk is our backs are against the wall,” he said. “It’s Week 2, we lost by one point, we didn’t get the job done. We believe in our team, we think we’re a good team. Now we’ve just got to go out there and prove it.”
That’s something they failed to do Sunday. All three phases came up short, but the secondary was one of the biggest offenders. Andy Dalton had a 152.1 passer rating when targeting Revis on Green.
So will the former shutdown cornerback be up to the challenge this week? Don’t bother asking Bowles.
“I’m not trying to hurt nobody’s feelings and I’m not trying to be personal about it,” he said, “but that’s what we and the team talked about and that’s what we’re doing. I’ve got two days of practice before Buffalo and we’ve gotta move.”
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