With reports of the Jets’ plans to elevate quarterbacks coach Jeremy Bates to offensive coordinator, one has to wonder if they hired the guy they wanted, or did Todd Bowles get tired of waiting on John DeFilippo?
The Philadelphia Eagles quarterbacks coach has been on Bowles’ radar since last season when the Eagles denied Gang Green the opportunity to interview the highly regarded QB coach. After firing offensive coordinator John Morton, some believed DeFilippo was in Bowles’ crosshairs once again.
Now, after waiting more than a week to name a successor to Morton, it looks like Bates is the guy less than 24 hours after the Eagles advanced to the Super Bowl, meaning another two-week wait for Bowles if he was in fact targeting DeFilippo.
If Bates was the choice all along, then it would come across as a bit odd to wait this long to hand him the promotion, although there were some who thought the Jets would have to find out from Bates if he was going to be “all in” for the promotion.
As I reported last week, #Jets had internal discussions about promoting Jeremy Bates to OC only if he was all-in for the job. NYJ to likely add a run-game coordinator if he's hired. Fair to consider him the favorite at this point: https://t.co/c7OaWOksE0 pic.twitter.com/DY3NruNxE4
— Manish Mehta (@MMehtaSports) January 18, 2018
That in itself being another oddity as you might think that any questions regarding commitment would strike any name off of the list of potential candidates.
As the offensive coordinator for Pete Carroll’s Seahawks back in 2010, Seattle ranked 23rd in scoring offense with Marshawn Lynch averaging 3.5 yards per carry, the lowest total of his 11-year career. Meanwhile, quarterback Matt Hasselbeck tied a career high with 17 interceptions and had a career low of 12 touchdowns (at least 14 starts) so while the numbers may not be pretty, Todd Bowles clearly sees something he likes in Bates.
