Top 12 Todd Bowles quotes during the offseason of Jets

Jan 1, 2017; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets head coach Todd Bowles reacts during the third quarter against the Buffalo Bills at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The offseason so far of the New York Jets hasn’t exactly produced blockbuster news or trades. Head coach Todd Bowles, however, has made some interesting quotes so far as here are his top 12.

This ranking looks at some of head coach Todd Bowles’ best quotes during free agency and leading up to the 2017 NFL Draft that gives New York Jets fans both comfort and agony. Any head coach’s offseason decision during free agency sets the tone of the teams’ culture leading into the new football season.

The Jets haven’t made big moves at all so far this offseason as they’re undoubtedly focusing on addressing most of their needs in this year’s draft. Bowles need a lot of new blood in his defensive secondary, offense, and boy, would it be nice to have a versatile playmaker returning kickoffs and punts.

Bowles, however, believes that 2017 isn’t a rebuilding year. He’s preaching that the Jets will indeed be contenders this upcoming season and will do his part to ensure this team heads in a winning direction again.

Without further, ado, here are the top 12 quotes that Bowles has said so far this offseason.

Next: 12. No rebuilding here

Jan 1, 2017; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets head coach Todd Bowles coaches against the Buffalo Bills during the third quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

"(James Parks/CBS Sports) “As a coach, you don’t rebuild, you just build”"

From the ruins, a rebuild has taken place. Some pieces in the Jets puzzle that were used more than others have removed themselves and others have been removed perhaps unwillingly. All of such is part of a renovation process that is intended to reposition the Jets in an upward direction and away from any notion of tanking.

Bowles knows that the Jets can’t tank this upcoming season so using the word “rebuild” implies that they will be a horrible team before the games have even arrived. Bowles knows that it’s important to stress that the Jets will work hard every single week.

Next: 11. Thoughts on taking another quarterback this offseason

Nov 6, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Josh McCown (13) after the game against the Dallas Cowboys at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Cowboys won 35-10. Mandatory Credit: Scott R. Galvin-USA TODAY Sports

"(Darryl Slater/NJ.com) “We’re looking into it”…”I can’t say we will or we won’t. But we have our eye on a few people.”"

During free agency, teams have a chance to add and subtract from their rosters in hopes of making their future team better and brighter. Some teams are more proficient than others at acquiring quality players. Put differently, some have a natural eye for fashion and always seems to put pieces together beautifully. Others, not as much.

This quote was right before the Jets eventually signed a free-agent quarterback. It’s hard to entice potential free agents to a team that is clearly not going places this upcoming season but to find the right people that are willing to be mentors and leaders behind the scenes.

Next: 10. Finding a franchise quarterback

Dec 17, 2016; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets quarterback Bryce Petty (9) leaves the field after sustaining an injury against the Miami Dolphins during the fourth quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

"(Darryl Slater/NJ.com) “Right now, we’re unproven”"

Referencing the state of the quarterback position but applicable to the Jets team in general. Jets fans dream of having a proven quarterback that leads the team, year after year, to winning seasons. This is not an impossible task. It can be done sooner than later.

The Jets have no idea who their franchise quarterback is. He could be on the team but then again, he might not be. Until then, Bowles is right in that the Jets are unproven until they have an established franchise quarterback ready to push the envelope.

Next: 9. Being more involved on offense

Dec 17, 2016; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets quarterback Bryce Petty (9) leaves the field after sustaining an injury against the Miami Dolphins during the fourth quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

"(Mitch Sanderson/The Score) “I’ll be probably heavily more involved than I’ve been since I’ve been here.”"

Bowles spent eight seasons as a defensive back in the NFL. With coaching and coordinator positions on the defensive side of the football. Fortunately, probably is not a certainty and allowing John Morton to get his rhythm calling offensive plays will create a more harmonious Jets offense.

And by heavily, Bowles probably means a heavy dose of ‘high-fives’ and ‘great jobs’ in between possessions or after the game. It’s good to have an input on offense but also important to let those that have been doing it for a long time and successful at it, do their job.

Next: 8. Could it be Christian Hackenberg in 2017?

Sep 1, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; New York Jets quarterback Christian Hackenberg (5) in the tunnel before game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

"(Rich Cimini/ESPN) “Nobody has been promised the starting quarterback job. They’ll all get a chance to play and we’ll make that decision, going forward, when training camp starts as we see production from certain people.”"

Certainly, having four quarterbacks on the roster will make it much more difficult for the number three and four guys to gets their needed reps. But it is on the practice field where promise takes root.

If how you practice mirrors how you play, then one would expect those at third and fourth on the depth chart to practice longer and harder until their name is called. For someone like Christian Hackenberg, it’s imperative that he continues to work hard and get ready since his number might very well be called upon at some point in 2017. Who knows, when he competes, he could be a pleasant surprise.

Next: 7. Not afraid of the unknown in draft players

Nov 5, 2016; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish quarterback DeShone Kizer (14) runs the ball in the second quarter as Navy Midshipmen defensive end Jarvis Polu (90) defends at Everbank Field. Mandatory Credit: Logan Bowles-USA TODAY Sports

"(Rich Cimini/ESPN) “I’m not afraid of the unknown”"

With uncertainties of newly drafted players and how they will perform at an NFL pace, Bowles reminds us of his fearlessness. And perhaps the intrepid Bowles chooses the right players in the draft that will be the next Jets Pro Bowlers, Pro Football Hall of Famers or a Super Bowl MVP.

Having a successful draft class is crucial to the future of the Jets under this current leadership regime. It’s scary because one never knows if a draft prospect ends up being a bust but in the grand scheme of things, Bowles knows that it’s always good to take that risk if it means bringing in an impact player that will bring success for the next decade or so.

Next: 6. Winning with the pieces we currently have

Dec 5, 2016; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets running back Matt Forte (22) runs with the ball during the first half against the Indianapolis Colts at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports

"(Rich Cimini/ESPN) “We don’t have the names we had in the past, but that doesn’t mean we can’t win with the players that we’re going to get”"

Choosing the right pieces to be a part of the team can never go understated. Ideally, the future is now and with one or two franchise changing choices in the draft, Bowles and the Jets could change their course indefinitely.

The Jets cleared their roster of overpaid players and aging veterans in an effort to get younger all across the team. Considering this, Bowles knows that bringing in young new faces that have talent ready to take it to the next level is always a great thing to have in the current situation of the Jets.

Next: 5. Making the case for Josh McCown

"(Rich Cimini/ESPN) “We just have to make sure we have a guy that doesn’t turn the ball over and we have a guy that can manage the room, and make sure we help that guy and not put it solely on the quarterback”"

Ok, fair enough, but Bowles has chosen a quarterback with a terrifying touchdown to interception ratio. And his propensity to turn the ball over is the exact opposite of what Bowles stated he wanted to make sure didn’t happen.

On the other hand, Bowles is a big proponent of players being able to relate to one another. He mentioned this as a deciding factor in choosing Morton as his offensive coordinator and perhaps what sold him on acquiring the locker-room manager Josh McCown. He is the guy to keep the locker-room concerns and brawls to a minimum.

Next: 4. Explaining tardiness

Oct 23, 2016; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets defensive end Sheldon Richardson (91) on sideline during second half against the Baltimore Ravens at MetLife Stadium. The New York Jets defeated the Baltimore Ravens 24-16.Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports

") “Sometimes you’re late to work. It’s life. It’s not life threatening … Sometimes your alarm clock isn’t going to go off.” (New York Daily News/Nicholas Parco"

Life happens and sometimes that means the battery dies in the alarm clock. Or the power goes out or the cell phone which is the alarm clock gets lost. But who’s making excuses!

At the end of it all, Bowles needs to really drop the hammer and stop his players from running his locker room. If players are late or miss team meetings, they need to be held accountable.

Next: 3. It starts and ends with me

Oct 30, 2016; Cleveland, OH, USA; New York Jets head coach Todd Bowles during the second half against the Cleveland Browns at FirstEnergy Stadium. The Jets won 31-28. Mandatory Credit: Scott R. Galvin-USA TODAY Sports

"“We were 5-11.” “I need to do everything in the world better than I did last year. Again, it starts with me. It ends with me.”"

In a few words, how you practice is how you play. The harder you practice, the better you play. This is where greatness is achieved.

Last offseason, the Jets had too many distractions off the field that led to the focus shifting away on what mattered most. Bowles is in the spotlight to do his best to set the tempo as one that is strict that emphasizes hard work and execution above everything else.

Next: 2. Not worried about the New England Patriots

Feb 5, 2017; Houston, TX, USA; New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick walks the field during warm-ups as quarterback Tom Brady (12) stands in the background before Super Bowl LI against the Atlanta Falcons at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

"(Randy Lange/New York Jets) “I don’t worry about the Patriots in March. That’s not in my lifespan right now”"

Making it out of the AFC East involves getting past the New England Patriots. The wisdom and farsightedness of Bill Belichick are legendary. So, the idea that he may consider the March free agency decisions of those within the division could simply be described as things legends do.

Let’s face it. If you’re in the AFC East, the team to beat has been and probably always will be the Patriots as long as Belichick continues to add to his legendary career. The Jets continue to be on the outside looking in.

Next: 1. Which quarterback to take at No. 6

Feb 7, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Denver Broncos former quarterback John Elway (right) talks with former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Roger Staubach before Super Bowl 50 between the Carolina Panthers and the Denver Broncos at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

"“ (Rich Cimini/ESPN) Roger Staubach”"

They don’t make them like this anymore. Staubach, the quarterback Bowles prefers wore #12 for the Dallas Cowboys [1969-1979]. Other notables that wore #12 are Aaron Rogers, Tom Brady, Joe Namath [both college and NFL], Doug Williams, Bob Griese and Michael Jordan.

It’s doubtful the Jets take a quarterback with the No. 6 overall pick but as always, who really knows what will happen once they’re on the clock. Either way, none of these quarterbacks look like they’re the second coming of Staubach as Bowles is right.