New York Jets: Todd Bowles speaks to Bill Parcells

Todd Bowles of the New York Jets is ready to make his head coaching debut with all sights set on a season opening victory this coming Sunday against the Cleveland Browns. Training camp and preseason football are over as now every game from here on out counts towards achieving a berth in the NFL Playoffs. The path won’t be easy but Bowles knows what is ahead of him and should be fully prepared for what awaits the Jets throughout the regular season. Especially that he recently had a conversation with Hall of Fame head coach Bill Parcells.

Thanks to the Media Relations Department of the Jets, they sent us a full transcript on what Bowles spoke to Parcells about, injuries and his thoughts on the coaching staff. Enjoy!

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On if anyone is questionable or doubtful for Sunday’s game…

No. Everybody is ready to go, other than Geno (Smith) obviously. We’re ready to go.

On if Devin Smith is officially out…

He had a full practice today and he’s probably probable, but we’ll see. We’ll work him out before the game, but I doubt if he plays.

On if he could step out of the moment, what will his emotions will be like walking on the field on Sunday…

I don’t know if I can step out. It will be exciting. For me, it’s all about the guys preparing and playing well and if you win, you can see the crowd more toward the end of the game. You can get a little excited and a little satisfaction, but if you don’t, you’ll probably never see it. It’s just all about getting ready for the game. I wish I could step out and tell you. I just know it will be an exciting game, we have exciting fans and I’ll be ready to play.

On if he had heard from friends/former co-workers in the NFL about the game…

Coach (Bill) Parcells just said coach the game my way, the way I want it coached. And Coach (Bruce) Arians texted me good luck, all the best and wished me well. You get those kind of texts, Doug Williams, everybody else, you hear from a lot of people.

On if he heard from Parcells this week…

I heard from him the beginning of the week. Yes.

On his emotions…

Same every day pretty much. If you want to get me excited, bring Gladys Knight in here (laughter). Other than, that I’m pretty good.

On what he means exactly…

Singing wise. Nothing else, just for singing purposes (laughter).

On if Knight was at the U.S. Open…

I think she was. I couldn’t make it. I couldn’t make it.

On if Devin Smith will be able to play Week 2…

He’s got a lot of stuff to learn still, we have been doing a lot of installs. We have to make sure he gets used to his pads again and making sure he’s game-ready before I can answer that question.

May 27, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets wide receiver Devin Smith (84) catches a pass during organized team activities at Atlantic Health Jets Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports

On if it is more of a mental hold-up than a physical hold-up…

Well he hasn’t been hit yet, so that could be a problem, but he’s been cleared, full go. We just have to get him up to speed.

On if he has ever had issues with headsets at Gillette Stadium or other visiting stadiums…

I’ve had it at a bunch of other places. There have been times where the headsets have gone out. It wasn’t New England, I can’t remember the places we’ve had it but we’ve had some of those headset problems.

On if it was ever as long as the whole first half…

I can’t tell you how long it was, but we have been without them for about two to three series though.

On if he’s always been on the sideline as a defensive coordinator…

Yes.

On how he would get around a situation like that…

You have to rely on the guys on the sideline. You can’t really talk to the guys upstairs. You have to get the personnel the best you can down there and you have to go.

On if he has ever had a problem in Foxborough…

Not that I recall, no.

On how much prep time the team spent on Johnny Manziel…

You don’t do any, I mean, he’s a quarterback, he can throw the ball. Whether his skill set is different or not, he can still throw the football. You try to prepare for what you see on film, obviously he brings a different element to the game, but if he gets in we’ll deal with that when we cross it.

On if Geno Smith has done any team period activities…

No. He can throw a little bit of seven-on-seven, but he can’t do any of the team stuff.

On if he has a better idea on when he can get into team work…

I guess, maybe a week or two. Maybe.

On how he will look at Leonard Williams in his first game going against an experienced tackle in Joe Thomas…

I just look at Leonard to do his job. We don’t look at who we are playing against, we try to beat whoever we are playing against. We expect Leonard to do his job just like a vet.

Jun 16, 2015; Berea, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns offensive lineman Joe Thomas (73) and Cleveland Browns offensive lineman Mitchell Schwartz (72) during minicamp at the Cleveland Browns practice facility. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

On if he is pleased how the team transitioned from training camp to the regular season…

We’re getting there. We got a lot better. Again, we’re not where we were, but we’re not where we want to be either, but we’ve gotten a lot better since then. And we’re going to keep progressing going forward.

On how he institutes a culture within the locker room…

It takes time. You’re not going to come in say, ‘This is the way I want to do it,’ and then bam, it gets done. It’s going to take some time, it’s going to take some lessons to be learned. Unfortunately, at the expense of other people, but there are lessons to be learned. You try to show them how to win and how to lose, and how to practice and how to be professional on and off the field. It’s not going to happen when you first come in. You have to build that through the course of time, because you have to build trust with the guys. They have to believe in you, and we have to believe in them, and we’re working toward that and we’ve been doing pretty well.

On if he and Defensive Coordinator Kacy Rodgers have decided how the defensive play calling will work…

We will discuss it as soon as we get out of here. I haven’t had a chance to go in there yet.

Next: Cleveland Browns vs New York Jets: Injury Status Report

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