NY Jets: It is about damn time

When Todd Bowles of the NY Jets was asked about how he felt after the game winning touchdown reception by Eric Decker he replied, “It’s about damn time.”

I think head coach Todd Bowles epitomized the thoughts collectively of the Jets fan-base with his quote after the Jets improbable win over the New England Patriots that extended their winning streak to five games. The Jets sit at 10-5 with their playoff destiny in their hands.

Here are the best quotes from Bowles’ post game press conference thanks to the Media Relations Department of the Jets:

On the performance by the Jets today…

It was a good win. Three of the last four weeks, we’ve been fighting and winning these types of games, so it helps out to win one against a quality team at our place.

On how he feels about the Jets chances now that the team controls its own destiny…

That’s all you can ask for. We have to get in and get to work and get ready to go to Buffalo and play a tough game.

On the defining characteristics of his team and if they are what he hoped for…

We’re still growing. We still have a ways to go. I’m not saying we’ve arrived. We won a game. We haven’t arrived yet. We still haven’t gotten into the playoffs yet. There are things we have to do next week. We have things to clean up, but they fight. They’re gritty. They have character and they have learned to play together. That’s the biggest thing we’re doing right now.

On his first thought after Eric Decker caught the game-winning touchdown…

It’s about damn time (laughs). I was happy. I was happy for the guys. They put in a lot of work all week, so to see them fight it out and get a victory this time was good to see.

A week ago, Jets fans were considering the possibility of going 11-5 and missing the playoffs becoming only the third team in NFL history to do so. But Bowles stressed all week that they’re not paying attention to any of that and if the football gods deem the Jets worthy they’ll get in, apparently the gods looked upon the Jets with favor.

The Jets needed one of three teams to lose over the final two weeks to have a shot: Kansas City, Pittsburgh, or Denver. None seemed likely, but again the age-old moniker rang true, “any given Sunday” when the Steelers fell to their arch-rival the Baltimore Ravens.

Now there are no excuses, the Jets are exactly where they wanted to be at the end of the season and up next they have a win and get in scenario against none other then Rex Ryan and his Buffalo Bills. But before we get there we have to commend Bowles and his staff including the Jets new general manager Mike Maccagnan who have completely transformed the environment, the culture and the outlook of Jets football.

Dec 13, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets head coach Todd Bowles reacts against the Tennessee Titans during the second quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Let’s rewind to five plus weeks ago where the Jets had just dropped a game of epic proportions to the lowly Houston Texans. The Jets were 5-5 and searching for answers, Bowles brought his team together after the loss and corralled them and gave them a riveting speech about what did this team want to be remembered for.

Apparently the message rang through and hit home for the Jets as they went on to win five straight contests and put themselves in prime position to return to the postseason for the first time since 2010. Bowles has been a stabilizing force for this starved franchise and he doesn’t make the big proclamations that Rex made, but he gets the job done.

More jets: The other guys continue to make plays for the Jets

The Jets are relevant again in the NFL and appear destined to stay that way for the next several years with the talent that has been accumulating on this roster. While the quarterback questions can be halted for the present time with Ryan Fitzpatrick’s resurgence, Jets fans are happy and it is about damn time.