Todd Bowles must lay the hammer down with the Jets in 2017

Accountability must be a common theme come next season for head coach Todd Bowles with how he handles players on the New York Jets.

Missed player meetings. Altercations between teammates on the field. Off-the-field distractions dominating headlines instead of accomplishments on the gridiron. These are just some of the issues head coach Todd Bowles had to deal with so far in his tenure with the New York Jets.

Many people, including Bowles himself, weren’t sure if the Jets would bring him back for another year running the ship. Luckily, the decision makers of the Jets made the wise choice of keeping Bowles since he has the ability to get the job done. His 10-6 season more than likely made the decision easier to bring him back in 2017.

Make no mistake about it, Bowles must make the most of his third season with the Jets. He needs to foster an environment that doesn’t allow past distractions to once again be the norm. Players that miss meetings need to be held accountable, regardless what the name on the back of their jersey says.

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If teammates fight against each other to the point of needing to be separated, heavy accountability needs to occur. If players post dumb social media comments or videos that become distractions, they also need to be held accountable. Even Bowles himself knows that hard work, discipline, and results are all that matters this upcoming season.

Bowles needs to lay the hammer down this time around and show that he means business. Looking at last season, Bowles looked like he lost the locker room as everything spiraled out of control. Hopefully, he learned from all that and brings a much stricter mentality to the Jets in 2017.

In an article written by Ethan Greenberg of NewYorkJets.com, here is what Bowles had to say about having the right roster to live up to such expectations:

“We just need to play smarter and more disciplined,” he said. “That’s the biggest thing. It’s not a quality to add. I think we have to add the right people to take over the team and to make this their team and add those qualities themselves. The coaches will try to emulate that and make sure we put that forward.”

Next: Jets need to trade down in first round of 2017 NFL Draft

Since the Jets have been on a roster purge this offseason, expect more big decisions to happen to ensure that Bowles gets rid of all the headaches that took away from the big picture. It’s important to have the right players in the locker room that not only respects him but the organization they play for. Respect is the name of the game and accountability is the easiest way for everyone to not only be on the same page but work towards redemption in 2017.