Todd Bowles wisely keeps Robby Anderson in check

Wide receiver Robby Anderson drew a lot of criticism for scoring a touchdown and asking for Pro Bowl votes right after. Head coach Todd Bowles was right to keep him in check to continue the overall culture of the New York Jets.

We live and we learn, eh? Wide receiver Robby Anderson is just 24-years-old but at the end of the day, learned a valuable lesson this past Sunday. We all get it and understand why he did what he did in Sunday’s loss to the Carolina Panthers. The emerging wide receiver of the New York Jets simply got caught up in the moment and made a foolish mistake.

It’s one thing to score a touchdown and celebrate with your teammates. It’s a whole other story when you get a few seconds of television time to millions watching across the globe and pretty much beg for Pro Bowl votes which many considered to be a selfish act. The entire offseason, the Jets have made sure to emphasize working hard, teamwork, and playing for each other to be the cornerstones of rebuilding the right way.

At the end of the day, this will get chalked up to a young player on the rise letting the moment get the best of him instead of using better judgment. The Jets have lost their last two games and continue having their usual fourth-quarter meltdowns in games they could have easily won.

More from Jets News

• NY Jets: Why the team should target cornerback Shaquill Griffin
• NY Jets reportedly non-tendering linebacker Harvey Langi
• NY Jets: Why the team should not cut Jamison Crowder
• NY Jets should try to sign Kenny Golladay in free agency
• NY Jets: Jonnu Smith would be a smart free-agent target

This isn’t a time to beg for votes to earn a trip to the Pro Bowl but rather, continue working hard on the task at hand. The Jets needed to win and once again, came up short. While it would be great to see Anderson head to the Pro Bowl, that doesn’t matter at this point in time.

The Jets have five games left and if they keep playing like this, will more than likely end up not making the NFL Playoffs. At one point this season they had hope to possibly make it as a Wild Card team but that’s most likely not going to happen now.

Head coach Todd Bowles spoke about the incident after Sunday’s game and pretty much took care of it as quickly as it happened. Here is what he said courtesy of the Media Relations Department of the Jets:

On if he said anything to Robby Anderson about what he said on the sideline yesterday…

Yes, we had a discussion. We’re on the same page.

On if this is part of the maturation process for Anderson…

I have discussions with most of my players all of the time. It’s not just Robby, so it’s normal conversation – as far as Coach and player, growing up, what I think, what they think and us being on the same page and we’re on the same page.

While conversations like these should always be kept behind closed doors, Bowles was wise to immediately course-correct this with Anderson and keep him in check so everyone is on the same page. Being humble is one thing but showboating and asking for Pro Bowl votes when you haven’t won a game in weeks does no good for anyone.

PRO FOOTBALL FOCUS: The best in football stats just got better. Elite packages now on sale!

Anderson will undoubtedly learn from this experience as he continues to improve and become one of the top receiving targets on offense. It’s safe to say, this won’t happen again as everyone will move on and continue working hard to end the season on a high note.