As quickly as it began, the Jets' offseason schedule concluded with the final practice of the full-squad mandatory minicamp today.
And as the players split this afternoon for parts known and unknown, head coach Todd Bowles took the podium for his final session with Jets reporters, fairly laid back but fully aware of the work that lies ahead for the 2017 team that he, his coaches and the players are building. Here are 10 questions that Bowles answered in his final presser of the offseason:
What did you accomplish this spring?"We haven't accomplished anything. We just learned a lot and developed some chemistry. You've got to redevelop that once you come back to training camp. But we got a lot of things done."
What is your assessment of your three quarterbacks?"[Josh] McCown first. Obviously, he's been in the system before or something like it, so he knew more than anybody else. Getting the timing down with the receivers, he did a good job of that. [He was] the oldest one over there as far as knowing the scheme and helping everybody learn the scheme. [Christian Hackenberg] got to play and learned a lot more. From a confidence standpoint, it's picked up quite a bit. He's got some timing down as well and he's got a good feel for the offense, so I expect when he comes back for training camp, he'll just let loose and throw ball without thinking. Bryce [Petty], the same thing. His shoulder's doing a lot better, he's getting a good grasp of the offense."
Is McCown the frontrunner at QB?"Not at this time. I don't look at anybody as the frontrunner. I'll just wait till training camp comes and we'll sort it out then."
What do you say to those who feel it's not a "real" QB competition?"It's a competition."
Do you like how vocal first-round safety Jamal Adams has been?"He's vocal on the field like you want your guys to be vocal. There are quite a few guys on the field that are vocal. He's one of them."
What have you seen in CB Morris Claiborne?"He's athletic and he's talented. For a corner, he has very long arms. If he can stay healthy, he'll help us."
How did your coaching staff do this offseason?"They had a lot of practice yelling. They're teaching, they're doing a good job of teaching right now. You don't rate them by how they did in the offseason, but they're doing a good job of teaching the guys and when we get to camp, they're going to have a lot of work to do."
What are the challenges of coaching a young team like the Jets now are?"Challenge and opportunity are one and the same. You want to win, but at the same time you've got to get those guys to learn football very fast. Not just playing but when and why and how we do things, whether it's coverage, up front with stunts, just working together and having discipline to do things all the time. Not just run off and try to show individual talent, just try to be team players."
Are you concerned with five weeks away, players can lose conditioning?"If you're undisciplined, yes, you can lose it."
What are your plans for the down time ahead before camp?"Take it easy and just run around with my boys. ... I'll be in better shape in camp than I am right now."
