Jets' Willie Colon likes the message coach Todd Bowles has implemented
New York Jets guard Willie Colon speaks to the media at the Jets' Atlantic Health Training Center on Monday, Aug. 10, 2015 in Florham Park, N.J. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
The Jets are learning what it's like to be "Todd" tough: No excuses. No shortcuts.
That's the message coach Todd Bowles has been driving home since he arrived. And on the final day of training camp, it was clear that his tough-love approach has its benefits.
"Being a part of this Bowles team, I wear it like a badge," Bronx-born Hofstra product Willie Colon said Thursday. "It's been a tough camp. It's been a camp where a lot of people have had to get out of their shells and grow up a little bit."
Using punishments such as gassers for everything from sluggish play to fighting to five-plus practice penalties, and an earn-your-keep approach to roster spots, Bowles is trying to implement a mind-set change and a heightened level of focus. And his players have taken heed.
Said Colon: "We can't be complacent. Being an average team is not going to make it in the league. We've got to be a team that sets the tone and be a more physical team on Sunday . . . Coach Bowles has made sure that we've come to work. It's been a good camp."
Oh Captain! My Captain!
Don't expect to see regular-season Jets captains, a la Rex Ryan. Instead, Bowles will appoint game-day captains as the season goes along.
"I've been around captains that got hurt during the year," he said. "They wear a big 'C' on their chest and get hurt during training camp and you don't have any, so whoever plays well the week before and gets a chance to be in their hometown, you give them a little bone that way. We will go game-to-game."
QB Johnson signs
The Jets signed veteran quarterback Josh Johnson, 29, after a workout. He has spent time with six teams since 2008, including two stints with Cincinnati. They also waived rookie quarterback Jake Heaps.
