Todd Bowles Getting Plenty Of Interest As Potential Head Coach
By Tony Fischer
Chances are pretty good that the Arizona Cardinals will lose defensive coordinator Todd Bowles at the end of the season.
That’s good news for Bowles who is in line for a promotion after becoming a candidate for a number of the NFL’s head coaching vacancies. That’s bad news for the Cardinals who are trying to focus on the task of preparing for the Carolina Panthers.
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So far the San Francisco 49ers, Atlanta Falcons, Chicago Bears and now the New York Jets have asked for permission to talk to the Cardinals DC about taking over as their head coach. Bowles has been in demand after piecing together an injury-riddled defensive unit into one of the leagues best at keeping their opponent out of the end zone.
To summarize what's out there, every team with an HC opening has contacted #azcardinals re: interviewing Bowles, per source.
— Kent Somers (@kentsomers) December 30, 2014
Bowles’ defensive system is appealing in today’s NFL. Bowles builds his defense on the strength of his secondary using them for run support as well as defending the pass. The result is a bend but don’t break style of defense that has the ability to score by creating turnovers and converting those turnovers into great field position for what has become a undermanned offense.
Despite ranking just 24th in total defense, the Cardinals rank fifth in points allowed, seventh in interceptions (18) and fifth in takeaway differential (+8). For a defense that is constantly put in a bad position by the offense, those are outstanding numbers.
Bowles has shown the ability to get the best out of his players. That is an attribute that a rebuilding team is desperate to have, but his ability to run the entire team has never been tested.
With all the interest from other teams, you might think that Bowles would be distracted by prospect of starting a new chapter in his career. Bowles has interviewed for head coaching jobs before but never when his team was in the playoffs.
Hopefully Bowles can concentrate on the task of preparing his team for a wildcard game with the Carolina Panthers.
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