Todd Bowles’ calm sideline demeanor is sometimes a bad optic on TV, making it look like Bowles is uninspiring or lacks fire. But just because Bowles prefers a poker face in public does not mean that is what his players see behind closed doors.
Those doors rattled Sunday in Houston after the 24-17 loss.
“Coach Todd, after the game, went off on us and told us, ‘Losing is not acceptable,’ ” defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson said Tuesday on WFAN. “He doesn’t like losing, as well. I’m pretty sure that everybody in the locker room definitely needs to have that spark lit under them this week, and we need to get these wins rolling quickly.”
That should appease some fans, who have been begging Bowles to show more fire on the sideline. People who have coached and played for Bowles say he does not yell often, but when he does he gets his message across. Sunday was a day he needed to get that message across.
When Bowles met with the media a few minutes after tearing into his team, it was clear he was angry. He usually shows no emotion to the media, but his agitation was visible.
“I’m extremely upset, but I’m not going to take it out here,” he told reporters. “We’ll discuss that in-house when I get back in the locker room and we get in the meeting.”