Miami interim coach Dan Campbell took over on Oct. 5, just after the Jets trounced the Dolphins in London.
Campbell was on the Dolphins’ staff in 2011 when Jets coach Todd Bowles served as Miami’s interim coach for three games after Tony Sparano was fired. Campbell said he took some lessons from watching Bowles on the job.
“I think there were a couple of things that I remember most about Bowles,” Campbell said this week. “The first was that he was going to treat you like a man. It was about: You handle your business, and when you don’t handle your business, then you’ll have the repercussions of it. But he was about it being a man’s league and it’s time to man up. That was his message.
“The other thing is: ‘Hey, whatever world we live in offensively or defensively, that’s who we are. We’re not going to change who we are because we believe in what we do.’ For example, defensively, if we’re going to line them up on third down, then we’re going to line them up the whole game on third down. He was always that mentality: ‘We know what we’re doing. We believe in what we’re doing, and we’re going to stick with it.’ It’s been a proven commodity for him everywhere he’s been as a defensive coordinator. There again, I can’t speak enough good things about Todd.”
Bowles said he can see differences in these Dolphins from the team they faced in early October.
“They’ve been competitive. They’ve been playing very well of late,” Bowles said. “They’re on a couple of different things that they didn’t do when we played them the first time, and they’re getting after it a lot more.”
Is that a reflection on Campbell?
“Yes, I coached with Dan. Dan’s a tough guy and Dan’s got his imprint on the team, and they’re responding very well,” Bowles said.
The player who may benefit the most from Quinton Coples no longer being on the Jets is rookie linebacker Lorenzo Mauldin. The third-round pick from Louisville should see more snaps with Coples gone.
“We like [Mauldin] as a pass rusher,” Bowles said. “He’s aggressive on the outside. He’s one of our more athletic guys and our faster guys. Obviously, he has to learn a little more mentally and hand placement and get a little stronger that way, but I think the more he plays, the better he gets and the more comfortable we feel about him.”
Mauldin had two sacks against the Jaguars three weeks ago, but still has been fighting for playing time.