BOWENS JET SET
As the NFL free-agency period unfolded, one name that continued to surface through various sources as someone who wanted to be a Jet was David Bowens.
The prevailing thought was that Bowens, with the Dolphins for the past six seasons as a defensive end, wasn’t being treated right by Miami management and wanted to take out his aggression twice a year on his former team from within the same division.
“No,” Bowens said after yesterday’s organized team activity (OTA) practice, “it was never anything personal. There was a business aspect to it, but after visiting here, this is where I wanted to be all along.
“I took a visit here and it was my first time doing this as a free agent and I didn’t know what to expect. Immediately, from when the plane landed, everything was first class about the organization.”
It helped that Bowens had a relationship with three Jets assistant coaches: Jim Hermann, Dan Quinn and Bryan Cox.
“You want to be wanted and I had the feeling that these guys wanted me,” Bowens said. “After I left from the visit, I wanted something to get done as soon as possible. I had other teams interested, but I really didn’t want to visit anyone else.”
The Jets, who had 35 sacks last season, sure could use Bowens at his best. Bowens, who had five sacks last season (which would have ranked third on the Jets), had 18 sacks in the past three seasons.
In the OTAs, the coaches have been working Bowens, a natural defensive end, at outside linebacker.
“I’m a lineman by trade, but a linebacker by technique,” Bowens said.
He sounds like a great fit for Eric Mangini’s system, an effort player who’s smart, too.
Bowens, who signed a three-year, $6.1 million deal, was asked what he brings to the team as a pass rusher. Sounding as if he did a keen scouting job on what Mangini likes, Bowens said, “The thing that really helps my game is studying my opponent – offensive linemen, tight ends, running backs – and figuring out their tendencies.
“I do a lot of studying,” he went on. “If you look at my notes you’ll see I’m pretty gifted in the taking-notes department. I think that helps me, because as you get older in this league you may lose a step, but technique carries you a long way.”
Mangini is known for having his players write up scouting reports on opposing players each week. Bowens should excel.
“His ability to pick up new information and adjust has always been a strong point,” Mangini said.
For the Jets’ sake, hopefully his acumen in the classroom translates to taking down a lot of quarterbacks.
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LB Jonathan Vilma was excused from yesterday’s practice to be in Boston, where his sister was graduating from Harvard with an MBA.
“That’s a testament to his parents and family and their focus on education,” Mangini said. “That (getting a master’s degree at Harvard) is harder to do than getting into the NFL.”
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The Jets finished their annual golf tournament Tuesday at Meadowbrook, where long snapper James Dearth was on the winning team. Dearth reported, however, that he had little to do with the victory, passing the credit to his playing partners.
Mangini, asked how D’Brickashaw Ferguson played, quipped, “When I saw Brick, they looked like they were trying to just get first downs, hitting it 10 yards at a time. That’s great in football, but I don’t know how effective it is in golf.”
