It’s been a dizzying, down-and-up emotional ride this past month for Jet defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell.
After what seemed like a lifetime building a reputation as one of the NFL’s best defensive coaches, Cottrell was manning the league’s worst defense, only months after his first real NFL head-coaching dreams were dashed.
Cottrell had gone from:
* Coaching the Bills’ top-rated defenses, that included the likes of Bruce Smith and Phil Hansen. …
* To being overlooked by the Bills and Jets for then-vacant head-coaching jobs this offseason. …
* To being hired by Herman Edwards as the Jets’ defensive coordinator. …
* To watching his Jet defense gashed for some 200 rushing yards per game earlier this season. …
* To shepherding a remarkable turn-around in which the Jet defense has allowed a mere 20 points in the last four games – all victories entering this week’s bye.
Before that, Cottrell, 54, must have felt his career was spiraling toward oblivion, as mediocre running backs such as Trung Canidate rushed for 195 yards against his defense.
“It wasn’t sitting well,” Cottrell said of the Jets’ early failures. “It was disheartening, disappointing. We were terrible. Terrible. Oh man, we were terrible.”
Cottrell, a man of considerable stature and one of the great bellowing voices that can carry through a tornado, is nothing if not brutally honest.
“There was an increase in volume in my voice in meetings … one particular meeting,” Cottrell recalled. “It might have been after the Rams game [an embarrassing 34-14 loss]. It wasn’t cerebral.”
Indeed, Cottrell is a perfect complement to Edwards, an even-keel coach who never curses and rarely even raises his voice.
“That’s Ted’s demeanor,” CB Ray Mickens said. “He’ll get loud. He’ll chew you out when you do something wrong, but he’s quick to give you compliments when you do something well.”
LB James Farrior said this of Cottrell: “He’s a coach we have a lot of confidence in. I know it was hard on him at first, because he’s used to success and having a dominant defense. But he kept a good attitude about it.”
Cottrell’s patience and resolve have been rewarded.
Since that loss to the Rams, the Jets have allowed only two touchdowns while forcing 14 turnovers. Overall, the Jets lead the NFL with an astounding plus-22 turnover ratio, forcing an NFL-high 33 turnovers.
“It’s been a general overall improvement,” Cottrell said. “We cut down on our mental errors and missed tackles that were resulting in some big plays.”
Asked if he thought, entering the season, that the growing pains going from the previous 3-4 alignment to a 4-3 would be as significant as they were.
“I thought they were going to be grown up when I came here,” Cottrell joked. “But we were in kindergarten. We were in pre-school the first few games.”
Now the Jets’ defense is ranked 18th overall, fifth against the pass and 29th against the run. Those 33 take-aways have resulted in 108 points for the offense.
“Now,” Cottrell said, “I think the guys are pleased with what’s going on. We’re not satisfied. We can play better.”
If Cottrell keeps the line of the graph rising on the same plane it’s been on the last month, he might find himself again interviewing for a head-coaching job after all.
