Only a few days prior, Bowles had been let go by the New York Jets following four turbulent seasons in which he finished 24–40. And in his initial moments with the Bucs, Bowles, who was renowned for his stoicism with the Jets, kept flashing his megawatt smile, which was a stark contrast. He appeared to be a man who had moved past his Jets experience and was feeling relieved and rejuvenated.

However, Bowles became reticent after being asked if he could utilize his new position as a springboard for a head coaching reevaluation.

The day Bowles declared, “I’m going to be a defensive coordinator,” “I enjoy teaching football in whatever manner. I will give my all at all times, whether I’m a water boy, head coach, defensive backs coach, or coordinator.

And on Sunday night, mostly due to Bowles’ coaching, we witnessed the outcome of that dedication when the Buccaneers raised the Lombardi Trophy. Super quarterback Patrick Mahomes seemed absolutely bewildered for the first time in his career as the Bucs defeated the Chiefs 31-9 thanks to his excellent defensive game plan.

Following Tampa Bay’s incredible Super Bowl success, Bowles, 57, is among the favorites to become head coach in 2022. And with good reason—his defense recently defeated three of the greatest quarterbacks in history while winning a title.

However, some Jets supporters will be rolling their eyes at this new reality since they are aware of what a Bowles-coached squad looks like, and it wasn’t nearly as good as the Bucs’ performance on Sunday night.

Given that the Bucs’ recent run to the Super Bowl was arguably the most challenging defensive route any team has ever faced, Bowles deserves all of the praise he is receiving. To get to the big game, Bowles’ defenders defeated future Hall of Famers Drew Brees and the Saints, as well as Aaron Rodgers and the Packers, on the road. With everything on the line, Bowles’ defenses then stopped Mahomes, the best quarterback in the game today.

Furthermore, the Bucs’ defense accomplished more than merely defeating those formidable quarterbacks. They were subjugated by them. Brees completed 19 of 34 passes for 134 yards and threw three interceptions in the divisional-round loss to the Bucs. Brees has clearly regressed this season, but in his first eight games, he had passed for 17 touchdowns and just three picks. Earlier in the season, he also blasted Bowles’ defense for four touchdowns.

However, Bowles’ adjustments—he blitzed him eighteen times—worked flawlessly when it counted. In the playoffs, Brees’ quarterback rating versus the Bucs was 38.1. He has only once finished below 80 for the entire season.

In the NFC Championship game, Aaron Rodgers completed 33 of 48 throws for 346 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception, giving the Packers superior stats. However, that is not the complete narrative.

The Packers lead the NFL in red-zone efficiency, but the Bucs shut them down twice within their own 20-yard line, forced three turnovers overall, and utterly shut down their run game.

Although Rodgers’ quarterback rating of 101.6 was great, it was his third-lowest of the year. In fact, Rodgers’ worst performance of the year occurred in Week 6 of the regular season versus the Bucs, when he finished with a 35.4 rating, two interceptions, and no touchdowns against Bowles and the Bucs.

Rodgers, predictably, made adjustments and had some success in the rematch. On his route to winning an NFC championship, Bowles blitzed 24 times for five sacks, but he still had an answer.

But the standout performance came on Sunday against the Chiefs. It was Mahomes’ first game without a touchdown pass since September 2019. Bowles wasn’t as effective against the Chiefs as he was against Rodgers and Brees; in fact, he only blitzed 9.6% of the time, which is the lowest rate of a Bowles defense in the previous five years, according to NFL Next Gen Stats. Mahomes was sacked three times and appeared to be under duress the entire game.

Though it helped that Kansas City was missing both of its starting tackles and that Mahomes was obviously restricted by a toe injury, it definitely isn’t the recipe to beat Mahomes and the Chiefs going forward. Still, it was the ideal defense in this particular scenario.

Recall that the Chiefs’ offensive line has been hurt all season long. Furthermore, two weeks ago, Mahomes scored 38 points against the Bills despite having a sore toe.The Chiefs were restricted to fewer than 10 points for the first time since Mahomes took over as the team’s main quarterback in 2018.

Andy Reid, the coach of the Chiefs, stated on Sunday night, “Give respect to Todd for the job he accomplished.” “He understood us.”

Indeed, he did. And Bowles merits all the praise that he is receiving for those accomplishments.

Bowles’ embrace of the Super Bowl trophy on Sunday night made it easy to wonder if the Jets erred in firing him two years prior. But that would be incorrect as well. The past is not altered by Bowles’ current success, and Jets supporters’ memories are not tricked.

For his four seasons here, he was a poor head coach. They were more adept at finding ways to lose under bowls than they were at finding methods to win. They consistently made careless errors at the most inconvenient times. And they were never really sure of who they were, on or off the field. They finished 14-34 in his last three seasons here for a reason.

Of course, it’s crucial to note that general manager Mike Maccagnan assembled a horrible roster for Bowles, something the team is still having to deal with almost two years after firing Maccagnan. But under Bowles, the Jets had opportunities to win more games, and they regularly wasted them. He had four years to establish his credentials as a head coach, but he made no headway. It is important to remember that.

But in the end, Bowles understands that his record is the only thing that counts from those years.

Prior to the Super Bowl, Bowles expressed his regret that his team did not win. “After a number of close games, we were unable to win the discussion. Me sitting here going, “Shoulda, coulda, woulda,” is pointless. After the season, you experience that and are let free.”

However, Bowles’ unfavorable Jets years shouldn’t be a mark that keeps him from pursuing other chances. Several other coaches had early struggles, took what they learned from them, and improved significantly after a hiatus.

Naturally, Bill Belichick stands out as the most well-known example. He had a 36-44 record in five seasons with the Browns before joining the Patriots and he went on to become the greatest coach in NFL history. He’s not alone, though.

Before embarking on an incredible journey with the Bills in the 1980s and 1990s, Marv Levy went 31-42 in more than four seasons with the Chiefs. Before establishing a new benchmark with the Seahawks, Pete Carroll was an unimpressive 33-31 in his first four seasons as a head coach with the Jets and Patriots.

Following his time with the Jaguars, Tom Coughlin reinvented himself and guided the Giants to two Super Bowl victories. After suffering through most of his head coaching career with the Texans, Gary Kubiak found success with the Broncos.

Without a doubt, Bowles’ tenure with the Bucs has demonstrated his ability as a head coach. He also had interviews for the head jobs with the Falcons and Eagles prior to the Super Bowl run, so there was some intrigue.

Before he is given another opportunity as a head coach, though, he still has a major question to address: Did he grow from his time with the Jets? Let Bowles tell it like it is.

Bowles stated last week, “I think it made me a better coach than I was back then.” “Your record indicates that you are a lousy coach, not that I was one back then. You need to digest that, get back up, and improve as a coach, which is exactly what I’m doing.”

He most definitely is. And he should have the opportunity to demonstrate it as a head coach at some point in the not-too-distant future.

For NorthJersey.com, Andy Vasquez covers the Jets as their beat writer. Get our app and subscribe today to get unlimited access to all Jets analysis, news, trades, and more.