Todd Bowles and the Jets crushed the spirits of a lot of Giants fans Sunday.
But he might have made a former Giants coach proud.
The Jets head coach received a text message from Bill Parcells, according to the New York Daily News.
Parcells advised Bowles not to look too far ahead, and it’s a good time for Bowles to get that advice.
The Jets (7-5) would be the No. 6 seed if the NFL playoffs began this week, and they have two potential trap games ahead of them. They host Tennessee (3-9) Sunday and go to Dallas (4-8) on Saturday night in Week 15. If they can avoid stumbling in those games, they can focus on pivotal division games at home against New England (10-2) and at Buffalo (6-6).
Parcells’ text message to Bowles didn’t come out of the blue. Parcells sends Bowles a text after every game.
Bowles said both Parcells and @BruceArians reach out periodically. They both “keep me grounded.” #jets
— Kimberley A. Martin (@KMart_LI) December 9, 2015
Bowles has worked for Parcells at three different places. He was the Jets secondary coach when Parcells was the Jets general manager in 2000. Bowles was on Parcells’ staff as secondary coach in Dallas as well as Miami when Parcells was the Dolphins’ vice president of football operations.
Also, they’re both northern New Jersey guys. Parcells is from Englewood and Bowles hails from Elizabeth.
After the Jets lost to the Texans in Week 11, their fourth loss in five games, Parcells texted Bowles and said “Nobody remembers the midseason losses. It’s how you finish.”
Parcells ought to know. In 1990, he coached the Giants to a 10-0 record. Then the Giants lost three out of four before rebounding and winning Super Bowl XXV.
A lot of recent Super Bowl winners have overcome mid-season swoons. The Ravens lost three straight to fall to 9-5 in 2012 before going on to win Super Bowl XLVII. The 2011 Giants lost four in a row, dropping to 6-6, before winning Super Bowl XLVI. The 2010 Packers slipped to 8-6 after losing three out of four. They eventually won Super Bowl XLV.
The Jets have a 92 percent chance of making the playoffs if they win three of their last four games, according to MakeNFLPlayoffs.com. If they go 2-2, however, their chances drop below 50 percent.
Regardless of the Jets’ record in their last four games, between now and the end of the season Bowles will get at least four more texts from his mentor.