INDIANAPOLIS — Cardinals coach Bruce Arians believes Todd Bowles should be coaching another team in the AFC East instead of the Jets.
Arians, who was Bowles’ coach when he was a player at Temple and later made him his defensive coordinator in Arizona, said Wednesday the Dolphins should have made Bowles their head coach in 2012 after he went 2-1 as Miami’s interim coach.
“Miami screwed up a long time ago. He should have been head coach there when he was interim coach,” Arians said.
The Dolphins instead hired Joe Philbin, who was fired last year right after Bowles’ Jets defeated the Dolphins in London. Bowles had to wait three more years before the Jets hired him to be their head coach. The Jets went 10-6 in his first year on the job, but missed the playoffs because of a loss to the Bills in Week 17.
Arians said he believes the Jets landed a keeper.
“Ever since Temple, whatever that was, 30-some years ago, watching him grow as a coach, it was fun,” Arians said. “It really was. And then to be able to have him on the staff and do what he did, all you need is opportunity.
“Brilliant young man, and he’s a great teacher. It’s not what you know, it’s can you teach it? And he can teach it.”