Todd Bowles Isn't One For Quick-Fire Praise

Yesterday evening Todd Bowles was asked questions about two players who were unheralded, but who have made fast starts to camp.

On what he has been able to assess from safety Doug Middleton…

Nothing yet, I’ll watch the film. I’m sure he made some plays, but you try to watch the overall film, not be an instant evaluator. I saw the pick, but I want to watch him and see what things he did mentally and (if) he was in the right position and the right place, so that’s part of the things we are looking at with him.

On what he’s seen from Jalin Marshall early on…

He hasn’t done anything. He caught the ball just like the other five, but we’ll get some time in preseason games. It’s not just the punt return work. They’ve got to be able to do more than that so the guys that are running backs, receivers and DBs are position guys, punt return is an added addition and it makes you versatile, but they have to do other things too. We don’t want any one-trick ponies on this team.

It's interesting to see different coaches with different approaches. From all accounts Jalin Marshall has looked tremendous early in camp. Making a number of difficult contested catches and separating himself from the rest of the receivers who are trying to make this roster.

Had this have been under Rex Ryan, we'd be hearing how special he was and how he was going to turn a few heads this year. Bowles prefers to go understated and it's actually quite refreshing. He's right in what he says, Jalin Marshall hasn't done anything yet. We're not even a week into camp, and while it's nice to see some promise from the bottom of the roster, there is still a long way to go.

I've read a fair share of books by coaches and former GM's, and one aspect that ran through a majority of them was the importance of handling every individual. Meaning that tough love works for one, but others need an arm around the shoulder. Shouting and calling out one player will do nothing but alienate another. So I hope that in private, certain players are being given the encouragement that they may need to continue their progression.

It's pretty clear however that if you want some praise from coach....you're going to have to do a lot more than standout through the first 3-4 days of camp.