Todd Bowles, thespian.
Uh, well, not exactly, but the New York Jets' coach makes his on-screen debut in Season 2 of Marvel's "Luke Cage" series, which dropped on Netflix last Friday.
Bowles plays himself in a cameo appearance, which includes a few lines. In his only scene, he's on a scouting trip at a park in Harlem, New York, where he watches Luke Cage (played by Mike Colter) perform at a superhero level in a few drills -- broad jump (24 feet), 40-yard dash (3.72 seconds) and a 400-pound tire toss. Jets fans are probably wondering, "Can he rush the passer?" Heck, Bowles might be thinking that, too.
Also in the scene are ESPN personalities Michael Smith and Jemele Hill.
Hollywood isn't in Bowles' future -- of this, we're certain -- but it's good to see him show some personality outside football. The fans know him only as the monotone and stoic coach from his news conferences and radio interviews.
"We knew that we wanted to make it real, like what would Luke Cage be like in a real situation?" series creator Cheo Hodari Coker told SNIPdaily. "So that authenticity, that's why we ultimately reached out to Todd Bowles and was glad that Todd embraced it, and had fun with it.”
Bowles filmed his scene a year ago. He was initially reluctant because he’s all about football, but he decided to do it because he’s a fan of the show.
In a way, Bowles is extending a team tradition, as two of his predecessors also dabbled in acting.
In 2007, Eric Mangini, playing himself, appeared in an episode of "The Sopranos" on HBO. Rex Ryan did more on-camera work than any Jets coach, probably because of his epic performance in HBO's "Hard Knocks" in 2010. In 2011, he played himself in "CSI: NY" on CBS, followed by a small part in the Adam Sandler movie "That's My Boy" in 2012. He plays a crazy Patriots fan in the flick, which was shockingly overlooked by the committee that selects the Academy Awards.
By the way, the Jets' records in those seasons were 4-12, 8-8 and 6-10, respectively.
Bowles better hope there's no such thing as a cameo curse.