MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- Assistant coach La'Roi Glover has an old saying he likes to share with the New York Jets' defensive linemen. Actually, he stole it from one of his former coaches, Bill Parcells, and it can be applied to a variety of situations. That's the beauty of it.
How many times do you need to get hit in the face with a skunk before you realize it stinks?
This applies to the current state of the Jets, who have to figure out a way to reverse two alarming trends:
They're lousy in the fourth quarter, having been outscored 67-17 in seven games.
They're a penalty machine -- 57 accepted penalties, tied for the most in the NFL.
For all the positive developments this season, from the surprising Josh McCown (before Sunday's late interception) to the promising play of the rookie safeties, the Jets could wind up being defined as mistake-prone chokers. No team wants that label, but the narrative is starting to gain momentum.
Enter Todd Bowles.
These are recurring issues, and it's on the coach to remove the skunk before his team blows another game or two and develops a serious complex. On Sunday, the Jets allowed 17 unanswered points, coughed up a 14-point lead and fell to the Miami Dolphins 31-28 -- their worst fourth-quarter collapse in 22 years.
"Too many untimely penalties at the wrong time, too many penalties, period," Bowles said after his second straight loss. "Unless we learn that lesson, it's going to be tough sledding."
The head coach's job is to fix problems, and Bowles has a couple of big ones that need to be addressed. The Jets blew a 14-0 lead last week and lost to the New England Patriots. This time, they squandered a 28-14 advantage in the final 12 minutes. Seven penalties (five accepted) and minus-4 yards of offense in the final quarter isn't a winning formula.
"[We have to] stop getting penalties," wide receiver Jermaine Kearse said. "I know it sounds mundane to keep saying 'penalties,' but it's really killing us right now."
Bowles emphasizes penalty-free football during the week. Any player who commits a penalty in practice gets his name plastered on a board that is displayed to the team, which also studies film clips of the plays. In 2015 and 2016, the Jets and Patriots tied for the fewest number of penalties, a source of pride for Bowles -- and a source of great frustration now that it has gone the other way.
But there's no excuse. You can't blame it on the young players because most of the penalties Sunday were committed by established veterans such as cornerback Buster Skrine, who was flagged three times.
For a team like the Jets, who are rebuilding, it's the worst way to lose. If they play relatively clean football and lose to good teams, you can say, "Oh, well, they just don't have enough talent." But when they blow leads because of self-inflicted mistakes, it suggests there's something amiss in their DNA.
Bowles said they must develop a killer instinct, and several players echoed that sentiment.
"It's a mentality," tackle Kelvin Beachum said. "It takes time."
It's a painful process. Unable to generate pressure, they let backup Matt Moore -- Matt Moore, for crying out loud! -- throw for 139 yards and two touchdowns in the final 11:21. Offensively, the Jets had no answers for Miami's pressure, making McCown a sitting duck until he threw away the game with an interception in the 60th minute.
In the postgame locker room, Muhammad Wilkerson tried to rally his demoralized teammates, stressing the importance of rebounding next week.
A silver lining? They next play the Atlanta Falcons, the poster team for blowing leads. Remember the Super Bowl?