There is just one winless team in the NFL as we approach the end of October: The 0-7 New York Jets. A major reason for the Jets’ lack of success is the performance of the quarterback, with Justin Fields on the verge of being benched.
The Jets’ passing offense, which averages 143.4 yards per game, ranks dead last in the NFL, and Fields has now registered fewer than 50 yards passing in back to back starts. That hasn’t been done since 2006.
Fields’ poor play led to Jets owner Woody Johnson to bash him in front of reporters at the start of NFL league meetings, saying among other things, “If we could complete a pass, it would look good.”
“It’s hard when you have a quarterback with a rating that … he has the ability but something is just not [jibing,]” Johnson said. “But if you look at any head coach with a quarterback like that you’re going to see similar results if you go across the league, you have to play consistently at that position, and that’s what we’re going to try to do for the remainder of the season.”
When asked about Johnson’s comments on Wednesday, Fields took the high road.
“It doesn’t bother me, it doesn’t,” Fields said. “Of course everybody knows I need to play better, we need to play better as a team. No matter how the offense does as a unit, I’m going to get the blame and I understand that. That’s just what comes with the job. It’s what comes with it so you can’t let anything kind of affect your mind, my mind. That is what it is, no matter if it’s him, no matter if it’s family members, even teammates sometimes. There’s going to be times where you have to be the only one who believes in yourself. Like I said, that’s his opinion. Like I told you guys after the game on Sunday, I’m at peace and all my focus is right now is working each and every day and getting better.”
Jets coach Aaron Glenn even addressed Johnson’s comments with his team.
“The first thing I’ll say, he’s an owner, and he has a right to his opinion, and when you look at that, it’s really something that’s been said across the board from everybody, including Justin: ‘Man, we have to improve,'” Glenn said. “And we understand that. We’ve gone two games without scoring a touchdown, and we have to make sure we get better in that aspect. So we’re all on the same page.
“Yeah it might be said different — it might be said with different tones — but we’ve all been on the same page when it comes to that, when it comes to our running back play, when it comes to our quarterback play, when it comes to our defensive play,” Glenn continued. “So, nothing’s different about what we’ve done. We just said it in a different tone, in a different way. I’m glad we’re on the same page on that, even with our quarterbacks, so we’re just fine with that.”
It’s unknown if Fields will start on Sunday when the Jets take on the Bengals in Cincinnati. New York’s other quarterback, Tyrod Taylor, is day-to-day with a knee injury. Glenn told reporters he wouldn’t reveal his starter to keep a “competitive advantage.”
Fields, who was the No. 11 overall pick of the Chicago Bears in 2021, is tied in having the worst record (14-36) by any quarterback through 50 career starts since 1970. It’s true that he doesn’t have the best infrastructure in the NFL with a first-time coach and first-time offensive coordinator, but as Fields noted to reporters on Wednesday, fingers are quick to point at the quarterback when things aren’t going well.
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