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There is absolutely a legitimate chance for uber-talented quarterback Justin Fields to take his game to a new level after going 14-30 as a quarterback in his first four years in the league.
His first two teams, the Chicago Bears and Pittsburgh Steelers, were certainly hoping for great things for this quarterback with a rare combination of world-class speed and a howitzer arm, but for one reason or another, it didn’t work out during those first two stops.
Jets coach Aaron Glenn and GM Darren Mougey both feel Fields’ “best football is in front of him.”
And Glenn said something very interesting at the owner’s meeting, a quote that re-emerged when Fields spoke to the media on Wednesday:
“We’re going to let him play quarterback,” Glenn said. “That’s what he’s always wanted to do. I’m not saying he hasn’t had a chance to play that, do that in other places. That’s not my issue. I know what I want to do with that player. Obviously want to utilize his legs but want to give him a chance to go out there and play quarterback.”
In the first sentence, he implied that he wasn’t allowed to play quarterback at previous stops, but then he put that fire out later in the quote by saying, “I’m not saying he hasn’t had a chance to play that, do that in other places.”
It’s time for everybody to stop with this narrative that Fields was somehow held back in Chicago and Pittsburgh.
And I’m not saying Glenn is saying that, but plenty of other people have.
It’s an embellishment.
Not saying everything in Chicago was perfect, but the Bears gave Fields three years to get things going in the right direction, but it just didn’t work out, and they traded him to Pittsburgh last spring.
In Pittsburgh, if he had shown more during his six starts, they would have stayed with him over Russell Wilson.
He was not a victim in either place.
Not always dealt the best hand, but what quarterback is?
He needs to take his game as an NFL quarterback to a new level doing things like going through his progression better, throwing with anticipation more and getting rid of the ball faster from the pocket.
“I think he’s a dynamic player, and I think there’s more that we can get out of that player, and I’m looking forward to that,” Glenn said.
We will see if the Jets can get “more” out of this player than what we have seen from this player during his first four NFL seasons.
The Bears and Steelers tried.
Talking to somebody around the Bears recently, the person felt that while Fields worked hard, he could work even harder on the mental side of the game. While he does study, he could perhaps study even more, away from the facility.
The Jets’s offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand, QB coach Charles London and passing game coordinator Scott Turner are going to work their collective butts off to help take this incredibly talented player’s game to a whole new level.
We will see if the lightbulb goes on for this rare talent with the Jets.
But let’s not pretend for one second that the player’s previous teams were somehow holding him back.
That is an easy crutch to lean on.
I’m not looking to be negative – just dealing with reality.
Blaming the former teams for Fields play the last four years isn’t going to fix anything.
The only way to do that is for Fields and the Jets coaches to roll up their sleeves and try to fix some of his fundamentals, which they will certainly try to do.
April 10, 2025
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