Content available exclusively for subscribers
Palm Beach – As most of you know by now, Jets GM Darren Mougey announced on Sunday, at the NFL Owners meeting in Florida, that Justin Fields is the team’s starting QB.
“We believe Justin is the starter,” Mougey said.
He added: “He is the starter, but Tyrod (Taylor) is going to be on his heels.”
Taylor must be thrilled with that vote of confidence that will be able to be on the “heels” of a QB with a 14-30 record as a starting QB.
Taylor has a 28-28-1 record as an NFL starter, so why would Fields be anointed the starter on March 31, before the team has taken the field for one minicamp or training camp practice?
Aaron Glenn is very high on Fields.
“He has a quiet confidence about himself,” Glenn said. “He can really throw the deep ball really, really well. Obviously, his legs are something that’s dynamic not just in college but the NFL, as well. I just think he’s ready to break out as a top notch QB. So, he’s going to do everything he can to be one of the better ones and we are going to coach our asses off to make sure he does a good job out there.”
Yes, he has a howitzer arm and can run like a gazelle, but he needs to improve at becoming a full-field reader and going through his progression more. Some in the football world are not sure you can improve that a lot, especially at 26, after four years in the NFL.
Don’t you think the Chicago Bears and Pittsburgh Steelers, his first two NFL teams, worked with him on going through his progressions more? Of course they did, and not much changed.
Just like what the Jets did with Zach Wilson.
Do you think these teams are teaching these young quarterbacks – “Just throw to your first read.”
You can work on this progression stuff until the cows come home, but what often happens, is when the real bullets start flying on game day, so many quarterbacks, no matter how much they are taught in meetings and on the practice field about progression, become fixated with the first read when the ball is snapped.
Sorry about using terrible cliches in the last paragraph, but you get the point – most young quarterbacks aren’t great at progressions and seeing the entire field, and this, unfortunately, doesn’t change all of a sudden with most of them.
The Jets can work their “asses off” but the processing might not change. Maybe Fields will be in the small minority of quarterbacks that improve their processing a few years into their NFL career. We shall see. Not easy, not impossible, but a major longshot.
So it’s surprising they are naming him the starter now, considering his resume. Maybe wait to see if he improves at his field vision-related shortcomings.
When Glenn says, “I just think he’s ready to break out as a top-notch QB,” there is no way for anybody to know that.
That is just Pollyanna thinking at this point. It’s long shot you will improve somebody’s processing just by having their back and showing tremendous faith in them.
Very surprising that Fields was named the starting quarterback so quickly with a new culture trying to be established, where open competition should be one of their calling cards.
March 31, 2025
Premium will return by 9:30 pm (or sooner) on Tuesday.
