The talk of training camp has been the New York Jets’ inability to string anything remotely competent together offensively, and now they will try to rectify it in competitive action in their preseason opener Saturday against the Green Bay Packers.
Gang Green’s offensive slump had gone multiple days, while quarterback Justin Fields, who has been tasked with the near-impossible feat of developing into New York’s franchise quarterback, has held on to the ball too long, struggled throwing it downfield, and reading the defense.
Tuesday featured two interceptions in team drills and another in 7-on-7s.
“Some of it’s on me, some of it’s dropping the ball, some of it’s just plain and simple things,” Fields said. “It’s practice. I’ve been a part of games where we have a red zone Friday, we run a play three times, we don’t hit it one time. Then Sunday comes, and we hit it the first time we run it.”
These are still early days. A poor showing against Green Bay in the preseason opener would not change that, either. But there are understandable alarm bells going off around the Jets.
This franchise has failed to develop a long-term quarterback option. Even the Hall-of-Fame caliber stopgap in Aaron Rodgers was unable to get it together last season.
Fields is getting a two-year runway worth $40 million to figure it out after he failed to hold down jobs in Chicago and Pittsburgh.
But a new regime does deserve a bit of grace, as general manager Darren Mougey and head coach Aaron Glenn look to instill a new culture to fix an organization that has been mired in the NFL’s doldrums for 50 years.
“[I’m not concerned] because it’s early right now,” Glenn said. “I’m looking to Week 1, right? We have a long time until we get to that point, and the type of men that we have, I know our men are gonna pick it up and get going. So I’m not worried at all.”
