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Justin Fields is taking some criticism now for some recent rough practices.
Why?
If you have an issue with his erratic passing, you should not criticize him, but more so the people who signed him.
And I’m not saying you should criticize the people who signed him right now, since the team is 0-0 with Fields at QB.
But what is different about him now than in his first four years in the league?
Seriously.
I’m a big believer that you should not expect a player to be better than he is just because you give him a big money contract.
Bobby Bonilla was the same player with the Mets, he was in Pittsburgh, but people expected more because of his huge contract.
Sports don’t work that way.
Big money deals don’t make people better than they are.
It’s absurd to criticize Fields right now.
He is who he is – a QB with great size, a great arm, and great speed, who is very erratic as a thrower and not an elite reader of defenses.
The Jets will need to manufacture production on offense with great play-calling, mixing in a lot of RPOs and bootlegs in a run-centric attack.
The criticism of this player right now is patently unfair.
If you have an issue with what you are seeing in practice from the player, or the Kabuki Theatre passing stats from the media, criticize Aaron Glenn or Darren Mougey, not the player.
He has been just as advertised. That is the objective truth . . .
Quinnen Williams calf issue seems to be on his left leg, which he was wearing a compression sleeve today, watching practice . . .
Watching Alijah Vera-Tucker in the one-on-one line drill again is like observing a maestro at work – picture perfect technique locking up a couple of DTs on his two reps . . .
The scrimmage part of practice started with the offense lining up with 10 men, and then on the next play, fullback Andrew Beck jumped offside. A few plays later, tight end Jeremy Ruckert jumped offside.
This offense is certainly a major work in progress at this point, and that is understandable in early August with a new system and new QB. And let’s not forget a first-time NFL play-caller as OC, who is figuring out the whys and wherefores of the job . . .
There have been a rash of shoulder injuries in Jets camp – first to cornerback Kris Boyd and receiver Xavier Gipson on Saturday, and then to cornerback Azareye’h Thomas today. Even with limited contact in many practices due to union rules, guys trying to make plays and hitting the ground hard can’t be avoided.
And even though these injuries happened on grass, and the Jets’ grass fields are exquisite at 1 Jets Drive, shoulder injuries are hard to avoid when your shoulder comes crashing to the field, or in the case of Gipson, a player lands on you, after attempting a diving catch . . .
With both Jermaine Johnson (Achilles rehab) and Will McDonald (back spasms) out of practice today, the Jets’ edge rush was very quiet today. The Jets are going to have to find two backup edge rushers to complement Johnson and McDonald, so there is not a huge dropoff when they are spelled.
Perhaps those two are Rashad Weaver and Tyler Baron. It probably should not be Michael Clemons, who is a better fit inside due to his limited flexibility and range for the edge position, at least for believers in objective truth . . .
One play Tanner Engstrand might want to reconsider with Fields is an out route from his own goalline.
Fields threw an out to WR Tyler Johnson, who caught the pass, but the pass threaded a needle, and the corner over there (sorry forgot to write the name down and there are no replays), was close to jumping it and taking it to the house.
Maybe it’s just me, but I would not call the play from the goalline.
How many times have we seen pick sixes on this play? . . .
Defensive tackle Jay Tufele is probably not going to be a star, but he plays with a great motor and has impressive quickness for a 300-pounder. He is going to boon to the Jets . . .
Garrett Wilson has to be biting his tongue right now. Be careful what you wish for . . .
Some would argue that going with Josh Myers at center and Joe Tippmann at left guard might be the way to go. Tippmann’s shotgun snaps are still a little too high, and he could turn into a hell of a guard . . .
August 5, 2025
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