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Darren Mougey had a press conference on Thursday, and obviously was asked a lot of questions about Justin Fields.
He was asked if Fields can be like Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield as a late bloomer who comes into his own after a number of stops around the league.
“I do believe Justin can be one of those guys,” Mougey said. “I’ve seen progress during this camp and look forward to seeing the progress throughout the season as they all come together.”
First off all, what is he going to say to that question – “I don’t think Justin can be that kind of guy.”
So it’s kind of a rhetorical question.
Secondly, not hating on Darnold, but it’s not settled science that he’s entirely turned the corner. His last two games in Minnesota, were not good, a season finale in Detroit for the division, where the Vikings got blown out, and then a playoff loss in Los Angeles.
And keep in mind, QB guru Kevin O’Connell moved on after last season, with the Vikings unwilling to pay Darnold big bucks, and quite honestly, the deal the QB got in Seattle wasn’t huge by today’s standards, a three-year, $100.5 million deal that they can get out of after two years.
Let’s see what happens this year in Seattle.
As for Mayfield, after two terrific seasons in a row in Tampa Bay, perhaps he has turned the corner.
Look, it happens, where a QB bounced around and then all of a sudden the lightbulb came on.
But unfortunately, more times than not, it doesn’t happen.
So the Jets are obviously hoping Fields can be one of those guys, and three teams are a charm with him.
“I’ve seen him improve every day — specifically, this past week,” Mougey said. “I think we’ve really seen good rhythm out at practice with the offense — a balanced attack, some runs, some pass, but just the overall operation, the command, his leadership. … So, seeing that growth has been really good.”
Look, I am not a QB coach or an offensive coordinator, but over the spring and summer, I didn’t see that much improvement.
Once again, I’m not a coach, but I’m just going by what I see.
I’m not saying he got worse, I’m more in the mode – he is who he is.
A tremendous athlete, with world-class speed and a rocket arm, who you can manufacture production with good play-calling.
Read-option, run-pass options, bootlegs, QB sneaks, and of course, complement all of this with string work by the Jets running backs led by Breece Hall and Braelon Allen.
Did he improve? Certainly, he did on some fronts, such as becoming more comfortable with the new playbook.
“Obviously, it’s his third stop in three years with three different coordinators and a lot of moving parts, so it does take time,” Mougey said. “But I like where he’s at and I look forward to watching the progress.”
Let’s be honest, that is not ideal for any QB to be in three offenses in three years.
But you wonder if Jets Nation will heed the calls for patience, which Mougey is clearly asking for when he says, “It does take time.”
As Brett Favre often said, “Maybe yes, maybe no.”
NFL.com’s Nick Shook had an interesting observation on Mougey’s comments about the player improving in practice every day.
“Practice field progress is subjective and vulnerable to confirmation bias, especially for a new staff looking to find its footing, but it’s better than the alternative,” Shook wrote. “The real tests arrive with the start of the regular season. We’ll see if Fields can prove his coaches right.”
I’m going to end with that. Mr. Shook put it perfectly.
August 29, 2025
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