“The New York Jets stink, they always have stunk, and they will stink forever more.”
You don’t say? I’ve never heard that one before.
The individual who consistently predicts doom and gloom features any number of character traits and/or flaws.
This person could simply be cynical. Or, as more aptly described in New York Jets land, he or she could be a superstitious individual who believes “expecting the worst” yields the only potential pathway to receiving the best.
As the abnormally disgruntled yet forever hopeful Jets superfan Joe Benigno would say, “Always expect the worst so you’re never disappointed.”
From a fan’s perspective, I get it. From a media personality’s perspective, it’s a flat-out annoyance. The low-hanging fruit is so beyond obvious that it’s frustratingly laughable.
The latest ‘bold’ Jets prediction
The latest to make a bold Jets prediction is FOX Sports Radio host Colin Cowherd, who believes the Justin Fields experiment will end in disaster.
“I know how this will end … not good,” Cowherd said on Tuesday. “If he would have landed with Sean Payton or a Sean McVay out of college, I think you’d have seen the very best of Justin Fields.”
Ah … riveting stuff.
Fields, 26, agreed to terms with the Jets on the first day of 2025 free agency (the first day of the legal tampering period). The former first-round pick of the Chicago Bears spent just one season in Pittsburgh with the Steelers before becoming Aaron Glenn‘s first NFL quarterback.
While, yes, Fields showcases certain limitations as a passer, prognostication sans a deeper dive into greater possibilities results in the height of laziness.
For instance, in 2005, the NFL changed a longstanding rule that no ball carrier could be helped or pushed by an offensive teammate.
Two thousand and five.
Think about how long ago that actually was. The rule change flew under the radar for years, with players partaking in some shoves whole coaching failed to place anything into firm action.
That was until Nick Sirianni’s Philadelphia Eagles stumbled upon and perfected what we’ve come to know as the “Tush Push” or “Brotherly Shove.” So, what was it in 2021, when Philly first unveiled the play, a solid 15 years after the rule change?
Sometimes, the evolution of something rocks the world, and not accounting for the possibility of evolution makes us all look foolish.
At the same time, despite how difficult it is to spot evaluation, careful consideration—at the very least—is warranted.
Account for further evolution
Take the Fields prototype for a moment and ponder the possibilities.
We just saw Jalen Hurts and a rush-heavy Eagles team win Super Bowl 59. By most accounts, this marked the first time a rush-heavy, quarterback-designed-rushing offense won the championship in the pass-happy era.
Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens remain perennial contenders, and nobody would dispute how they play football. Sure, Jackson is still working towards that elusive ring, but there’s no way to claim Baltimore’s offensive style can’t win it all.
At least not anymore.
It all started with Ronnie Brown, Ricky Williams, and the Wildcat. Placing a ball carrier at quarterback while working him north-south against the east-west jet motion suddenly opened the eyes of an entire industry.
The offense could move the defense east-west while also deploying an extra blocker.
Coaches suddenly realized that the old rules—where the unthinkable college option plays that would get offensive players crushed against physical EDGE defenders—were stale. Thanks to a far-less physical league, the possibilities became endless per the rules.
Colin Kaepernick, Robert Griffin III, and Tim Tebow pushed it further. Today, the sport has evolved to include a rugby scrum in short-yardage situations.
Yet, how the league currently looks is only scratching the surface. What Hurts, Jackson, and others are doing still falls in the infancy stage of this rushing-quarterback evolution.
Thanks to that, to not wonder what Glenn and offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand have up their sleeve for Fields and the Jets offense, is to simply pass the time by eating the fruit that hangs so low it’s become contaminated.
Yes, ‘situation’ means everything
To be fair, Cowherd nailed it in a different department entirely. I could not agree more with him about a rookie quarterback’s “situation” having the greatest influence over his success level.
“Where you land as a quarterback is about 80% of your success rate,” Cowherd later added. “Go look at Baker Mayfield; he finally got a good roster and finally got a team that believed in him in Tampa. Go look at Sam Darnold in Minnesota.”
Still, he’s a bit too late on the take. Plus, it doesn’t exactly jive with his latest Fields prognostication.
This has been largely known since the salary-slotting changed post-Sam Bradford. Even the most hardened Zach Wilson hater can nod his or her head a tad at that sentiment, since “situation” is critical to a quarterback’s success.
For Justin Fields, however, if it’s truly about “situation,” why will it automatically fail with Aaron Glenn? We know nothing about how great a head coach he could potentially become.
If Glenn is genuinely the next great National Football League coach, it won’t fail.
I’m not sure if Cowherd had that thought enter his mind. He simply did not consider the great unknowns and potential for evolution, which are both legitimate variables.
Final thoughts
At the end of the day, there will be those who side with Colin Cowherd, believing Justin Fields stinks and the New York Jets are destined to be the ultimate failures. And hey, that’s ok.
I’d bet they’re the same folks who are still waiting for Adam Gase to re-emerge and win a Lombardi Trophy.
Am I a huge Justin Fields fan? No, not even close, actually.
I see an incredible number of flaws. Worse yet, the now-cemented idea of yet another defensive-minded New York Jets head coach showcasing a vision in such a fantastical offensive land, has me scrambling for answers.
In short, I remain incredibly skeptical of the Aaron Glenn-Darren Mougey regime up to this point.
Yet, I’m also not foolish enough to boldly predict this will end badly.
It’s silly.
Thanks to the nature of football, coaching means the world. And if Aaron Glenn is the genuine article, anything and everything is possible. This includes a career revival for quarterback Justin Fields.
