The New York Jets underwent a shakeup this past offseason. New York brought in former Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn to be the franchise’s new defensive coordinator, and shortly into his tenure, Glenn let veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers know that his services would no longer be needed in The Big Apple.
Now, Justin Fields is the new quarterback for the Jets, but things haven’t gotten off to a promising start. The Jets are 0-5 on the season, the last remaining winless team in the league, and now some advanced stats have come to the surface that highlight just how much Fields is struggling.
“Justin Fields average time to throw this season: 3.47 seconds. That’s the longest of the 38 qualifying QBs (20% of team’s snaps). That’s not a good number. It means he’s holding it forever. Processing, read progressions were among reasons Fields struggled in his career. Caleb Williams is second slowest at 3.26 seconds. Then Lamar Jackson (3.15) & Jalen Hurts (3.09),” Jets reporter Connor Hughes tweeted.
Fans reacted to the news on social media.
“Difference between Fields and those other guys is they actually make throws out of structure Fields has basically reduced himself to solely being a runner when he escapes the pocket. I think it’s part of the reason his turnovers are down but it’s also why they lack big plays,” one fan wrote on Twitter.
“Let’s not forget he cannot read protections. He opted out of like 5 plays into a blitz,” someone else added.
“maybe no receiver outside of Garrett Wilson can get open is part of the issue too,” another fan added.
It’ll be interesting to see if Fields can turn things around before the season is lost.
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.