This is the problem with a guy like Fields…was the same with Zach. People see the physical talent and make excuses …. Well he has potential, well the scheme sucks, well he just needs time, etc the truth is that QBs like this are coach killers….the problem is they give false hope because of their arm strength, or their athleticism, but they can’t do the easiest basic shit that an NFL QB needs to do. They have no field vision, no pocket presence, and no understanding of the concepts the offense is trying to run. This is not on the coaches scheme, this is on the player’s inability to do basic shit. Dude can’t hit a screen pass…dude doesn’t have enough sense to throw the ball away with the pocket finally collapsing after 4 seconds. This is 100% on Fields and how much he sucks. There is no OC that can create a sustainable offensive plan for a QB who can’t do the basic damn shit. The stupidity is that these kids were drafted high so the team feels an obligation to keep playing them. The Bears gave up after 2 years. The Steelers gave up after a few games. They both saw the problem. Shit, the Colts had the same problem with their highly drafted QB … at least his injuries gave them an out to replace him. Shit, they chose to start Jones who at the time was a castoff considered a failure by the Giants AND the Vikings…and suddenly they are 5-1… The point is you can’t just look at the arm strength and running ability and say, ok we can make a QB out of him…you can’t. He doesn’t have the innate skill set outside of arm strength and athleticism. He may be a good kid and a smart kid and all that, but as a QB, he doesn’t have the requisite “football IQ” to play the position. He has no anticipation, no touch, no knowledge of where to go with the ball before the snap other than his first read, and then he waits and waits and waits for the receiver to get open so he can throw it. That throw that Rodgers made yesterday for the TD down the middle of the field once the corner turned to the outside was brilliant…Rodgers threw that when the receiver was more than 10 yards out from the end zone…and it was perfect…he led the receiver to where the ball was going. That is a play that Fields can’t make…he would have waited until the receiver broke open and then would have taken a long windup and most likely it’s too late…that ball is either overthrown or picked off because the safety gets there in time because he’s late to throw. And that’s assuming the receiver was the first read….if he wasn’t, then most likely Fields doesn’t get to him until the receiver is already in the end zone and the safety is there. Can he make the throw physically? Yeah for sure. But he can’t do it mentally because he doesn’t see the play…you can’t build a successful offense around a QB who can’t see the field. You just can’t. Smarter teams realize this faster than stupid teams. But you know we kept Zach for a long time…I didn’t need to see ANY games this year for Fields to know what he’s always been. After watching him play 4 games, it only confirmed my opinion. He is a TERRIBLE QB. We will NEVER win anything with him, but worse than that, he is getting receivers into bad positions because he is inaccurate…he will get guys hurt, he demoralizes the OL because they “gave up” 9 sacks, and he calls the coach into question. The common problem on all of these is not the OL, or the receivers not getting open (they are), or the OC. The problem is HIM. And until AG opens his fucking eyes and admits it and actually lives the words he claimed with accountability, then I don’t want AG coaching this team next year.
Arthur Smith had very different priorities though with Fields than Engstrand does. Fields was a temporary backup. He was just trying to hold things together until the starter is back. In that scenario you can run a gimmick offense and hide Fields' weaknesses for a little bit Engstrand is the OC of a team that have made Justin Fields their starting QB. The Jets organization placed the responsibility in Engstrand to develop Fields beyond a gimmicky, one read and go QB. He's trying to do that for them.
He’s trying but it’s an impossible ask. It can’t be done. Two teams already realized this, including the team that drafted him high in the first round. This is not a case like Geno or Darnold…those guys threw a lot of picks and were not good, but they could do the basic crap…they could hit the easy layup throws. Fields can’t even do that well. He is inaccurate as fuck. I hated the pickup and I still hate it after watching him play. He is a lost cause…the sooner we realize this the better. It took the Bears 2 years (partly because they drafted him so they had to prove out their investment)…it took the Steelers, what, 5 or 6 games? They weren’t clouded by having wasted a draft pick on the guy. Let’s see how long it takes AG to realize it. So far it’s been 5 games. Most of the games he’s been atrocious through 3 quarters, contributing to big deficits…Fields was able to get some stats in the 4th quarter of those games….when Denver did not stop playing D, he didn’t get that chance and we saw plainly what he is when the game is still in play. I am now watching AG to see what he does, and if he actually walks the walk instead of just talking the talk about accountability.
Fields has been ass but something about our whole situation stinks. Fields is bad, but not that bad. I mean he threw for 45 TDs and rushed for 22 TDs before he got here. And he was good at moving the ball. Just to many TOs. For some reason he is playing the, "I don't want to throw an INT, play it extra safe" game. And I'm not sure we didn't tell him to do that. The conversation may well have been, "Were going to tank the season. Just don't ruin your QB rating to look good enough to trade at the end of the year". (I don't think they actually said were going to tank - just a rebuilding year...blah blah. Your getting paid well, blah blah.) It sounds crazy but it also makes sense when you compare it to what were seeing on Sundays. The same could be said for AG. Either he is terrible or he is purposely making bad decisions. I think he is probably terrible, but it still doesn't add up to anything but a purposeful tank. Which is taboo in the NFL so that's why we're getting the theatrics about needing to win.
He has definitely not consistently been this bad. But it seems as though as soon as he got a concussion they abandoned anything to do with him running the ball or moving outside the pocket. The game plan the last two games versus the one we had against the Steelers is drastically different. You cannot trot him out there without having a QB run element or else he’s a terrible sitting duck. I suspect this is some sort of strange attempt to keep him healthy. Whether that’s to purposely tank because the seasons gone anyway or it’s Woody being a schmuck and demanding the money stay on the field, I would agree - something is up. But I don’t think this was the plan at least to start the year. Not starting Tyrod next week or putting him in at halftime last week is coaching malpractice though.
