Commitment to Fields should be over

The Jets need to start Brady Cook at quarterback and play him the rest of the season after an incompetent performance by Justin Fields on Sunday across the pond.

I don’t know if Jaxson Dart will be an elite quarterback in the NFL.

Here’s what he’s offering: hope and intrigue for the New York Giants.

Dart engineered the Giants to two wins with his reckless play, to go with his four touchdowns. He gives fans reason to watch Big Blue.

This itself should inspire the Jets to make a quarterback change by starting undrafted free agent Brady Cook next week against the Carolina Panthers after an incompetent performance by Justin Fields in the Jets’ 13-11 loss to the Denver Broncos on Sunday at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

This game brought memories of the Jets’ 10-3 loss to the Patriots on Nov. 20, 2022, in which the defense put the team in a position to win, yet it did not happen since then-Jets quarterback Zach Wilson was so bad that day. Gang Green lost after Marcus Jones’ 84-yard punt return with 26 seconds in regulation.

Remarkably, that was not the worst passing performance in Jets’ history. Sunday’s game across the pond was.

In this loss to Denver, the Jets played well on defense and special teams. But the Broncos knew they could get by and win in the end. Jets fans had no faith that the quarterback would lead a game-winning drive. The same could be said for his own teammates.

Despite the Jets’ struggles on offense the entire game, they had an opportunity to win in the end. Instead, Fields couldn’t even take his team to the field goal line to win it. He was sacked in two plays of the last possession, including the final play of the game. He was indecisive because he held on to the ball too long.

Shame on Glenn for hoping he can get by with Fields in this game. This wasn’t insanity. This was stupidity. There should have been a quarterback change at halftime, with Tyrod Taylor starting the second half.

Fields finished the game 9-of-17 with 45 passing yards, including -10 net passing yards. He was sacked nine times, which is the same number of completions he made. He engineered only two passing first downs. The Jets converted 2-for-15 on third downs. The Jets didn’t get a first down until mid-second quarter. He was so bad the Jets punted seven times.

There was a play where Mason Taylor and Arian Smith were open, yet Fields was so indecisive there. He held on to the ball rather than throwing. If he is going to hold on to the ball, he shouldn’t be a quarterback for an NFL team.

Fields’ first four possessions foreshadowed what was going to come on this day. He went 2-for-4 with 1 passing yard and 6 rushing yards. This was a Zach Wilson-esque performance.

It was inexcusable Fields couldn’t convert Kene Nwangwu’s 72-yard return into a touchdown after he was in the Broncos’ 24. The Jets settled with Nick Folk’s 46-yard field goal, giving the Jets a 6-3 lead.

The Jets attempted to run a trick play with Breece Hall on a fake punt, as they did not trust their quarterback to make a throw on third down. Fortunately for them, that play worked. But then, they let the clock run out to finish the second quarter on 4th-and-1 despite 32 seconds on the clock.

Fields was no better in the second half. He couldn’t throw. He didn’t generate much points. The Jets only had five points in the third quarter on Folk’s field goal and a safety, which the Jets remarkably took a 11-10 lead entering the fourth quarter.

He was so incompetent that when he was almost close to a first down, the Jets head coach decided to punt rather than let him try at fourth down.

To think Glenn actually let Aaron Rodgers go for this. Yeah, it’s time for another option under center. One can only watch Fields for so long.

Fields started 49 games in his career. This should be more than enough of a sample size to show he is not a starting quarterback. He lost his job twice as quarterback of the Chicago Bears and Pittsburgh Steelers because he couldn’t throw, as Glenn and Jets general manager Darren Mougey are painfully finding out.

I said it was worth the risk to sign him because there were no other good choices. It turned out this has been a waste of $40 million.

This isn’t going to get better. This season is already lost at 0-6. There’s no point playing him anymore.

There’s no point playing Tyrod Taylor since he isn’t the long-term answer.

It’s time to see what Cook can do before the Jets search for the next quarterback in next year’s draft. He can’t be worse. Even if he stinks, so what? At least, he will get an opportunity. Maybe the Jets get a spark with him. He is the only one worth watching. Maybe he provides hope. At this point, let him learn through trial and error.

What do the Jets have to lose here? Does anyone really want to watch Fields and Taylor the rest of the season?