Jets owner Woody Johnson throws Justin Fields under the bus in defense of HC Aaron Glenn

New York Jets owner Woody Johnson called out quarterback Justin Fields while defending head coach Aaron Glenn. While speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Johnson was asked if he believed that Glenn could turn things around after a 0-7 start.

“It looks like he’s turning around parts of it. It’s hard when you have a quarterback with a rating that we got,” Woody Johnson said. “He has the ability, but something is just not jiving. But if you look at any head coach with a quarterback like that, you’re going to see similar results across the league. You have to play consistently at that position, and that’s what we’re going to try to do.”

The Jets signed Justin Fields during the offseason, and he was named the starting quarterback. In the Jets’ 13-6 loss to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, Fields completed 6-of-12 passes for 46 yards. Fields has played in six of the Jets’ seven games this year and has completed 63.7 percent of his passes for 845 yards and four touchdowns. He has also rushed for 257 yards and three touchdowns on 42 carries.

During halftime at Sunday’s game, Fields was benched for Tyrod Taylor, who threw two interceptions in the loss. After the game, Fields shared his reaction to the benching.

Justin Fields reacts to Jets benching him on Sunday

“(I was) a little bit (surprised), but at the same time, I can’t be mad at the decision,” Fields said. “I understand why. It’s life. It’s football. I’ve learned to not take anything personal. Coach AG wanted to see if there was a spark.”

Statistically, Fields has not had a bad season, but the offense is not playing consistent football, which led to Glenn making the change at starting QB. And while Taylor threw two interceptions, Glenn liked how the offense was playing in the second half against the Panthers.

“I thought the offense moved the ball better, but that has a number of things that you have to look at,” Glenn said. “Number one, we were more in a hurry-up situation, which I think [Taylor’s] done a really good job of. But man, the two picks is something that’s tough. And you can’t have that.”

Fields is in his fifth NFL season. He spent his first three seasons with the Chicago Bears and was a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers last year. In 56 career games with 50 starts, Fields has completed 61.4 percent of his passes for 8,625 yards, 49 touchdowns, and 31 interceptions. Fields has also rushed for 2,766 yards and 22 touchdowns in his career.