For the second consecutive game, the Jets struggled to move the football in the 13-6 loss to the Panthers on Sunday.
But there was a major adjustment between halves against Carolina, a change whose effects haven't fully been felt yet. Head coach Aaron Glenn decided to sit Justin Fields after the first half and to insert Tyrod Taylor at QB for the entire second half.
The attitudes of the Jets' quarterbacks made this less traumatic than it could have been. But changing QBs in the middle of the stream is never an easy proposition.
"It was a quick one," Taylor, the 15th-year veteran, said of his exchange of assignments with AG. "Obviously, we don't spend a lot of time in there at halftime. There's time to make a couple of adjustments. He told me he was going with me in the second half, and we started talking through a couple of plays that I like.
"I tried my best, that's for sure. I've got to go back and watch the film, just try to come in and do my job, execute. Obviously those two turnovers can't happen. Jaycee [Horn] made great plays on both of those. I tried to my best to create a spark, regardless of whether I did or I didn't. We were on the losing side of that game, so no one is pleased in the locker room."
Fields seemed of two minds, not thrilled to be benched but understanding why the switch was made.
"He just said he was going to put Tyrod in there for a drive," Fields said of Glenn's intermission message to him. "I can't blame him. We only scored three points in the first half. I can't blame him."
Fields also said he had "a little bit" of surprise at the call, although he then said: "I can't be mad at the decision. I understand why. It's life, it's football. I've learned to not take anything personal. Coach AG, I think, wanted to see if there was a spark."
The spark turned out to be pretty much a wash. Fields' was in for the Jets' first 31 plays completing six of 12 passes for 46 yards and 3 sacks. He still hasn't thrown an interception this season but also, needless to say. didn't throw for a touchdown. His passer rating was 59.7. He ran four times for 22 yards.
Taylor, even without any points in the third quarter, seemed to put a bounce back in the offense's collective step before he threw his first INT to Horn, the fifth-year corner named to his first Pro Bowl after last season, in the back of the end zone. For his half of work, 29 plays, Taylor completed 10 of 22 for 126 yards, was also sacked 3 times, threw those two picks, after which his rating was 25.9, and ran three times for 11 yards.
"It's always a tough decision," Glenn said of changing quarterbacks in the middle the stream. "As the head coach, you have to take a look at the team, see what's best for you to put yourself in position to win the game. That's the only thing gong through my mind. I told the offensive staff, I told Justin and Tyrod what I was going to do, and I made the decision."
Who will start at next week at Cincinnati? Again, both competitors kept their own counsel on such a thorny topic.
"We all have our different opinions," Fields said. "I'm here to be the best teammate I can be, the best person I can be. It's not up to me. I wish things would've gone a little bit different, not only for me but for this team.
"As far as my job goes here, I'm going to be the same. I'm going to come to work the same, I'm going to lead the same, and I'll just continue to spread the message of how good God is," he said, stressing his religious underpinnings. "I just kind of feel like this thing that's happening right now is a great opportunity for me to spread His word and His love."
One thing is for sure. WR Garrett Wilson sitting out the game with his knee injury didn't help, but other competing issues held the offense back.
"Yeah, it's frustrating for sure. We've all got to be better — me, the offensive line, receivers, everybody," Fields said, adding of what exactly is ailing the unit that he'd been the starter of until the third quarter Sunday, "No explanation. We just haven't played well enough."
"As a competitor, you always want to start," Taylor said. "But that's not my decision, nor will I feel any way emotionally about whatever Coach decides. I'll be ready for the opportunity but I'm also here to support Justin as well. I've got a lot of respect for him and every guy in this locker room. I'm here to do what I need to do when my number's called."
"My focus week in, week out, is just staying true to my process," Taylor said. "That's getting ready for Wednesday practice, the tape I need to watch for that as each day goes by, Thursday Friday. Sharpening my tools for whatever opportunity presents itself so I can go out and play a brand of football that not only I am proud of but the team is, too."
