It would have been less obvious who the Jets planned to be on offense this season if coordinator Tanner Engstrand just shared snapshots from his playbook on the MetLife Stadium video board.
Run by Breece Hall.
Run by Braelon Allen.
Run by Justin Fields.
Throw a pass when absolutely necessary.
After giving up an early touchdown to the Giants on Saturday in their annual preseason matchup, the Jets ran the ball on each of the first 10 plays of a three-point drive, including one scramble by Fields on a called pass.
With Fields’ legs, a run is a potential offshoot of any dropback.
“In general, it wasn’t good enough,” head coach Aaron Glenn said after a 31-12 loss. “I don’t care if it’s the starting offense, the second-team offense, the third-team offense. Listen, I thought we ran the ball fairly well, but overall, I thought we were sloppy.”
When Fields finally uncorked a pass to end the streak, on third-and-2, it was to a tightly covered Garrett Wilson — who else? — and broken up for an incompletion on the second and last series for their offensive starters.
The Jets gained 47 yards on the ground and 5 by penalty before Nick Folk banged through a 38-yard field goal in a tease of returning to the Ground and Pound era.
“We know that if we can just hunker down and get our guys to run the ball,” Glenn said, “that’s an advantage for us.”
But the starting offense played 19 snaps and did nothing to quash any training camp concerns about the under-construction passing attack.
Fields connected on 1-of-5 passes for 4 yards, with his only completion coming when he used his athleticism on a bootleg left and hit rookie tight end Mason Taylor moving toward the sideline.
“We ain’t playing [for real] yet,” Wilson said. “We need to iron some things out, and that’s what we’re going to do. Just want to get out there and get your feet wet. By the time it’s real, we’re going to be ready to go.”
The worst of Fields’ four incompletions?
That would be the one-hopper on a wide receiver screen that got his former Ohio State teammate Wilson unnecessarily knocked to the turf.
“It’s up and down,” Glenn said of the passing attack. “There have been a lot of ups in camp that I like. Today was not one of those days, which was obvious. I still have a lot of confidence in what those guys can do because they’ve shown it to me.”
The search for a second receiver Fields trusts didn’t gain any clarity, but Brandon Smith (five catches for 48 yards) and Quentin Skinner (four catches for 48 yards and a circus touchdown grab) on which he was injured) might have entered the competition after their work with backup quarterbacks Adrian Martinez and Brady Cook.
No wonder, then, that when the Jets faced a third-and-8 at their own 30-yard line — a passing situation under most NFL circumstances — the call was a draw to 235-pound back Braelon Allen, who powered his way to an 11-yard gain.
Allen converted a third-and-1 after the third-and-8 and probably should’ve been entrusted with the third-and-2 that preceded the field goal, too.
“I think it has to be better,” Fields said. “Wasn’t up to our standard. Just keep it simple.”
Perhaps the game plan was a sign of Engstrand just being in tune to an opponent’s weaknesses, given that the Giants haven’t stopped the run over the past two seasons and it remains a big question even after a couple of significant offseason additions.
One year ago, the Jets ranked last in the NFL in rushing attempts — and the next closest team to the bottom was the explosive (not a description that applied to Gang Green) Bengals.
It’s clear that’s not going to be the case again with the Jets, who didn’t have running back Isaiah Davis available due to injury.
The Bears and Steelers averaged 153.1 rushing yards per game during Fields’ first 44 career starts, according to ESPN.
Fields has averaged 50.2 rushing yards per game in his career, including a 1,143-yard season in 2022.
“Breece and Braelon were toting the ball, but it starts up front with our offensive line,” Fields said. “[Big passes] will come. No need to force it. When you try to force it, that’s when tipped balls and picks happen. My mindset is always going to be: take what the defense gives me.”
The question now: Will Fields plays Friday against the Eagles or was this his final appearance of the preseason?
With just four full practices left before Week 1, a skeptic might say Fields and Engstrand need all the live reps together to balance out the offense before Sept. 7 against the Aaron Rodgers-led Steelers.
Nothing during Saturday’s first quarter would be enough to sway that opinion.
“I’m always going to say we have room to improve,” Fields said. “That goes with everything.”
