Cornerback Sauce Gardner recalls the preparation for the New York Jets\u2019 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers last season. The Jets faced a week with seven road games against the AFC North powerhouse, and it was uncertain whether the Steelers would start dynamic dual-threat quarterback Justin Fields or experienced Russell Wilson, who was nursing a calf injury.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe weren\u2019t sure if Justin would play or who the starter would be,\u201d said Gardner, a two-time first-team All-Pro, on “The Pat McAfee Show” Wednesday. \u201cWe had to completely switch our strategy if Russell started, then revert to plans for Justin the night before the game.\u201d Gardner emphasized the respect opposing players and teams have for Fields, despite any criticism he might receive.<\/p>\n
Wilson ended up starting that game and finished the season as the Steelers\u2019 main quarterback. Fields, after some ups and downs over three seasons with the Chicago Bears, signed with the Jets this offseason. \u201cWe got a new Dawg in town,\u201d Gardner said. \u201cWe got Justin Fields. He\u2019s a Dawg.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fields has shown flashes of brilliance in his four NFL seasons. While with Chicago, he recorded the second-highest single-season rushing yards for a quarterback in league history, just behind Lamar Jackson. However, Fields struggled with consistency in Chicago, where the team’s overall performance was lacking. His completion rates hovered around 60%, and his rookie year saw less than 40% completion.<\/p>\n
Despite this, Fields\u2019 six starts with Pittsburgh this past season showed promise, leading the Jets\u2014an organization seeking a franchise quarterback\u2014to take a chance on him. He recorded impressive stats, including a 5:1 touchdown-to-interception ratio and a completion rate close to 66%. Gardner noted Fields’ growth as a passer and praised his arm\u2019s caliber, comparing his throws to those of Aaron Rodgers. Gardner recalled conversations with Rodgers about Fields\u2019 advanced skill level, suggesting Fields put in serious work in the offseason.<\/p>\n
Gardner spent two years alongside Rodgers and sees Fields’ youth and work ethic as strengths. \u201cHe\u2019s young and dedicated; he studies film and the playbook thoroughly and arrives early to practice and leaves late,\u201d Gardner said. Fields\u2019 drive to improve and his growing precision could solidify his role as a leading quarterback. Gardner highlighted Fields\u2019 urgency and accuracy as key improvements that show his increasing value.<\/p>\n
Fan Take: This development is exciting for NFL fans because it signals the rise of a talented, hardworking quarterback who could reshape the Jets’ future. Fields’ blend of athleticism and accuracy, combined with Gardner’s confidence in him, suggests the Jets may become a formidable team in the coming seasons, potentially altering the NFL landscape.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Cornerback Sauce Gardner recalls the preparation for the New York Jets\u2019 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers last season. The Jets faced a week with seven road games against the AFC North powerhouse, and it was uncertain whether the Steelers would start dynamic dual-threat quarterback Justin Fields or experienced Russell Wilson, who was nursing a calf […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10486,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[859],"tags":[860],"class_list":{"0":"post-10485","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nfl","8":"tag-nfl"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10485","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10485"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10485\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10486"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10485"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10485"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10485"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}