The time of not-real-football is upon the league. Although premature, it can be an indicator of what’s to come in the future. As far as the Jets are concerned, booting Aaron Rodgers might not trigger a comeback spark as they had hoped. Even though they have the edge of a young QB (15 years younger than A-Rod), Justin Fields, on their roster, things have not been clicking. Yet.

While New York wonders what’s next, Justin Fields remains caught in limbo. His talent is there. His reads are clean. But there seems to be something lacking. And analysts have chalked it up to trust. “He sees it. His eyes go to the right place,” Sam Monson noted. “But he just doesn’t trust it enough to put the ball in the air.” That hesitation is now causing ripple effects.

Justin Fields’ outing at camp took another sour turn on August 2. The Jets offense was flagged four times, part of 12 total penalties on the day. Fields completed just two of ten throws for 12 yards, with two passes dropped. He took three sacks and earned a delay of game. Add in a cart ride for a dislocated toe (a week back), and the outlook is grim. The numbers don’t help the case for a breakout.

What’s worse, the issues haunting Fields in Chicago have followed him to New York. In three seasons with the Bears, he posted a 40:30 TD to INT ratio. Now, the warning signs are back. He hesitates on reads. He holds the ball too long. The accuracy fades under pressure. One practice it’s surgical execution in a two-minute drill. Next, it’s sacks, flags, and missed timing with receivers.

Last season, the Jets led the NFL in penalty yards. New head coach Aaron Glenn has placed discipline front and center. He wants it gone. “There’s no excuses,” Glenn said. “Our players understand that because we know penalties are discipline issues, and we have to make sure we are more disciplined in that aspect on both sides of the ball. So we will get those cleaned up, I promise you that, but there is a lot of work to do.”

Glenn refuses to flinch in the face of early turbulence. If he is to be believed, the Jets are on track to make a comeback from last season’s losses.

Aaron Glenn has unlimited faith

Aaron Glenn is not one for vague messaging. “Put your seatbelts on,” he said, and he meant it. He’s brought back hard-nosed Rex Ryan-style tackling and Bill Parcells-like simplicity. “Running, blocking and tackling… the only way to get better… is to rep it.” Glenn made it personal, too. “I know the pain… I expect to make sure that pain goes away.” But that tone only amplifies the urgency around Justin Fields.

Fields has been the wild card. Glenn is trying to keep it positive, even after training camp reports circle the red flags. “I thought Justin did a really good job,” he said. “I think we saw exactly what he’s going to create when it comes to him using his feet. There are some balls that we have to catch that he threw to some guys, and there’s some throws he’s got to make, too, that were out there.”

But through three padded practices, Fields has been off. He’s holding the ball too long. Deep shots float. Reads stall. Understandably, the doubts grow larger than life. As one insider put it, “He really has not looked good the last two practices… a really bad offensive day these last two days.” The skepticism is growing: “Justin Fields is a huge, huge question mark… a gigantic question mark.”

The end of July padded session didn’t help much. Fields went 4-for-8 with two drops. The offense leaned on the ground game. Again, he took sacks from indecision. But even in the muck, Fields had a moment. With time running out in a two-minute drill, he scrambled for nine yards on fourth-and-2. Then he delivered a touchdown strike to rookie tight end Mason Taylor. For Year 1 HC, this training camp is a combination of sweet and sour memories.