FLORHAM PARK, N.J. \u2013 Justin Fields went from trying to make plays on the football field to simply wanting to get through a day without headaches and squinting his eyes.<\/p>\n
The New York Jets quarterback’s road to recovery from his first concussion had plenty of ups and downs along the way. But he was medically cleared to start against the Miami Dolphins<\/a> on Monday night after missing a game because of the head injury.<\/p>\n \u201cI mean, it wasn\u2019t scary,\u201d Fields said Saturday after practice. \u201cI didn\u2019t expect some of the symptoms. I didn\u2019t expect them to be as bad as they were, but I\u2019m glad I\u2019m well now and ready to go.\u201d<\/p>\n Fields was injured when he was sacked<\/a> in the fourth quarter of the Jets\u2019 loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 2. His helmet hit the ground on the play and he was taken to the medical tent on the sideline before going to the locker room. <\/p>\n He sat out another loss against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers<\/a> last week while dealing with concussion-related symptoms, which he said dissipated during the week before worsening again late last Sunday or Monday. <\/p>\n \u201cMigraines throughout the day, sensitivity to light,\u201d Fields recalled. \u201cThat was a big one. I couldn\u2019t really focus. If I tried to concentrate on the paper, I couldn\u2019t really focus. My head would hurt a little bit. Small stuff like that was kind of weird to me.\u201d<\/p>\n Fields felt better early this week, was able to practice fully all three days and was cleared from the concussion protocol by an independent neurologist Friday. He was also officially removed from the Jets’ injury report Saturday.<\/p>\n \u201cJustin is playing,\u201d coach Aaron Glenn said in announcing Fields’ game status.<\/p>\n Fields has dealt with injuries throughout his playing career, including missing a few days after dislocating a toe during training camp<\/a> this summer. But he had to be patient while dealing with his first documented concussion.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019ve just got to be smart with it,” he said. “You can play through soft tissue injuries and stuff like that, but I\u2019m going to need my brain the rest of my life. Most important thing is just me being smart and not putting myself at risk for the long term.\u201d<\/p>\n Fields’ return comes as the Jets and Dolphins are off to 0-3 starts heading into Monday night\u2019s AFC East showdown. Tyrod Taylor, who started in Fields’ place, will return to his backup role.<\/p>\n \u201cIt’s no different from what we talked about all throughout training camp and what he did in our first game,\u201d Glenn said of what Fields’ return adds to the offense. “He’s a dynamic runner, he’s a smart player. I think in the passing game, he showed exactly what he can do that first game.<\/p>\n “And we want to continue to expound on that and continue to get better.” <\/p>\n Fields, one of the NFL’s top dual-threat quarterbacks, said the head injury won’t change his approach.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve always kind of had the mindset when I run is to get down, protect myself,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t think when you\u2019re playing ball, you can\u2019t think a different way. You’ve just got to go out there and play ball.\u201d <\/p>\n Fields had a standout debut against the Pittsburgh Steelers with 218 yards passing, a touchdown throw and two rushing TDs in a loss. He struggled mightily against Buffalo, going just 3 of 11 for 27 yards and running for 49 yards on five carries before leaving the game with the concussion<\/a>.<\/p>\n Fields watched last Sunday’s game against the Buccaneers from home.<\/p>\n \u201cOf course, it was terrible not being there,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n New York’s offense has been inconsistent through the first three games, especially after the first week. The Jets didn\u2019t get into the end zone against the Bills until late in the game on Taylor\u2019s touchdown pass to Jeremy Ruckert. They were held to two field goals against the Bucs before scoring two touchdowns \u2014 along with Will McDonald\u2019s blocked field goal for a score on special teams \u2014 in the fourth quarter.<\/p>\n The defense, considered by many to be the team’s strength, allowed both Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay to go on late scoring drives to win on field goals.<\/p>\n \u201cThis week has been a week of, for the most part, improvement,\u201d Glenn said. “And I think from the first game how our guys came out, did a pretty good job. We got punched in the mouth in the second game. Third game, our guys responded very, very well and played hard, played fast, played physical and had a chance to win a game.<\/p>\n \u201cSo this week I\u2019m expecting more improvement and that\u2019s more than anything what I\u2019m looking for. And I know exactly how our guys will respond and we\u2019re looking forward to going out there and playing.\u201d<\/p>\n The Jets will be without edge rusher Jermaine Johnson for the second straight game because of an ankle injury. Cornerback Jarvis Brownlee Jr., acquired earlier this week from Tennessee<\/a>, will also be sidelined while recovering from an injured ankle suffered while playing for the Titans.<\/p>\n Running back and kick returner Kene Nwangwu was listed as doubtful with a hamstring injury and didn’t practice Saturday after being limited Thursday and Friday.<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n