As Justin Fields was coming off the field in a Week 2 loss to the Buffalo Bills, things just didn\u2019t look right. The New York Jets\u2019 starting quarterback was going through the usual symptoms many an athletes have dealt with when a concussion strikes.<\/p>\n
Migraines and a sensitivity to light were just some of the issues that the former first-round pick was experiencing. This, following New York\u2019s 30-10 loss on Sept. 14, left the Jets in a tough spot.<\/p>\n
\u201cI couldn\u2019t really focus,\u201d Fields told reporters on Saturday. \u201cIf I tried to concentrate on a paper, I couldn\u2019t really focus; my head would hurt a little bit. So, just small stuff like that was kind of weird to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Over a week later, Fields has not only passed concussion protocol, but he\u2019s in line to start Monday night\u2019s showdown against the Miami Dolphins. <\/p>\n
When he does, the Jets will welcome back their starter with open arms. <\/p>\n
Fields addresses concussion recovery<\/p>\n
The concussion suffered against Buffalo was Fields\u2019 first of his career. The symptoms, therefore, were a new situation for him. As well as the patience that comes from a recovery such as this. <\/p>\n
\u201cThere were some days you feel good and some days your symptoms come right back,\u201d Fields said. \u201cBut right now, I feel good and hopefully I continue to feel this way when Monday comes.\u201d<\/p>\n
The process of recovery for a concussion can be complex. The symptoms for one are different for each person. It\u2019s always difficult to determine how long an athlete must remain out. For some players, concussion symptoms can end after a day.<\/p>\n
For others, more severe concussions could mean an extended absence. <\/p>\n
Thursday was the first time Fields had been back with the team since suffering the brain injury. As part of concussion protocol\u2014agreed on by the NFL and the league\u2019s players\u2019 association\u2014he has had to work slowly to get back on the field.<\/p>\n
That patience has helped Fields reach a point where head coach Aaron Glenn was adamant that he would be ready to play on Monday night. <\/p>\n
For a team that comes in at a struggling 0-3 clip, getting their starting quarterback back on the field is a massive boost for the entire club. <\/p>\n
Fair expectations<\/p>\n
In two starts with New York, Fields has completed just 57 percent of his passes for under 250 yards and a passing touchdown. As part of his running ability, he has added an additional 100 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. <\/p>\n
As a scrambling quarterback, it\u2019s common for players like Fields to take it a bit easier when they return from serious injuries like concussions. <\/p>\n
That won\u2019t be the case for Fields, though. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve always kind of had the mindset when I run is, you know, get down and protect myself,\u201d Fields told X-Factor. \u201cSo, I don\u2019t think when you\u2019re playing ball you can\u2019t think a different way, you just have to go out there and play ball.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s important to remember that Fields did not suffer his concussion while scrambling upfield or outside the pocket. His head injury occured when he was inside the pocket and his by Joey Bosa. <\/p>\n
With that understanding, the Jets want to make sure that Fields is as aggressive with his legs, as they expect him to be as a passer. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s a dynamic runner; he\u2019s a smart player,\u201d Glenn said. \u201cI think in the passing game, it showed exactly what he can do, that first game, and we want to continue to expand on that and continue to get better. This week has been a week of, for the most part, of improvement.\u201d<\/p>\n
Fields left the game in Week 2, suffering one of the worst performances of his career. He completed just two passes in the first three quarters of the contest, and saw his team trailing big going into the final quarter. <\/p>\n
His absence has left the Jets searching for answers offensively. <\/p>\n
Concussion are always a tricky issue to deal with. Sometimes, symptoms may go away for awhile, only to return days later. For Fields, he believes he is healthy enough to make his return. <\/p>\n
At 0-3, the Jets couldn\u2019t have asked for a better time to welcome the return of their captain. The hope is that Fields can finally get New York a win to kick off their new era. <\/p>\n
Reporting from the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center in Florham Park, NJ.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As Justin Fields was coming off the field in a Week 2 loss to the Buffalo Bills, things…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":402705,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2051],"tags":[30015,7,3228,226,493,1917,255,2321,2097,6,30125,3231,3234,31834],"class_list":{"0":"post-402704","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-york-jets","8":"tag-faria-on-the-beat","9":"tag-football","10":"tag-free-content","11":"tag-jets","12":"tag-justin-fields","13":"tag-new-york","14":"tag-new-york-jets","15":"tag-newyork","16":"tag-newyorkjets","17":"tag-nfl","18":"tag-ny-jets-injuries","19":"tag-ny-jets-news","20":"tag-standard","21":"tag-syndication"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/115279945081674966","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/402704","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=402704"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/402704\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/402705"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=402704"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=402704"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=402704"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}