The New York Jets are 0-7. That’s a fact staring everyone in the face. This year, Justin Fields finally had the starting job all to himself. Showcase what he got. Instead, everything’s just going downhill. And it just got worse this week, as the owner, Woody Johnson, called out Fields publicly. However, a Jets coach had a different take on the team’s losses.

Offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand didn’t dodge the hard questions this week. But instead of blaming the quarterback alone, he focused on the whole squad.

“I’m disappointed for our team, that we’re sitting here at 0-7, not just individually for Justin. I’m disappointed that I haven’t been able to help deliver wins on a consistent basis for the team, not just Justin individually,” Engstrand said. “To me, there’s quarterbacks and there’s always going to be questions around the quarterback. It’s the main focal point of a team, a lot of the times. Really, it’s about the unit and the team and us finding ways to get better and improve. We’re working on a daily basis, myself included.”

That tone was a clear rebuttal of what Woody said at the NFL owners meetings in New York City. A few days ago, Johnson unloaded on the team’s lack of a passing game, sending an unmistakable message.

“It’s hard when you have a quarterback with a rating that we’ve got,” Johnson said. “He’s got the ability, but something is not jiving. If you look at any head coach with a quarterback like that, you’re going to see similar results.” Johnson didn’t stop there; he highlighted the team’s basic struggles.

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“If we could just complete a pass, it would look good,” Johnson added. “You gotta convince them that you could do something. Otherwise, it’s hard to have a game that you could win.” It’s rare to hear an owner get that blunt about his quarterback, especially midseason.

But Engstrand wasn’t having it. His words made it clear he wasn’t going to throw Fields under the bus for the front office’s satisfaction. The Jets’ play-caller re-centered the blame where it belongs: on the team’s inability to execute as a whole.

Justin Fields’ take on Woody’s comments

Fields finally responded, and he did it his way. Calm, controlled and professional. The quarterback clearly chose not to feed the fire.

“I don’t think me talking to him is going to do anything,” Fields said. “It’s not going to make me play better, it’s not going to give me more confidence on the field, so I don’t think there’s necessarily a point in talking about that and I doubt he’ll come and talk to me.” He didn’t take offense, but he didn’t agree either.

“I’m not sure how he feels about the situation at all, but I mean I don’t have any plans of going up to press him about what he said,” Fields added. “Everybody’s entitled to their opinion, that’s just what it is, but you just have a choice or not whether those opinions affect you or not.”

Fields admitted he doesn’t have a close relationship with Johnson beyond brief pregame introductions, and honestly, he didn’t sound eager to change that. When asked if he’d request a trade if benched again, he cut the speculation off.

The Jets’ offense ranks dead last in passing yards and 28th in scoring. But Fields made one thing clear: his focus isn’t on the noise or the owner’s opinions. It’s on the next game. Whether that’s under center or watching from the sideline, he’s not running from it. Not yet.