Woody Johnson slams Jets’ QB play, defends Aaron Glenn: ‘Hard when you have a QB with the rating that we’ve got’

NEW YORK — As the New York Jets’ reign as the only winless team drags on, team owner Woody Johnson showed belief Tuesday in one key organizational cog — while withholding belief in another.

Johnson said he believes head coach Aaron Glenn is “turning around parts of” the organization despite the Jets falling to 0-7 Sunday with a loss to the Carolina Panthers. The defense and special teams, Johnson believes, have promise. The offense concerns him more. The Jets benched starting quarterback Justin Fields at halftime against the Panthers.

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“It’s hard when you have a quarterback with the rating that we’ve got,” Johnson said from league meetings in Manhattan. “I mean, he has the ability but something is just not jiving. If you look at any head coach with a quarterback like that, you’re going to see similar results across the league. You have to play consistently at that position.”

The Jets signed Fields this offseason to start at quarterback, with veteran journeyman Tyrod Taylor backing up Fields. In six games, Fields has completed 63.7% of passes for 845 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. His 91.1 passer rating ranks 17th among qualified quarterbacks in the league, but his 140.8 passing yards per game ranks 33rd.

Fields has also run for 257 yards and three touchdowns in six games, fumbling three times on carries.

“If we could just complete a pass, it would look good,” Johnson said. “The offense is just not clicking. And you can’t run the ball if you can’t pass the ball. It’s Football 101.”

While Fields’ opening game vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers was encouraging, his passer ratings in losses to the Denver Broncos and Carolina Panthers the last two weeks were 58.7 and 59.7, respectively.

Fields has taken 22 sacks in six games.

Neither Fields nor Taylor led a touchdown drive in the 13-6 loss to the Panthers.

Fields completed six of 12 passes for 46 yards on 28 snaps. Taylor completed 10 of 22 for 126 yards, while throwing two interceptions, for a passer rating of 25.9.

Johnson declined to endorse either quarterback when asked.

“That’s completely up to the coach,” Johnson said. “I’m not going to be involved at all in any of that. This is what they’re paid to do. This is what they’re experts at doing.

“So they’ll make the right decision with what we’ve got.”

What the Jets don’t have anymore is a four-time MVP quarterback after releasing Aaron Rodgers this spring. Johnson admitted Rodgers is “playing great” with the Steelers but declined to say he felt regret.

“I never look back,” Johnson said. “You have to look forward in football.”

With his head coach, Johnson expressed similar forward thinking.

The team owner said he’s continued to hug his head coach daily and tell him: “Keep the faith, man.” His belief in Glenn, who played eight seasons for the Jets after they selected him in the first round of the 1994 NFL Draft, remains.

“I do believe in Aaron,” Johnson said. “I see the way he handles a room. If I were a player, I would respond to him. Because he’s the real deal. There’s no b.s. There’s no second agendas. What you’re hearing is the truth.

“A lot of times, players don’t get the truth. They get a lot of gobbledegook.”