Doug Marrone And Jaguars Once Again Facing Critical Quarterback Decision
The 2019 season has not gone the way the Jacksonville Jaguars hoped it would on a number of fronts, but it has gone even almost impressively awry when it comes to the team's quarterback situation.
In March, they thought Nick Foles would be their new franchise quarterback. Several months later, that all came crashing down and Foles got pulled at halftime of Week 13's tilt against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for rookie quarterback Gardner Minshew II after Foles turned the ball over three times (one interception, two fumbles) on his first three possessions.
"I wanted to get a spark. It was kind of dead and I wanted to get things going and made the switch at quarterback," Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone said after the Jaguars (4-8) fell 28-11 to the Buccaneers at TIAA Bank Field.
With the Jaguars trailing 25-0 at halftime, Marrone let Foles know about his decision and it was time for Minshew to step back in. In four games this season, Foles has played 11 quarters due to a Week 1 clavicle injury and then being benched at halftime today. Through 13 weeks, Foles has still yet to take a second half snap at Jacksonville's home field.
This isn't how Jacksonville envisioned things playing out when the Jaguars' front office inked Foles to a four-year, $88 million contract with over $50 million in guaranteed money. There is zero chance the team thought that not only would Foles play as poorly as he has, but that Minshew, a sixth-round draft pick, would outplay him by leaps and bounds as he has.
“I just thought it was going to give us the best chance to win. I really did. I don’t think any decision like that is easy," Marrone said after the game. "It’s very painful because you know it’s not just one person. I look at it as if I ever have to bench someone or pull someone or whatever words we want to [use], it’s a direct reflection on me in not having guys ready or whatever it may be. It’s not easy, those are the decisions that have to be made.”
Foles admitted Sunday was an emotional day, one that will likely test him as he moves forward. He pointed out that he hurt the team with his turnovers, and the only thing he can do is wait and learn from it.
"If I had the quick answer, everyone would be doing it. I think the big thing is to deal with the emotions today," Foles said. "It’s an emotional game, we put a lot of time and effort into it, but it helps when you spend time with your family and get away from this because it is emotional. You’ve got family, friends watching you, playing for a city. You deal with those emotions first, come back tomorrow and look where you need to improve, the good, the bad, the ugly."
Minshew didn't lead Jacksonville to victory, but he did at least lead them to two scoring drives and almost a third one before a dropped Dede Westbrook pass in the end zone with roughly six minutes left resulted in an interception. Marrone said he wanted Minshew to provide a spark, and JaguarMaven asked him during his postgame press conference if he feels Minshew did that.
“I think we had an opportunity. I’m not going to sit here and say that we didn’t, so I would say yes to that," Marrone said.
It wasn't just Marrone who felt the spark, either. It was also the defenders on Tampa Bay's sideline. Many said after the game that they felt more energy with Minshew in the game, and cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting took this a step forward.
"He (Minshew II) is more mobile. He gets the ball out a lot faster than Foles usually does," Murphy-Bunting said. "He’s a guy who brings a lot of energy to the team. He’s a young guy, high-energy guy, so I know they were going to feed off of him."
The Jacksonville fan base was also vocal in who it wanted at quarterback, repeatedly booing Foles in the first half and chanting "We want Minshew" after Foles' third turnover. Minshew addressed this after the game.
"One thing I didn’t appreciate was a lot of the booing today. You have guys who put their hearts out there every play, every game," Minshew said. "Nobody deserves that. I hated how that was, but I’m also super appreciative of the support I get from the fans.”
Minshew and Foles both said Sunday was a tough day, and Minshew went as far as to say that he feels for Foles for being benched. Minshew noted that he and Foles would continue to support the other no matter what happens.
“Oh, it’s tough. I’ve been in the same situation; I’ve been booed off the field at ECU and it’s not a place anybody should have to be in," Minshew said.
"There’s so much love in that room, we all support each other and to see that was absolutely brutal. I hate that for him. In the same vein, all he wants is to win, all I want is to win and whoever’s out there, [that] is what we’re going to try to do.”
Marrone said he has yet to speak to either player about the quarterback decision moving forward but he would talk to both of them before he announces the starting quarterback for Week 14. As of now, it wouldn't make much sense to go back to Foles after the poor offensive product under his guidance, but the team also invested heavily into the veteran. It is a tough situation no matter which way you cut it.
“Ultimately, with what happened today, Coach Marrone has said he’ll decide something and knows how this goes," Foles said. "I know how I feel in this locker room and how I feel playing quarterback but ultimately that’s his decision, but I know that whenever I am out there, I’m going to give it everything I have for my teammates every single day.”
While the share of the blame for the disastrous Foles situation will fall both on the front office and the player himself, Marrone didn't let himself off of the hook Sunday.
When asked why it is that Minshew is able to perform well but Foles continues to look rusty, Marrone said it comes back to him. And in the upcoming days, Marrone will have to decide which of the two quarterbacks he is going to want to hedge his bets on for the final month of the season.
“I’m not doing a good enough job. When you look at what we’re doing out there, it’s not good enough," Marrone said. "Like I said before, it’s tough. You try to do the best job you can, but at the end of the day, when you’re pulling quarterbacks and pulling other players, there’s no doubt it’s a direct reflection on me, that I’m not doing a good enough job for those guys."
