JaguarMaven Week 8 Mailbag: Who Should Be Quarterback?
Each week following a Jacksonville Jaguars game, JaguarMaven will take Jacksonville Jaguars-related questions from our readers across social media and answer them in a question-and-answer format, giving readers a chance to have their voices heard.
You can submit your questions every week by tweeting them to the JaguarMaven twitter handle or our Facebook page.
Question from @zach_goodall: What’s your take on Foles vs. Minshew?
Well, there are many layers to this.
Foles was a player that the Jaguars invested heavily in to be the face of the franchise. Though brief, you kind of saw what he was capable of with this offense. Aside from the obvious financial commitment, Foles offers veteran leadership, a strong locker room presence -- and Super Bowl experience. With a team that annually seems to have a defense formidable enough to contend for division supremacy, I think the veteran will get the keys back when healthy in an attempt to maximize their window – and rightfully so.
Minshew, on the other hand, has shown occasional flashes of brilliance – followed by frustrating turnovers and critical miscues. The rookie signal-caller would do well to sit behind Foles for a full season, learning the finer nuances of the game, before the Jaguars likely feel comfortable naming him the long-term starter.
Question from @GuillaumeKLN: Are defenses playing Jacksonville differently in the last 3 weeks ? Fournette finds more runs and Gardner Minshew looks more like a rookie than ever before.
I think it’s fair to say that the more Minshew plays, the more game tape he has for teams to assess his weaknesses. Right now, he appears to have hit the inevitable rookie wall – pressing, not working through his progressions, staring down receivers and not taking care of the football. Let’s keep in mind, Minshew was a sixth-round pick that was expected to sit behind Foles just two months ago. The growing pains were to be expected.
That said, the Jaguars are turning to Fournette to be the offensive catalyst, essentially looking to take the pressure off of Minshew, who has been pressing as of late. He’ll have a juicy matchup this week to get the aerial attack back on track, however.
Question from @EdSchubel: How is Jarrod Wilson doing at FS so far? I haven’t really noticed him much, which I guess is a good thing.
Wilson is quietly putting together a solid season. Though he only has one pass defense on the season, teams simply aren’t targeting him. The biggest leap in his game is his mental processing, which is allowing him to play fast and free in his fourth season.
Head coach Doug Marrone on Wilson earlier this week:
“J-Dub has been solid. He’s played a ton of snaps for us. He’s played special teams for us. When you look at the snaps on the team, which I do every week, he’s probably one of the guys that has the most snaps, so that’s valuable. He’s going out there, he’s being productive for us. He’s a really good communicator. Both of those guys are really first year fulltime starters, so you’re going to see them get better.”
Question from @MattCurleeRiser: I feel like front off is more reactionary than proactive. Say what you want about the Rams, but they are making bold moves at 3-3 to be more competitive. Other than Campbell & Dareus 2yrs ago we seem shun making impact moves in season & wait on the draft. Am I missing something?
While there is certainly validity to your opinion, there are many factors that go into executing a trade. For one, it takes two to tango, as they say. The Jags could very well have called teams to ask about certain players availability. Teams may have been reluctant to part with those players – or the asking price may have been a bit too rich. The point is, we don’t truly know.
However, I firmly believe that if the team can stack two wins over the next three games, that they will be buyers around the deadline.
Thanks for the question!
Question from @rodyreport: What’s the reason for Minshew's apparent regression in your opinion. Also, how’s he comparing to rookies of year past in the eye test. To me I am not floored the way I was at Watson, even though statistically he’s better
Well, a lot of it has to do with the dreaded rookie wall that you always hear about. An NFL playbook is so much more intricate than in college, the days are longer, and the preparation for Sundays is intense.
I think at times he has been trying to do too much, rather than take what defenses are giving him. Lately, his struggles working through his progressions, climbing the pocket and locking onto his receivers have contributed to his recent regression.
As far as the eye test goes, Minshew has a long way to go before he reminds anyone of Watson, Wentz, Goff or Prescott. He is still very much a raw prospect in many ways. He needs to work on his pocket presence and decision-making before he’s ready to enter that conversation, but the sky is the limit.
Question from @DynastyPA: What’s up with the RB rotation for the Jags? Seems like they are the 90s model of RB rotations. Armstead and Ozigbo are solid backS who have yet to get exposure behind a thoroughbred RB
This is a question I’ve been getting more and more.
29, 23, 20, 29. Those are Fournette’s carry totals over the past four weeks.
While most teams dedicate 15-18 carries for their workhorse runner -- with 5-6 to spare for their backup – the Jaguars have opted to lean heavily on Fournette. Rookie Ryquell Armstead, second in the pecking order, has only seen a handful of carries over that span.
They also have, as you mentioned, Devine Ozigbo – who they targeted off waivers. Ozigbo is someone I felt was one of the more underrated running backs in the 2019 NFL Draft, and somehow went undrafted. He offers a unique blend of power, balance, agility and finesse for a bigger back. While I don’t believe he was ever in their immediate plans, Ozigbo strikes me as someone the team didn’t expect to shake free, and moved quickly to add him to the mix.
I think he will see some snaps towards the end of the season and establish himself over the offseason.
The main you find with bigger running backs, like Fournette, is that they typically need volume in order to get into a rhythm. He’s been running the ball well and helping with time of possession as of late, so I feel the team is simply riding the “hot hand”.
Question from @DynastyPA: Do you think Texas WR Devin Duvernay or Alabama DB Jared Mayden of Alabama would fit in the Jags scheme if drafted or UFA?
Great question.
Duvernay is a player I’ve enjoyed watching over the past four seasons. At 5-11, 210, he offers a unique body type that isn’t currently found on the Jaguars receiving corps. He is built a little like Deebo Samuel. Duvernay is having a big senior season (61 catches in 7 games), so he is sure to garner attention from the NFL. The fact that he doubles as a kick returner is an added bonus. I think he fits what Jacksonville is looking for, and could instantly give the return unit a boost.
Mayden is a four-year player with limited production, but as an Alabama defensive back, will almost certainly generate buzz as an UDFA. Given the Jaguars propensity to develop defensive backs and find gems post-draft (Herndon, Wingard), he could very earn a look. At six-foot, 205 pounds, his body type offers positional versatility, as he can likely play safety or cornerback at the next level.
