Doug Marrone on Gardner Minshew: 'There are times where I felt really good and times where I want to see more'

The status of the Jacksonville Jaguars' backup quarterback spot is a hot topic after an uneven preseason from their rookie backup.

After a relatively uneventful preseason where most Jacksonville Jaguars starters played less than a half of football, one of the most talked-about storylines heading into the regular season is the backup quarterback position. Starting quarterback Nick Foles has never started 16 games in an NFL season, meaning whoever backs him up should be someone the Jaguars' coaching staff should have complete confidence in. 

Rookie quarterback Gardner Minshew, a sixth-round pick out of Washington State, has gotten four preseason games worth of reps to prove the Jaguars should trust him with the role, but he ended the preseason without leading a touchdown drive and ultimately finished with a 54 for 96 passing for 468 yards after four games. 

Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone said after Thursday's 31-12 loss to the Atlanta Falcons that he wanted to see more from his young quarterback, but he understands he has been playing with mostly backups. 

“You want to see him do better. It’s always in the back of your mind. ‘Well, what if he was with this guy or that guy?’ But you want to see that production. It’s tough," Marrone said. "There are times where I felt really good and times where I want to see more."

Though he dealt with drops and a leaky reserve offensive line, Minshew conceded after Thursday's loss that he was not happy with his 11 for 26, 79-yard performance, or with not scoring a touchdown during the preseason. 

“Oh, absolutely, it’s very frustrating. Ideally, you want to score touchdowns and when you don’t, that’s not ideal," he said Thursday. "Now, my focus is the next time I get an opportunity, I’ll be as ready as I can be.”

Marrone said Minshew's up and down play in preseason games has not been what he has seen during practices during training camp, which has still given him confidence in the rookie. Still, he said, it would be easier to evaluate him if he was surrounded by more starters. 

"It’s not from his lack of work ethic or lack of his effort or practice, he’s been pretty consistent in practices. A lot of the fans and people out there don’t see the practices every day and the media doesn’t see him every day," he said. 

"All they’re able to look at is what goes out there on the field and obviously, you’re going to want more, and Gardner wants more from himself, too, and you’re going to see that.

Whether Minshew's strong practice play has gained him enough favor from the coaching staff to fend off the addition of a veteran backup quarterback will be something worth watching over the weekend.