Jaguars and Leonard Fournette prepare to face the Colts
By David Levin
After missing what amounts to seven of the team’s first eight games, Jacksonville Jaguars running back Leonard Fournette readies himself for the game against the Indianapolis Colts this Sunday.
It goes without saying the Jacksonville Jaguars offense misses Leonard Fournette. The game plan this season was to build the offense around the team’s second-year running back and let the defense do enough to help the ballclub win. Those plans have been dashed as the former first-round pick out of LSU has been hampered with a hamstring injury.
On Sunday, at Indianapolis, Fournette will be back in action and ready to help the Jaguars erase a four-game losing streak. His return is a huge reason why there is optimism this team can turn things around in the final two months of the season and at 3-5, the Jaguars still believe they are a playoff contender.
It also goes without saying the person most excited about Fournette’s return may be quarterback Blake Bortles.
Head coach Doug Marrone told the media on Wednesday if Fournette is ready to play, he will start and get the lions share of carries in the running game. The team does not plan to bring him along slowly, should he be at full speed and healthy once again. That’s a good thing for Jacksonville, a team that is tied for 24th in the NFL in rushing yards per game.
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That could be bad news for the Colts, who lost both games to the Jaguars last season. Fournette has been a full participant in practice this week prior to Sunday’s road contest.
"Per Jaguars.com senior writer John Oehser, offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett told the media on Thursday, “We’re going to play it by ear, see how he is,” with regard to how the team uses Fournette against their AFC South rival."
So far this season, in a half of two games, Fournette has rushed 20 times for 71 yards. T.J. Yeldon has been the team’s leading rusher this season. Jacksonville also added Carlos Hyde to the mix in a trade with the Cleveland Browns in a trade a week prior to the NFL trade deadline.
On Thursday, Fournette was still listed on the Jaguars injury report, but he was also listed as a full participant. Marrone added when he spoke to the media his plan is to use Fournette like every other player in the game if he is ready to play injury-free.
"“Once a guy is ready to play, that has to be our expectation. I think you get into trouble when you put a player on the field and he is not able to live up to the expectation that you have for him meaning that all of a sudden now if something happens, it’s kind of like a built-in excuse,” Marrone explained.“That’s the way I’ve always viewed it. I have always told players [if someone says], ‘I’m going to go out there, but I don’t feel like whatever …’ What does that mean? If they say, ‘I’m not 100 percent, I can’t do what’s expected of me.’ Well, then, I can’t put him on the field.”"
Next. Three Jaguars to watch on Sunday at Indianapolis. dark
Marrone also told the media he would make the decision if the team will have more rushing attempts than passing attempts in the game on Sunday.