Jaguars News: Nick Foles returns as starter after the bye week

In what was expected by many members of the media, Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone has named quarterback Nick Foles the starter for the Nov.17 game at Indianapolis.

Evidently, Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone did not need the off week to determine who would start at quarterback when the team faces the Indianapolis Colts on Nov. 17.

Nick Foles, the starter for Week 1 who broke his clavicle 10 plays into the NFL season, has reclaimed his position, meaning rookie Gardner Minshew will serve as the team’s backup.

Minshew, who filled in admirably in Foles’ absence, was 4-4 as a starter and garnered Rookie of the Week awards on six of the nine weeks he was on the field this season. While the move to bring Foles back from the injured reserve list as the starter shouldn’t surprise anyone, the Jaguars now have two quarterbacks on this roster who can start and be successful in the NFL.
The news of Foles’ return was met with plenty of support from the team.

"“We’re excited for the opportunity of him [Foles] being back in the huddle,” wide receiver Chris Conley said via jaguars.com. “He’s a guy a lot of guys enjoy playing with, but the huge thing that this team is echoing is that it’s grateful for the effort and the play of Gardner Minshew – him coming out there, helping us win and keeping this season alive.”"

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Minshew captivated the community with his personality, his persona and a moxie few quarterbacks have shown in 25 years of wearing the teal and black. His mobility and ability to make things happen in and out of the pocket were responsible for the Jaguars 26-24 come-from-behind win over the Denver Broncos.

At 4-5 and on the outside looking in with the AFC playoff picture, the veteran presence on the field form Foles could help the Jaguars make a move in the standings. Five of the seven teams Jacksonville faces in their remaining contests have a record of .500 or less. When Marrone spoke to the media on Tuesday, he said he made the decision at quarterback this morning before the bye week.

"“One of the things that I’ve learned in coaching is that it’s very difficult when – it’s tougher to make decisions when you give yourself a hard timeline, a short timeline,” Marrone said. So, for me, when I looked at it, and I wasn’t going to put a lot of time into it prior to the game – the thought process of the quarterback position – I looked at the schedule and I said, ‘OK, what’s the most amount of time that I would have,’ before I had to make a decision.“So, I wanted to get that out there to kind of give myself that time if I needed it. Going through, what I did, I took time, obviously I got the game [film] done on the way home from London. [I] stayed up, got a good night’s sleeps, woke up, started working on the quarterback decision right away. I came to a decision and I thought once you come to a decision, you might as well tell the people. I told the players today and I want to get it to you, and I just wanted to do the right thing.”"

Let’s not forget that while Foles has been hurt and on the mend while Minshew has led this team, the last play before the Jaguars lost their prized free-agent was a Foles throwing a 35-yard TD pass to DJ Chark. Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Chris Jones landed on top of Foles, breaking his collar bone.

Foles is now being asked to come back to the huddle and build chemistry again with his pass receivers, running back Leonard Fournette and the offensive line.

"“It’s not the way you want to start your time here,” said Foles at the time of the injury. “Sometimes things don’t happen like we expect them to, but we just have to have faith that it’s for a reason."

Now, the team is off for the next week before players return for preparation for the Colts on Monday, Marrone said the decision was made with the rest of the season in mind.

"“I think for me, looking back at all of the work, the work that we put in and I just go back to the experience and what he’s going to be able to do,” he said. “And I think that’s going to give us the ability [to have] a better chance of winning right now.”"