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Jaguars News | Jacksonville Jaguars - jaguars.com

Jaguars Offensive Coordinator Jay Gruden: Wednesday, December 23, 2020

(On the challenge of having different starting quarterbacks week to week) "It's been a challenge all year. Really, it's up to the quarterbacks now to understand that if you're dressed out, you are supposed to be ready to play, so we have to get both of them ready to play. We'll see how Gardner [Minshew II]'s throwing, we'll see how Mike [Glennon]'s throwing, and I think [Head Coach] Coach Marrone will make that determination Friday or Saturday. Those guys have been great as far as mentally getting themselves ready to play. Physically, us adhering to the individual has been quite the challenge, but all these plays should be good for both of them. We hope."

(On the other running backs stepping up with RB James Robinson being banged up this week) "It's the case in every position, but it's very critical that D.O. [Dare Ogunbowale] gets some good reps. He had a good run the other day on the draw and he's done some good things in the passing game as far as protections. Now, we just have to put more on his plate. I think he's up to the challenge. He's been at a couple different teams. I had him at Washington, he's been at Tampa, so he's an experienced kid that plays hard and is very smart and fundamentally sound. I think given the opportunity, he'll be ready. And Ziggy [Devine Ozigbo], he'll be ready to go too. Every time he's touched the ball so far, he's shown some explosion. We probably have to get him the ball a little bit more."

(On having a quarterback competition in Week 16) "It's unique. I think really you have to look at the body of work that both these guys have put together through training camp and on to now. Then we have to evaluate their games as we go on and see how they're doing in practice and see who gets the game plan a little bit more soundly, I guess. I don't know. I think really it'll be up to [Head Coach] Coach Marrone and we'll have some input as a staff and hopefully the players will have some input on the practice field. If somebody's throwing the ball a lot better than the other, then we have to go with the guy that's throwing the ball better."

(On evaluating the quarterbacks when splitting reps in practice) "The plays will be pretty sparse this time of year. We're doing some walk throughs and very little one on ones, not against the defensive number ones, really, it's against scout team. We have to get these guys a few reps and see how they do. I think the big thing, like I mentioned early, is not so much how you throw your first pass in team period one, but really, we're going to go back and really evaluate the games that Mike [Glennon] played, the games that Gardner [Minshew II]'s played, and hopefully make a determination over the overall, big scope of things."

(On QB Gardner Minshew II's performance last week) "I think there's some good things. We got down so quick, so fast. I think there's a few of the sacks that obviously we have to avoid at all costs. The turnovers [are] critical. We had a pick six called back fortunately, the sack in the end zone, and the fumble, those are three critical plays that you can't have, especially against a talented team like Baltimore. It's puts you really badly in the whole. But the one thing about Gardner [Minshew II], he's going to keep fighting, he's going to keep competing. He's going to make some plays over the course of the game, but when you're down 16-0, 23-0, we have to stay more competitive than that early."

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