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Jaguars News | Jacksonville Jaguars - jaguars.com

Nick Foles - Monday, August 5, 2019

(On competing against Baltimore) "To go against another team, especially one as talented as Baltimore—they're a really well-rounded team, they're a playoff team. Their defense has been great for a really long time, so getting to compete against them was a lot of fun. I thought both sides handled it really well, but I thought offensively, I thought we were efficient. Obviously, there's different scenarios working for second down, third down, red zone and we worked a two-point play at the end and a two-minute drive, so we were able to work a lot of different situations versus them which was awesome."

(On how it feels to go into a training camp where he is the starting quarterback) "It's great just being a part of a great organization and a team that's really bonding together. I think whenever you get to run an offense that you really enjoy, and that you get to have a lot of say in, what quarterback wouldn't love that? But it's really just about the people that you get to do it with, and this team has really been bonding every single day. We're getting closer and closer, and anytime you can go away from your city on a trip, and you're practicing, you're playing a preseason game, it just brings you closer together."

(On how the adjustment period has gone for him so far this preseason) "I feel like [I'm] trying to get a little bit better every day, trying to get closer with the guys and develop those relationships to where when we come on the field, and we play against someone, when we need to make checks or a route adjustment or different line calls, everything is smooth, so I feel good where we're at. We just have to keep progressing. We're heading [in] the right direction, we still have a ways to go. That's the plan, just a little bit better every single day."

(On Leonard Fournette's practice today) "It was great. I thought we were able to move the ball around a little bit, a lot of different guys had catches. We were able to run the ball well, Leonard did a nice job. The guys up front made some nice holes for him to where he could get through the line. The touchdown run he had later in practice, I don't think one guy touched him when they loaded the box, so hats off to the o-line and obviously he's a talented runner."

(On if Fournette is making strides in the passing game) "Yeah, he's very talented catching the ball and I think you all have seen that. He caught three balls today, and every single day he's catching balls in practice every single day. You're always reading concepts and everything, but sometimes the matchups on the running back versus a linebacker, or if you go through your progression and they cover it really well you can check it down to a back like him and he can make a play, so he's a special back when you give him the ball."

(On if he was surprised by the level of success in the red zone) "I think we were just executing the play. We talk a lot about, 'The only thing we have to worry about is this play, this call and just executing this,' not thinking ahead. The red zone scenario, I thought our guys did a really nice job blocking everything up and our receivers did a great job running routes because everything happens faster down there, tighter windows, and they were covering our guys well but we were able to make some plays."

(On being able to work his plays without the fear of being tackled) "Well I think when you play football you don't really think about getting hurt or fear. If you're a quarterback, they'll say you don't really think about that. If you do, I don't think you can play that position. Obviously, practice is different. I think the big thing is you have to hone into practice and treat it like a game where you're moving the pocket, stepping up, trusting your guys as if—the guys are still around you, so being able to make a throw with the flash of color all around, so we were able to get a lot of great work today."

(On the interception he threw in the red zone) "It was a two-point play, so the scenario right there was a two-point play. So, trying to get a ball in a tight window to make a play to get two points, so that was the scenario there. If it's the red zone right there, you'll probably pull it back and scramble around a little bit, but right there, trying to give our tight end a chance and they made a nice play and popped it up. But we were ultimately able to make a tackle or stop them right there, so no harm done. They can try to score and we always stop it, so that was a good teaching moment, but two-point play."

(On if Fournette was his first read on his first throw of the day) "No, nope. He was my third read. But, the way we read it—the timing, my look is all man, that was his first read, but you have to play this game fast and the way they did, they brought pressure, they dropped their corner out, the secondary starts syncing with the concept we have. So, I knew the corner was going to be waiting for an over, so hey, give it to Leonard right now, he probably got 30 yards up the sideline, so playing fast."

(On his chemistry with DJ Chark Jr. improving) "DJ's a talented receiver. He's a really talented route runner, he's a guy that comes to work every single day and just wants to get better. But just the receiving group as a whole, I think they're doing a nice job every day. We're able to talk through the different routes, the different scenarios and then we're able to progress and take it onto the field and improve. So, really excited about working with them, I'm proud of those guys for the strides they're taking."

(On how much his playoff and Super Bowl experiences will help the organization) "I think the big thing is I just need to be myself. Just be genuine. I talk about it all the time, it's just being genuine and helping these guys along. My philosophy is always in the quarterback room I want to help those guys develop as younger players, I want to help all of the different position groups just step on that field and feel confident because we're a unit. And just teaching those lessons about, 'Hey, this is the only play that matters, this play call. We're playing for one another, you're playing for the guy next to you.' The little things that I've learned from playing with so many talented players and coaches throughout my career I try to bring to the practice field every single day, and try to help my teammates, and like I said before, I'm really excited about being here and very fortunate to be here."

(On what he thought about the two teams having a moment of silence before the practice) "I think that with everything that's been going on, the mass shooting, it just shows you we're so blessed to play this game and there's so many things going on, just to take a moment, and pray and have a moment of silence for everyone who's going through a lot of struggles. Life is happening outside of the football field and I think it's important to remember that and say a prayer for everyone every single day."

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