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Jaguars News | Jacksonville Jaguars - jaguars.com

Nick Foles - Sunday, August 18, 2019

(On if he is seeing growth from the offense) "Yeah. Today was a really good practice. I thought we got a lot out of it through the walk through and through the practice. Now it's really just fine-tuning all of the details and really just getting closer and closer to the opening day of the season. Obviously, we have two preseason games left, but we're working on fine-tuning all of the little details every day. So far today, it's been a great day."

(On if he's started to study the Chiefs defense yet) "Not yet. We're going to see what coach decides this week, so I'm focused on Miami, staying in the moment on them. So, I'll just keep my focus there and we'll move on afterwards."

(On how important the dress rehearsal game is for him) "The dress rehearsal is preseason game three for most teams. It's as similar to an in-season week as we're going to get during the preseason, so just fine-tuning all of the schedule, and the details and what we're going to go over and the installs. Especially with a new offense and new players, it's huge. It's been great so far for me just to get a feel of what our expectations are throughout the day, you know, 'When am I going to have time to do my extra film work?' Figuring out the schedule so we don't have to worry about that Week 1."

(On how much he is leaning on the tight end position this year and what he's seen from them) "Obviously we were a little banged up in that room, but when Geoff [Swaim] and Josh [Oliver] are out there, they were doing a really nice job when they're healthy. James [O'Shaughnessy] and Ben [Koyack] and the guys have been stepping up and doing a great job of—We have some young guys who just got here, so they've been doing a nice job stepping in, and running the routes and getting the blocking terms down, but obviously we need to get our tight ends healthy."

(On the anticipation level of seeing the offense come together and play in the preseason game at Miami) "Obviously getting to a game, that's the most important thing, but right now, the anticipation is just getting to the film right now and watching practice and staying in the moment, working on today. And you do that every single moment, every single day, then the game comes and the game's not as big as it would be if you focused on it right now. Because then the emotions get way too high way too early instead of, 'All I have to worry about right now is we've put all of the work in so far today,' now we're going to watch it, we're going to take notes, how can we improve. And then we're going to come back tomorrow and install more stuff and do the same thing. And then by game time, based on what coach decides, we'll be ready to roll and all we have to do is go out there and—The play is called, execute it, stay in the moment, play for one another."

(On if he feels like he has a good grasp on the offense) "Yeah, I'll go off of today in practice [on] where we are. I felt like we had a really good practice of executing the game plan that's in right now. I like the game plan that's in, felt like we did a nice job today. Every day we need to continue and improve because we're a young offense, so there's never going to be a time where we arrive. We still have a lot of work to do each and every day to fine tune our blocking, our route running, our footwork, every single thing. So, we still have a few weeks to prepare, but we still have a lot of work to do."

(On how well he has gotten to know Marqise Lee) "Marqise's locker is only a few away from mine, so I've gotten to know him quite well since I've been here. Obviously, he's been rehabbing to get back on the field and then playing with Nelson Agholor in Philadelphia, I know they're real tight, so Nelly gave me the low-down about how passionate he is, the type of player. I've seen him from before, he's a [U]SC guy, so being in the PAC-12, understanding his skillset, we're excited he's just back on the field with us right now and he's going to help this offense greatly. We just want to make sure he's 100 percent healthy, ready to roll and comfortable."

(On how important it is for the offensive line to play a game together before the regular season) "Really the most important piece of the offense is the offensive line. The way they work together, the way they communicate, the way we recognize fronts, our run game, our pass protection. The way that those guys communicate is a work of art, so to have them all out there working, developing, communicating is huge for us right now. So, it's happening at the right time, so we have to really take advantage of every single day."

(On the last time he went through the preseason without playing a snap until the third game) "I guess a couple years ago—I don't know if I played a down in the preseason, so it's been done."

(On if he was with Philadelphia when he didn't play a down in the preseason) "Yeah, with Philly. I know players have gone through it, and I have obviously come off the bench before at a really tough time, cold, so if you have a chance to play, and go out there, and just be with your guys and execute plays, it's always great to get that game feel of the game preparation the night before the game, the day of the game. Based on what coach decides, it'll be good for us."

(On Brandon Graham's comment that 2017 might be Foles' last season because of elbow issues) "Yes, B.G. texted me afterwards saying, 'I didn't mean [to start] all that.' I had some elbow issues that were well-known at that time and documented in Philly, so I missed training camp. The elbow issues, Dr. [Eon K.] Shin is there, a lot of guys go see him. He's a wonderful guy, so I was able to get everything cleared up. I felt good. It was one of those things where when I was in St. Louis, it was also well-documented that after that, I was going to step away from the game. It was sort of a combination of both of those moments. But, yes, I did have elbow issues in 2017 that were very difficult at the beginning of the season and got better as the season went on."

(On if he is having any issues with his elbow now) "No. My body feels great. Obviously if you play football you're going to have bumps and bruises and get soreness. But my body feels great. I do everything I can to monitor [my health] – a clean diet and do great recovery."

(On if he has a sense of how rare it is to get a second chance to be 'the guy' for a franchise as a quarterback) "It's definitely a blessing to be here, to have the opportunity to lead a team. For a franchise to give you a chance, but at the same time, I think you just realize this game is not about one person. I've been blessed to play with so many great people in my life and an example the other day, seeing my ex-teammates in Philly and getting to embrace them – that's what the game is about. Coming here, that's what I'm working to build – the relationships to where you know it's more than X's and O's, it's more than football. Obviously we have to go out there and win games, but the tighter you are in the locker room, the greater the opportunity is to win those games because adversity can't break you apart. That's really what I'm instilling right now with this opportunity. I'm not changing who I am based on anything. They brought me here to be me and I'm going to do everything I can to glorify God in every action I do and impact and love my teammates. That's how I play the game. That's how I choose to play the game. That's what gives me energy – working to impact other peoples' lives. Jacksonville has given me the opportunity, and I'm just trying to stay in the moment each day and do it to the best of my ability."

(On what it's been like facing Jalen Ramsey and A.J. Bouye in practice) "You have two premier defensive backs in the league to compete against every single day. You can't ask for anything better than to compete against those guys. It's great for me. It's great for our receivers. It's great for our team. The defense here is an extremely solid defense that flies around, and it's helped us as a young offense competing against them daily because they haven't made it easy and our guys have had to execute at a high level to compete. OTAs and training camp have been extremely valuable for this team."

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