Behind Enemy Lines: 4 questions with Jaguars Wire

Breaking down the Jaguars with our friends at Jaguars Wire.

The Indianapolis Colts (5-4) and Jacksonville Jaguars (4-5) are set to square off in a crucial divisional matchup at Lucas Oil Stadium on Sunday.

Before the Week 11 matchup gets underway, our own Arden Franklyn caught up with managing editor Jay Johnson of Jaguars Wire to get the scoop on the Colts’ opponent this week. Be sure to follow Jay and Jaguars Wire for all of your Jaguars’ needs this week.

Here is our Behind Enemy Lines for the Week 11 matchup:

Colts Wire: Are the Jaguars realistically in the best place they could be in at this point in the season?

JJ: I’d definitely say they are in a good spot when considering the circumstances. They lost Nick Foles for eight games during the second series of their regular-season opener against the Kansas City Chiefs. They also traded their best player and a generational talent last month in Jalen Ramsey. So when considering those two elements, they could be a lot worse than 4-5.
However, that’s also not to say they are in the best situation either because there is one win some fans feel they left on the table. That game was Week 2’s meeting with the Houston Texans, where the Jags were literally inches away from winning. Various fans feel as though Doug Marrone should’ve put the ball in Gardner Minshew’s hands for the walk-off two-point conversion win, but instead they elected to hand the ball off to Leonard Fournette, who was stopped just short of the end zone. With Minshew concocting the previous drive like a veteran, it’s possible the rookie could’ve cooked up some “Minshew magic” for a walk-off win, but we’ll never know.

CW: On a scale of 1-10, where you would rank the importance of Nick Foles returning to the starting lineup?

JJ: Well, I believe we won’t know the importance of his return until we see the results. If he returns and has the late-season success fans have witnessed in the past and leads the team to the playoffs, it definitely is worthy of a 10. If he’s not significantly better than Minshew, then his return isn’t that important at all and the team will have to live with the act that they stopped the momentum of the rookie, who had his ups and downs but was developing over time. I’ll say this, though: There is a lot of anticipation built up to see what Foles can bring to the table. He was excellent in training camp, but fans want to see it on the field.

CW: Obviously, a big moment for the Jaguars this season was trading away their Pro Bowl corner Jalen Ramsey. Is that move a “changing of the guard” for this franchise?

JJ: For sure. Ramsey wasn’t just an elite player and generational talent on the field but was Shad Khan’s most marketable face due to his popularity around the league. Simply put, it was the franchise’s biggest move in recent history, and they likely will never find a talent like him on the field and a more marketable player. However, that’s not to say trading him will plummet the franchise, though it is a very questionable move. They also still have plenty of talent on the roster, and some could even evolve into franchise players — like Josh Allen, Leonard Fournette and Yannick Ngakoue, to name a few. After his impressive run on the field and the popularity he gained as a temporary starter, Minshew has “face of the franchise” potential, too.

CW: It is necessarily important for Coach Marrone and his staff to make the playoffs this season?

JJ: In my opinion, yes. If the Jags don’t make the playoffs, I believe they will need to make someone the scapegoat, and unfortunately it could be Marrone when in actuality he’s done a solid job granted the circumstances. As previously mentioned, he lost his veteran quarterback for two months and the front office traded his best player in Ramsey, who he wanted to keep. The locker room could’ve easily fallen apart as they have in the past but Marrone got them to focus somehow and claw their way to .500 three weeks ago.
However, when the season ends, I could see the Jags being 8-8 or 9-7. That should not be good enough for the fans when looking at the product Khan has put on the field since becoming an owner (36-85 record). As a result, I think he could look at Marrone as the guy who needs to go when in actuality, he needs to probably start at the top with Tom Coughlin and Dave Caldwell, who’ve made questionable and puzzling decisions in the front office.