Marrone may quarantine QB in case of COVID-19 outbreak
Coach learning ins and outs of job amid virus
JACKSONVILLE — Part of the new normal for Jaguars coach Doug Marrone includes having discussions with his assistants about the possibility of quarantining one of their quarterbacks during the season to avoid a worst-case scenario.
And instead of wearing a whistle around his neck, Marrone wore an electronic tracker device that flashes red and beeps anytime social distancing is not followed. Speaking for the first time Thursday since the team’s rookies and veterans reported to training camp to undergo COVID-19 testing, Marrone shared some of the challenges and plans to get his team prepared for the upcoming season in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic.
‘‘So many changes have taken place, normal is really out of the picture,’’ said Marrone, sporting a new beard. “There are going to be a lot of challenges for us, a lot of anxiety in different areas. It’s hard to pinpoint what’s going to come up next.”
Fortunately, for now, Marrone said they don’t have to make a decision on which of their four quarterbacks they might consider putting in quarantine for the entire season. However, he didn’t say it, starting quarterback Gardner Minshew probably is not likely to be under consideration.
“We’ve talked about the pluses and minuses of who that player might be,” Marrone said. “There’s a lot of things that might go into it. As we get kind of closer to the part that we feel that player would need to be quarantined, I think that conversation will come up again, and we’ll see where we are with the team then.”
Unlike several other teams around the league, the Jaguars have not had any players voluntarily optout from playing. High-risk individuals could opt-out and receive a $350,000 stipend. Players who volunteer to opt-out who are not high risk will receive $150,000. Players will have about a week after testing to opt-out, and it’s irrevocable.
“To stand up here and say there’s no risk, that’s not true,” Marrone said. “We all have to take risks. I told the players coming in if you optout, obviously, we would respect that decision totally. It’s the same with the coaches.”
The Jaguars veterans, who reported on Tuesday, must test negative three times over the next four days before they can enter the team’s facility at TIAA Bank Field to undergo physicals. Under new league rules, players will undergo daily COVID-19 testing for the first two weeks of camp, then every other day if the positivity rate goes below 5%.
Rookie cornerback Josiah Scott was activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list Friday, but the Jaguars added tight end Charles Jones and cornerback Parry Nickerson to the list. With the additions, the Jaguars’ now have seven players on the COVID-19 list. They include starting right tackle Jawaan Taylor, first-year offensive lineman Ryan Pope, thirdround defensive tackle DaVon Hamilton, undrafted offensive lineman Tre’Vour Wallace-Simms and cornerback Luq Barcoo.
The list was created for players who test positive for COVID-19 or have been quarantined after having close contact with an infected person or persons.
Although teams can trim their roster now from 90 to 80 players, the Jaguars are going to wait until the required Aug. 16 date. Until the cut date, the Jaguars will have split practices because NFL safety protocols stipulate that no more 80 players can be inside the team facility at the same time. The Jaguars are also using four different locker rooms inside TIAA Bank Field to accommodate the expanded roster and meet the league’s guidelines for each locker area to be spaced 6 feet apart.
With the four preseason games scrapped, starting Monday the acclimation period will begin for nine days and mostly involve strength and conditioning work. However, quarterbacks, receivers, kickers, punters and long snappers will be the only players permitted to work with footballs.
On Aug.12, players will be allowed to wear helmets for the first time in camp, but on-field work will be limited to a maximum of 3.5 hours, as mandated by the league. The first padded practice and full-contact drills are not scheduled to start until Aug. 17. Last summer, the Jaguars already had gone through a jointpractice session with the Baltimore Ravens in training camp and played two preseason games by Aug. 17.
Similar to last summer, when Yannick Ngakoue missed the start of training camp because of an 11-day holdout for a new contract, he’s a no-show again after refusing to sign the Jaguars’ $17.8 million franchise tender. Marrone said he has not spoken to Ngakoue, who wants out of Jacksonville.
“He’s one player that I know is always ready,” Marrone said. “I’m going to reiterate again, as a coach, you love for that perfect harmony between management and the player as far as the business end of things. When you look at it, both sides have rights from management to the player’s side. As a coach, you are always looking for a solution that you can be part of to help and bring parties together.”