Jaguars sticking with Bortles as starting quarterback

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone named Blake Bortles the team's starter at quarterback on Monday, despite benching him after two turnovers the day before.

Backup Cody Kessler took over for Bortles midway through Jacksonville's 20-7 loss to the division rival Houston Texans as the team's offense sputtered.

"I spoke to both quarterbacks this afternoon and told them that Blake will be our team's starting quarterback," said Marrone. "I believe this gives us the best opportunity to win."

Turnovers are the No. 1 reason why Bortles' starting job was in question. In the jaguars last three games he's turned the ball over eight times.

"It’s a number one priority [to take care of the ball]," said Marrone. "We are not even giving ourselves a chance right now and the next question is going to be, ‘How do you do that?’ Well, we’re going to cut out a lot of time in individual [drills] where we might be working on specific things and we’re going to work a ton on taking away the ball and securing the football. That’s pretty much what we have to control right now."

This isn't a decision that Marrone plans to waiver with if Bortles gets off to another slow start on Sunday against the Eagles.

“I think once you put a person out there – no matter what position, quarterback or anything – you’re trusting in that confidence that player is going to get it done," said Marrone. "Then I think it’s a matter of performance and basically what the situation calls for at the time. I think it’s hard to go ahead and say ‘short [leash], long [leash],’ whatever it may be. The mindset is, ‘Hey, this is who is playing. This is what we have going on.’ And you have the utmost confidence in it. If you don’t and you’re putting someone in there and you don’t feel comfortable with it, that’s a problem before it even gets started.”