Wednesday afternoon's practice will go a long way toward deciding whether or not Byron Leftwich is ready to return to action from the broken ankle he sustained on Nov. 27.
"I'm going out to practice. How it goes, I don't know. We'll find out. I'll know by tomorrow," Leftwich told reporters when asked about his potential for playing in this Sunday's regular-season finale against the Tennessee Titans.
Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio confirmed that Leftwich will resume his role as the team's starting quarterback when it's decided Leftwich is fully recovered from his injury, but Del Rio avoided speculation about who the Jaguars' starting quarterback might be this Sunday.
"When he's healthy enough to play, he'll play," Del Rio said. "I want to see him practice. He's been cleared to practice. We'll let it unfold. At the same time, we want to continue to work David (Garrard). We'll let the week play out."
Del Rio said Leftwich would be listed as "questionable" on the team's injury report when it's released following Wednesday's practice. "It's pretty simple. I can't lay it out any clearer," Del Rio said.
Leftwich repeatedly told reporters on Wednesday that he'll have more information on Thursday. "I wanna see how it reacts today. I wanna go out there and have no pain. It's a day to go out and see what I can and can't do. I'll have more answers tomorrow," Leftwich said.
Del Rio said defensive end Paul Spicer will not play against the Titans. Spicer sustained a broken left hand in last Saturday's pregame warm-ups. He played in the game but was examined further on Tuesday by a specialist.
"We're optimistic we could get him back for the playoffs. We think we can avoid surgery," Del Rio said of Spicer, the team's second-leading sacker with 7.5 sacks.
Defensive tackle Anthony Maddox and linebacker Tracy White have each been put on injured reserve with high-ankle sprains and the Jaguars have signed defensive tackle Martin Chase and linebacker Greg Favors.
Del Rio acknowledged the possibility he would rest some of his players this Sunday, but maintained his stance on the importance of scoring what would be the team's 12th win of the season.
"To prepare ourselves to play our best football; enter the playoffs with as healthy a roster as we can (have)," Del Rio said of his dual objective this week.
