Gardner Minshew Labeled a ‘Superstar’ but He’s Not Quite Perfect
Gardner Minshew either doesn’t understand this tanking thing or he’s just not good at it. What he is good at is football. The Jacksonville Jaguars, once expected to be the worst team in the NFL certainly aren’t playing that way, and that has a lot to do with Minshew. The Jaguars were thought to be the favorite to land prized quarterback Trevor Lawrence with the No. 1 pick in 2021, but Minshew, the Jags’ ‘superstar,’ isn’t about to let that happen.
The Jaguars aren’t supposed to be good
To put things mildly, the expectations for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2020 weren’t very high. Big-named players such as Jalen Ramsey, Calais Campbell, and Leonard Fournette are gone and many so-called experts have predicted the Jaguars to at or near the bottom in the NFL standings.
In Week 1, the Jaguars were an 8-point underdog at home to the Indianapolis Colts. The Jags outlasted the Colts 27-20 behind a masterful performance from quarterback Gardner Minshew. In Week 2, the Jaguars came in as another huge underdog and hung with the high-powered Tennessee Titans on the road before falling 33-30.
It’s early, but the Jaguars aren’t nearly as bad as expected. Gardner Minshew has put a jolt of excitement into the offense and has them averaging 30 points over the first two weeks. Minshew is showing he isn’t ready to surrender his job to Trevor Lawrence.
Gardner Minshew is considered a ‘superstar’ by his teammate
Gardner Minshew has all the makings of a superstar. He’s put up the big numbers so far. He’s got the swagger. If Minshew can somehow get this Jaguars team to the playoffs, that just might put his in superstar status. In the eyes of teammate Josh Allen, Minshew is already a superstar.
“I see a superstar, Allen, the Jaguars’ second-year defensive end said, according to Sports Illustrated. “I think, in my eyes, I do believe Gardner is a superstar. “He has the look, he has the swag, he has the arm and he has the plays to make—to be who I consider a great quarterback in the NFL. That’s my guy.”
They way the Jaguars have been playing, their biggest need isn’t Trevor Lawrence. Allen says they already have their quarterback. “I think he’s a great quarterback. I feel like he’s shown that many times and he’s going to continue to show that. He has the whole team, the whole organization behind him. And I feel like that’s all you really need as a football player. As long as you have your teammates that support you and with you every play, who want the best for you. And an organization that wants the same, as well. I mean, what more can somebody ask for?”
Minshew has been great, but he’s not perfect
Against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 1, Minshew was about as good as it gets. He completed 19 of 20 passes for 173 yards and three touchdowns in the 27-20 victory over the Colts. Minshew stole the show and led the Jaguars to the unlikely win. Although he’s been dominant, he’s not perfect.
“Yeah, I mean, he’s never flawless. He’s 19 for 20, of course, and he had the drop, but I think there are some things that we can clean up,” offensive coordinator Jay Gruden said, according to Sports Illustrated. “I think in the pocket, a little bit, he might’ve escaped a little bit too soon on a couple plays where we had down-the-field shots.
“But for the most part, we’re always going to find something. We’re coaches, we’re not very nice, we’re going to find something to be critical about. That’s just the way it is, we have to. We can’t tell him he was perfect, otherwise he’ll get a big head.”
