As a Mississippi native, Gardner Minshew II likely has seen his share of New Orleans Saints games. That means he’s also likely seen his share of Drew Brees highlights, too, but unfortunately he won’t get the head-to-head matchup against the NFL’s all-time leading passer as most quarterbacks his age dream about. As most are aware, Brees is in the process of recovering from thumb surgery and isn’t expected back until Week 8 at the latest.
However, Minshew will get to play against a player on the defensive side he looked up to in fellow Brandon, Miss. native, Demario Davis, who went to the same high school as Minshew (Brandon High) prior to the Mississippi Mustache making his mark with the team.
“He’s not a kid on the Saints, that’s a grown dude over there,” Minshew told the media Wednesday. “Demario Davis, I was actually talking to him a little bit yesterday. He’s a guy that went to my high school, I looked up to him. I remember he came back and talked to us when I was in high school, always been a great role model, so it’ll be a lot of fun to play against him.”
Davis has been a tackling machine for the Saints, racking up a total of 25 tackles and two pass breakups throughout his last three games. And though he’ll be on the opposite end of the field trying to defeat the rookie, he told the media that he’s a big fan of Minshew while displaying a Minshew t-shirt in his locker.
Just like Davis, Minshew has had some success of his own since leaving Brandon High and is the player most view as the front-runner for offensive Rookie of the Year. He’ll enter his matchup against Davis and the Saints 110-of-165 (66.7 percent) for 1,279 yards, nine touchdowns and an interception. With the Saints’ defensive unit currently ranked No. 19 against the pass allowing an average of 255 yards through the air per game, he could propel the Jags to their third win of the season if the Jags’ defense can hold their end of the bargain.
