Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Gardner Minshew II had arguably the best rookie campaign of any first-year quarterback from the 2019 class and a lot of his success came early in the season. Most (including himself) weren’t expecting him to have to start Week 1 of the regular season, and it was even more shocking to see the success he had in his early stages.
In a recent interview with SiriusXM NFL Radio, Minshew explained just how he put together his impressive Week 1 performance where he went 22-of-25 against the Kansas City Chiefs. He also elaborated on why he was to be successful beyond that point and it simply was due to the support of the staff around him.
“So, going in I didn’t have any reps with the first-team but I had some great people around me coaches-wise,” Minshew said. And then Nick [Foles] [helped tremendously], being able to watch him and how he prepared. In the first game, Nick goes down and I was going over [the plan] with my quarterbacks coach [Scott Milanovich] and he says, ‘All right, circle all the plays you like.’
“I feel like I was really put in a position to succeed by those guys and I cannot be more grateful for the people around me.”
While the Jags’ staff received a lot of criticism, the offensive staff actually deserves the least amount of blame because of the hand they were dealt during the first half of the season. However, John DeFilippo was still fired while Scott Milanvich took a job to be the head coach of the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League.
Minshew’s ability to catch on fast was something fans praised him for in the early stages of his NFL career, and with a new offensive coordinator coming into the mix in Jay Gruden, it appears he has the ability to make another quick transition. If he can make that transition, it’s hard to imagine that veteran Nick Foles could win his job back after a season where Minshew flashed multiple times and finished on a high note.
