The showdown between the Miami Dolphins and the Jacksonville Jaguars in Wee 3 of the 2020 NFL season doesn’t necessarily offer the most compelling storylines. The Jaguars were a team ahead of the start of the season that was widely considered to be in similar position to where the Dolphins sat just one year ago in their rebuilding process. With low levels of talent and even lower expectations, the Jaguars aren’t going to move the needle on a national scale this season. The Dolphins, conversely, were hoping to showcase a more improved roster to open the season — but have started slow amid some Week 1 struggles by QB Ryan Fitzpatrick and a slew of new pieces on the defense.
But thanks to tomorrow night’s opposing quarterbacks, the ante has just been upped — in perhaps the least predictable way possible.
Facial hair.
Yes, you read that right. Quarterbacks Ryan Fitzpatrick and Gardner Minshew have captivated football fans as of late with similar gunslinger mentalities and a frenetic energy in the pocket. The nicknames “Fitzmagic” and “Minshew Mania” don’t come from nowhere, after all. But part of the charm of both quarterbacks is in their style — Fitzpatrick sports one of the best beards in football, a caveman like look that is impossible to miss. Minshew, on the other hand, rocks an 80s rock-band look with long hair and a handlebar mustache.
And the duo exchanged some lighthearted barbs on Tuesday through their conversations with the South Florida media, setting the stage for a battle of two Florida teams, to reckless quarterbacks and clashing styles of facial hair.
Ryan Fitzpatrick exchanged the first barb on Tuesday:
Ryan Fitzpatrick's full comments on mustache vs. beard. This is personal huh. Let the games begin. pic.twitter.com/A5ILELwlM0
— Ben Murphy (@BenMurphyTV) September 22, 2020
All in good fun. Which is what made Minshew’s rebuttal so entertaining — he ultimately elected to let his facial hair do the talking for him, but not before tossing in an age joke at Fitzpatrick’s expense.
After Ryan Fitzpatrick proclaimed beards are cooler than mustaches, Gardner Minshew responded: "I'll let mine speak for itself… but I'm gonna have respect for my elders. Especially when they're much, much elder." pic.twitter.com/vEC277ysCj
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 22, 2020
This matchup of two teams certainly needed a little spice to it — otherwise anyone who isn’t a Dolphins or Jaguars fan may struggle to find the game overly captivating. But now? At the very least, the exchange between Fitzpatrick and Minshew has pulled facial hair aficionados into the fray as well.
