The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
TEAM GETS READY FOR ‘MINSHEW MANIA’
FLOWERY BRANCH — Before Jacksonville quarterback Gardner Minshew splashed onto the NFL scene as a mustache-wearing cult figure, he had to deal with Falcons cornerback Jordan Miller.
Last season, Washington State, with Minshew at the controls, played Washing- ton, with Miller at corner- back, and was defeated 28-15 in Pullman, Washington.
“We thought he was a good player last year,” said Miller, who had three tackles in the game and would be drafted by the Falcons in the fifth round. “At Wazzu, he came into the program for one year and did some great things for them.”
Minshew, who will start when the Jaguars (5-9) face the Falcons (5-9) Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, was drafted in the sixth round.
“He’s doing well in Jack- sonville,” Miller said. “He’s a rookie. We are coming in with a good mentality to play against him.”
Minshew, who is listed at 6-foot-1 and 225 pounds, was pressed into service in his first NFL game after starter Nick Foles suffered a broken clavicle on the 11th play of the season opener. Minshew started the next eight games and went 4-4. Foles, who signed a four-year, $88 million deal in free agency, started the next three games before he was benched and the Jaguars turned back to Minshew.
With Minshew starting, the Jaguars lost to the Char- gers 45-10 before pulling out a 20-16 victory over Oakland on Sunday.
“He’s a pretty good scrambler,” Miller said. “He scrambles to throw sometimes. He can get out of the pocket and make guys miss — more than you’d expect. Then he’s not afraid to throw it down the field.”
Minshew, of Brandon, Mississippi, energized the Jaguars early in the season and “Minshew Mania” swept across Duval County, Florida. Minshew, a colorful dresser, is looking to cash in on his fame. He has filed trademark applications for “Minshew Mania,” “Minshew Magic” and “Mississippi Moustache.”
He started his career at Northwest Mississippi Community College before playing at East Carolina. He played one season at Wash- ington State.
“He bounced around a little bit in college,” Jaguars coach Doug Marrone said. “He really had a heck of a year at Washington State. We kind of did our home- work. Brought him in and interviewed him. He had great energy.”
He started the final exhi- bition game against the Falcons, who had Danny Etling at QB. Minshew completed 11 of 26 passes for 79 yards.
“He did a nice job and got a bunch of reps in the (exhibition) season,” Marrone said. “We really didn’t know what we had. Then when Nick got injured in the first game of the year, we threw him in there.”
Minshew turned some heads when he completed 22 of 25 passes for 275 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in the 40-26 loss to the Chiefs.
“He took advantage of his opportunity,” Marrone said. “He’s an incredibly bright young man . ... He can take it from the classroom onto the field. He’s done a great job for us.”
Minshew is 5-5 as a starter and has completed 245 of 400 passes for 2,795 yards, 17 touchdowns and five interceptions. He has a passer rating of 91.2.
“He’s played a lot,” Falcons coach Dan Quinn said. “This is a very good competitor. You see that boldness in his play. He can break out of the pocket and extend plays with his feet. Can rip a ball down the field.”
T he Falcons were impressed with the rally Minshew led last week against the Raiders. He stood in the pocket to take on the blitz, while waiting for wide receiver Chris Conley to make his cut.
“Staring in the face of the blitz at the end of the game to throw a ball in for a touchdown on back-to-back plays,” Quinn said. “One got broken up and another blitz came right to him.”
The touchdown gave the Jaguars a lead after they trailed 16-3 at halftime. “They made a really good play on it,” Quinn said. “What he’s showing is that he’s a real competitor. His boldness to play jumps out to me.”
Falcons passing-game coor- dinator Jerome Henderson is helping Miller and the rest of the defensive backs prepare for Minshew’s style of play.
“He’s one of those players that you can tell the guys rally around him,” Hender- son said. “When he’s in the game, I think they believe in him. He’s really good at buying time in the pocket.”