'Minshew Mania' is Back for a Limited Run
PHILADELPHIA - At 6-foot-8 and sporting a freshly shaved mustache, Eagles' left tackle Jordan Mailata could afford to stand behind a media scrum crowded in front of Gardner Minshew's locker at the NovaCare Complex Thursday and play reporter.
"Bring the stache back is what they are all saying on Twitter," the Pro Bowl alternate said.
Minshew Mania is officially back, at least for a short period, after Eagles coach Nick Sirianni pulled the plug on competitive advantage a little early by confirming Philadelphia's typical starting quarterback and MVP candidate, Jalen Hurts, would be unable to play on Saturday at Dallas due to a sprained throwing shoulder.
The next man up is Minshew, who will be asked to pilot the 13-1 Eagles to the NFC East title and the No. 1 seed in the conference.
READ MORE: Jalen Hurts Out vs. Cowboys, Gardner Minshew Will Step In
Sirianni said that Hurts is the toughest player he's ever been around. If so, then Minshew might be the coolest, unleashing his typical colloquialisms of man, dude, and yes, even cool when asked about his supporting cast, which will include eight Pro Bowl players and alternates.
And that group doesn't even include star tight end Dallas Goedert, who will return to the lineup against the Cowboys after missing five games with his own shoulder injury,
"I try to be myself every day," Minshew said. "... I don't know man, we got a lot of really good players. I'm excited to get out there with them. I mean pretty much the whole offensive line is in the Pro Bowl. That's pretty cool, you know?
"Lot of great guys to throw to and a defense that's playing really well so I gotta go out there and do my job and help us win any way I can."
The week has been anything but mundane for Minshew.
On Tuesday, he was in Mississippi speaking at his former college coach Mike Leach's memorial service while also understanding that it was likely he was going to be starting against the Cowboys.
In his short time away from the NovaCare Complex, Minshew was going through installs and the first phases of the game plan virtually. A day later he was on the practice field with the ones with Goedert remarking that he didn't remember the football hitting the turf.
“It’s been great getting those reps with the ones,” Minshew said. “I hadn’t gotten as much. It’s easy to get up to speed with great players. They make it easy on you, so I’m just trying to go out there and do my job.”
In his lone meaningful start last season, Minshew was really effective, finishing 20-for-25 for 242 yards and two touchdowns, both to Goedert, who also accumulated a then-career-high of 105 receiving yards.
"All our confidence is behind Gardner. Last time we had to do this, he had a pretty good game," Pro Bowl running back Miles Sanders said. "I know a different opponent, but Gardner’s ready, he’s motivated, he’s focused and the way he approaches the game is like any other starter.
"We’re all confident in Gardner. We know he’ll do the same thing when he gets in there. He knows how much this game means to everybody and how much is at stake."
An accurate intermediate thrower, Minshew might find the big bodies of Goedert and A.J. Brown to his liking in the Eagles' passing game.
“He’s really good,” Minshew said of Brown “It’s nice. He gets open, catches the ball. When you’ve got those two things going for you, it's like, quarterback-friendly.”
While the Eagles can wrap up everything there is to wrap in the regular season with a win against the Cowboys, it's also an important game for Minshew personally. Regarded as one of the better backups in the NFL, he is set to be a free agent after the season and will want to prove to the rest of the league that he is a starting-level signal caller.
“Every time you step out there, that’s what it is, it’s an audition,” Minshew said. “That tape never goes away. So, you just go out there and try to help your team win. If you do that, I think everything will work out.”
Cool man, cool.
-John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's Eagles Today and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talk host Jody every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on YouTube. John is also the host of his own show "Football 24/7 and a daily contributor to ESPN South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen
