Jaguars’ Jay Gruden Reflects on Why He Was on Board With Gardner Minshew As QB
There is no pairing in Jacksonville that will be more important to the Jaguars' on-field success in 2020 than that of first-year offensive coordinator Jay Gruden and second-year quarterback Gardner Minshew II. Gruden was brought in to help develop and foster Minshew's talent, and their work has already begun.
Minshew is entering his first year as the Jaguars' full-time starter after starting 12 games in 2019 as a sixth-round rookie. Minshew went 6-6 as a starter, throwing for 3,271 passing yards on 60.64% passing for 21 touchdowns and six interceptions, and he frequently dazzled with his legs, playmaking ability, and overall leadership and charisma.
But now, Minshew will be leaned on like he never has been before. An NFL franchise at a crossroads is rolling the dice on him, trading away veteran quarterback Nick Foles to the Chicago Bears for a 2020 fourth-round pick and setting the table for Minshew to be the man behind center.
Such a move needs the consensus support of an entire offense, coaching staff, and organization, and it is clear Gruden was in favor of Minshew starting at quarterback in 2020.
"Oh for sure," Gruden replied in a video conference Tuesday when asked if he was on board this offseason with Minshew as the starter.
"I liked him coming out of college, you know, he played for a bunch of different colleges: four I think. [They] were very successful. And then you know, he got drafted in the later rounds and came out, and playing in the National Football League is about taking advantage of opportunities, and Gardner did that."
Minshew and his story from going to sixth-round backup to starting quarterback in a year is the latest example of a team potentially finding a diamond in the rough at the game's most important position. Minshew was given a chance most sixth-rounders aren't, which was to see the field extensively. While there were certainly some low points, there was also more than enough good play to encourage the Jaguars and make them feel comfortable with Minshew moving forward.
"He's a shining reason why once that opportunity truly presents itself, you take advantage of it and he did that and that's he's put himself in a great position to take the Jacksonville Jaguars and lead them into the future here," Gruden said.
"He has shown a skill set where you can sit in the pocket, step up, make things happen outside the pocket. He's accurate, he's tough, and obviously he's a great leader so he's got the intangibles you want at the quarterback, now it's just got to get to know the team got to get to know the offense a little bit so we all gel together."
Gruden noted on the call that he was a fan of Minshew coming out of Washington State in 2019 and he was impressed by the ability he showed as the starter in 2019. He will of course have a lot of work ahead of him to help Minshew reach his full potential, but Minshew has a strong base of talent to start off from.
Of course, it will be key for Gruden and Minshew to mesh early on. Their dynamic will impact the rest of the offense, and this is a factor Gruden is cognizant of.
"My job is to make it mesh, you know, take on the personality of our quarterback and him to understand what we're trying to get accomplished on the play-to-play, game-game, week-to-week basis is going to be critical," Gruden said.
"Now it's just a matter of him getting some general knowledge of our offense and me figuring out what he likes, what he doesn't like, what makes him tick, and go from there. But I'm pretty easy to get along with. I know he is too. I think it will be a great relationship between the two of us."
