Josh Allen Says Ignore the Noise, Gardner Minshew Is 'A Superstar' and 'My Guy'
Even after Josh Allen was drafted No. 7 overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2019, the Kentucky Wildcats honored their star. A massive Josh Allen banner hung from the side of the stadium in Lexington, Kentucky honoring their former defensive end.
It took less than a year after arriving in Jacksonville for Allen to be placed on a banner outside that stadium as well, a larger than life presence of the club’s future.
In other words, he’s a superstar.
But the face of the Jaguars franchise wants to share that title with a teammate.
“We’re looking at the same Gardner Minshew, that’s what I see. I see a superstar. I think, in my eyes, I do believe Gardner is a superstar.”
The second-year defensive end was asked about his quarterback after coming off a Week 1 win over the Indianapolis Colts; particularly, he was asked about any differences between Minshew’s personality in the locker room and in public.
Whatever differences or similarities may be there, however, Allen sees the total package for the Jaguars.
“He has the look, he has the swag, he has the arm and he has the plays to make—to be who I consider a great quarterback in the NFL. That’s my guy.”
The assurance that Minshew is his guy can’t help but seem substantial. All offseason, as the Jaguars traded or waived this player and that player, as rumors rose of tanking for Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawerence, the assumption became Minshew is simply a placeholder. He’s got to lose enough games to earn a good draft spot but show enough promise that the Jags can get a decent trade value or justifiably make him the back-up.
But after a season when Minshew was thrust in for the injured Nick Foles, and then benched for the recovered Nick Foles and then clamored for by the public over Nick Foles; after an offseason in which (now former) teammates made public requests for the club to bring in Cam Newton; after all of that, Josh Allen says his locker room has found their quarterback.
“I think he’s a great quarterback. I feel like he’s shown that many times and he’s going to continue to show that. He has the whole team, the whole organization behind him. And I feel like that’s all you really need as a football player. As long as you have your teammates that support you and with you every play, who want the best for you. And an organization that wants the same, as well. I mean, what more can somebody ask for?”
Still, if the Jaguars were getting rid of Jalen Ramsey, Calais Campbell, Leonard Fournette, Ronnie Harrison, agreeing to the Yannick Ngakoue trade, then what could they possibly be hoping for out of the 2020 season?
Josh Allen doesn’t care what that narrative says.
“We’re not really focused on the outside noise, we hear it all the time, since probably Jalen [Ramsey] left that we weren’t going to be a good team and everybody that left after that, it’s just been getting worse and worse. And now, they saw us play last week and now they’re surprised.
“A lot of good players left our organization and they really saw that and they’re just like, ‘Oh they’re weak now.’ But little do they know, they’re not in the locker room with us, they don’t see the guys that we have and they don’t see how well we play together. We’re a family, man, we play for each other, we play as one. And that’s just how our mindsets [are] and I’m just excited to get going again.”
And if that locker room is what is setting the tone for the Jaguars' success in 2020, then Gardner Minshew has to be at the center of it all.
“In the locker room, he’s ‘G-Money’ to me,” laughs Allen.
“He’s laughing, joking, hitting each other—you know, doing what everybody else [does]. And that’s great to see that your quarterback is like that. He’s a well-rounded individual, who’s super cool and chill.”
Minshew—who went 19/20 for three touchdowns in Week 1’s win—can afford to be a bit more “chill” now thanks in large part to knowing stars like Allen and DJ Chark have his back.
Chark (17) says Minshew's (15) confidence has grown due to teammates support. Mandatory Credit: Douglas DeFelice-USA TODAY Sports
Explains Chark, “[It’s been] just from confidence of filling in, to just being his team—being the captain. I think that’s a big jump because you know that the guys in the locker room support you and they want you to succeed. [As] opposed to wishing that somebody else was quarterback and things like that. So, I think that’s the biggest thing that transfers on the field—translates to the field because when you’re dropping back, everybody on the team wants you to succeed. So, I think that’s the biggest thing and the confidence that he has.”
As far as Josh Allen is concerned, the only major issue with Gardner Minshew II now as it relates to his team, is getting too confident. But that’s a problem the Jacksonville Jaguars are fine with having.
“But hold on, let me stop talking about him so much, now,” jokes Allen.
“I’m [going to] chill, I’m giving him too much hype right now. I’m [going to] back off a little bit, that’s all I’m going to say on Gardner. That’s my dog though, that’s my dog.”
