What Gardner Minshew Said to Jake Luton Ahead of Jaguars Week 9 Bout Vs. Texans
Over one year ago, Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Gardner Minshew was in a similar spot that rookie quarterback Jake Luton is in today.
Each was a sixth-round pick from the Pac-12, wet behind the ears without a regular season snap under their belt and preparing to make his first NFL start due to an injury to the starting quarterback.
Minshew made his first start in place of Nick Foles in Week 2 due to a collarbone injury to Foles, while Luton will make his in Week 9 against the Houston Texans due to a thumb injury to Minshew.
As a result, nobody knows more than Minshew what Luton is stepping into on Sunday. Luckily for the rookie passer, Minshew has so far provided a rock to lean on. A type of rock that no other player or coach, whether it be Jay Gruden or Mike Glennon, can provide right now.
"Gardner [Minshew II]’s a great dude, great leader for our team," Luton said in a media conference on Wednesday. "The first time I saw him afterwards, I ran into him on my way into the building and the first thing he said was, ‘Let me know what you need. Let me know what you need to get ready to go and I’ll help you’.
"And same with Mike [Glennon], Mike’s been the best mentor that I could ask for, prior to this week even. He’s really helped me come along and study the game and understand the game and that hasn’t changed. Our first meeting in, he actually called me beforehand and said, ‘Let me know what you need.’ So, both of them have been real supportive, hasn’t been awkward by any means. They’re great teammates.”
Luton, who Jacksonville picked with the No. 189 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, will be making an important step on Sunday. He bounced around as a collegiate quarterback, playing for Idaho, Ventura Community College, and Oregon State before coming to the Jaguars.
In 2019, Luton (6-foot-6, 224-pounds) completed 62% of his passes in 2019. He threw for 2,714 yards and 28 touchdowns with only three interceptions. He had his fans in the scouting community and among draft analysts, but he had to take an incredibly winding path to the NFL -- not dissimilar to the one Minshew himself had to take.
"We’ve talked about it a little bit. We’ve had a couple conversations. I remember one we had at the hotel over dinner, kind of just talking about our paths and the journeys we’ve taken and it’s really cool," Luton said Wednesday.
"I remember a couple years ago facing off against him and watching him for Washington State and how much success he had. It’s a small world. It’s crazy how our paths have now crossed. I think our different journeys and our roads, all the different steps that we’ve taken has helped us both. Now, being together, I think it’s helped us even more. We push each other pretty well and I think he has a lot of knowledge to bring to the table.”
Luton will be starting as a result of a thumb injury that Minshew reportedly sustained against the Houston Texans in Week 5. Minshew started the next two games, but told the team about the injury following the Week 7 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.
With Minshew on the mend, the Jaguars chose Luton over Glennon to lead them on the field. Now, Luton will be the 20th different starting quarterback in team history and the sixth rookie to make his debut.
"Coach Marrone called me in late last week and told me the news. [He] said to get ready and they were excited for me," Luton said.
"[I] talked to [Offensive Coordinator] Coach Gruden and [Quarterbacks Coach Ben] McAdoo] and I’m excited. I can’t wait to get out there and get to just play football, get to be out there with the guys and I’m real fired up.”
