Column: Minshew's Handling of Injury is Understandable ... So is Potential Frustration from Jaguars

In many ways, it is hard to blame Gardner Minshew for attempting to do what every athlete is asked to do -- tough it out.

With the Jacksonville Jaguars' 2020 season, and Minshew's odds of being the quarterback of the future, quickly circling the drain, the best thing for Minshew was to be on the field and just keep chipping away at the season. If Minshew was to be taken off the field for any reason, including injury, what guarantee was there he would ever return?

With all of this in mind, it is understandable why Minshew handled his thumb injury the way he did. With the failures of the first half of the season breathing down his neck, it isn't hard to fault him for trying to stay on the field.

But even with that in mind, it is harder to fault the Jaguars for any potential frustration they feel over the situation.

The second-year quarterback reportedly began to feel discomfort in his thumb against the Houston Texans in Week 5, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. For the next two weeks, Minshew would continue to take snaps under center for the Jaguars, but it wasn't until after Week 7 that Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone first learned of the injury.

“I was aware Sunday after the game that he had a thumb issue, that he hurt his thumb, so I just figured he might have hit a helmet or something of that nature," Marrone said during a media conference on Monday. "He might have gotten an X-ray that night or not, I don’t remember. That I don’t remember. Tuesday, came in, they said when he came in his thumb was swollen and then there were tests done and then tests were sent to our doctor, another doctor, hand expert.

"Tuesday night was when I really felt like, ‘Okay this is where it is.’ I didn’t really think it was anything at first, so I didn’t really put much into it, he’s a tough kid. Then when it came back Tuesday night and they sat down, I went to the hand specialist and then I came back, then I said, ‘Okay, this is real.'"

Essentially, Minshew potentially spent two Sundays playing while knowingly not being at 100%. And in many ways, it is hard to fault Minshew for not disclosing his injury until after Week 7. How many professional athletes would feel differently, after all.

Minshew is not only a tough competitor, but he is a smart and aware person. He almost positively knew that his standing as the team's starting quarterback became flimsier with each loss. As a second-year player who was a sixth-round pick just a year ago, anything that takes him off the field could alter his career trajectory dramatically.

But while Minshew's competitive nature is commendable and his desire to keep his hold on the starting job is logical, it is just as easy to poke holes in the argument in favor of his decision. When you are the quarterback and captain of a team, you can't put your teammates in the situation Minshew did the last few weeks.

It was understandable, sure. But was it wise or fair to the rest of the team to not clearly communicate what the situation was? As Marrone would point out, the lack of transparency simply can't happen.

"My emotion was, at first, there’s a little level of frustration and accountability when someone is injured obviously, they should report it," Marrone said.

"You kind of go back and did you see anything that might have given you an indication. I talked to [Quarterbacks Coach] Ben McAdoo, I talked to [Offensive Coordinator] Jay [Gruden], we didn’t see anything. When Gardner came in, I just talked to him, I said,’ I can understand. One, if you’re injured, you need to report it.’ I said,’ Two, it’s not like I don’t understand the competitiveness in you where you want to continue to play.’ I said, ‘But, you have to make smart decisions and decisions that’s what’s best for team’ and that was it."

Marrone said he wasn't going to levy any disciplinary measures himself against Minshew, but it is key for his players to know that if they knowingly play with undisclosed injuries, then they could potentially put the team at great risk. Unfortunately for the Jaguars, it took an injury to the starting quarterback to provide this example.

"Even though we appreciate the competitiveness that you all have that it’s in your best interest to make sure you report it and this way we don’t put someone out there that’s not really 100 percent," Marrone said.

This essentially sums up why it is perfectly reasonable if the Jaguars feel any frustration about the entire injury situation at quarterback. This is something that can have numerous negative ramifications for the team, no matter which position is involved.

The fact that it happened to Minshew, a starting quarterback, surely amplifies the narrative. But any NFL team would want its signal-caller to tell them if they are ever not 100% or at least close to it. The locker rooms and organizations as a whole would deserve that

In the end, each side of the argument has its own points of merit. Minshew should have told the Jaguars, which can't really be argued, but one can also see why he didn't.

At the end of the day, the Jaguars lost their last two games in part due to a sputtering passing attack at times. And now, they will have to prepare for Week 9 without Minshew. No matter which way you slice it, it is another bleak moment for a rough 2020 in Jacksonville.