3 ways Gardner Minshew can prove he is the future of the Jaguars
While he may always have his doubter, Jaguars fans should be excited about the rise of Gardner Minshew.
A quarterback coming off of a very strong rookie campaign usually has a fanbase that is very excited about his future. However, Jacksonville Jaguars fans have been a bit cautious when talking about Gardner Minshew.
That is nothing new. The former sixth-round pick is used to having doubters. I,n fact Minshew seems like he embraces those feelings from fans and national media. Doubt is what fuels him. His doubters claim he lacks arm strength, yet he has one of the best percentages on deep throws in the NFL.
They doubt his ability to make plays, yet in his rookie season, Minshew has some of the best quarterback highlights in Jaguars’ history. They doubt his poise, yet under pressure, he delivered time and time again. It is getting to the point where those who doubt him will run out of excuses.
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Obviously, things haven’t been perfect. Gardner Minshew has had some turnover issues. He also had some pretty ugly games last year. What rookie hasn’t had a few rough games though?
Many experts are suggesting that Jacksonville will have the worst records in the NFL. They are saying that after this season Jacksonville will draft Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence. Gardner Minshew is already being written off as nothing more than a fun experiment that has provided some good laughs.
Minshew is going to prove all of those doubters wrong. Here are three ways Gardner Minshew can prove he is the future quarterback of the Jacksonville Jaguars.
He must limit his turnovers
One issue that Minshew had last season was he had problems holding onto the football. Ball security is crucial towards success. This goes for not only throwing interceptions but also avoiding strip sacks. Minshew’s touchdown to interception ratio was actually very solid. He threw 21 touchdowns and only 6 interceptions.
Gardner Minshew had only three total fumbles lost. Those aren’t terrible numbers, but numbers that would likely increase if he started a full 16 games. Often the reason for these turnovers weren’t lapses of judgement or inaccurate throws. Usually, they were because Minshew got greedy and tried to force throws or extend plays longer than they needed to be instead of taking what the defense gave.
Another year of experience should help remedy those issues.
The Jaguars defense isn’t good enough to be on the field for a majority of the game. They lost a lot of key pieces, and while there is talent on that side of the football, most of the players are very young.
Minshew must cut down on those turnovers to be successful this season.
Jay Gruden on Gardner Minshew: ''I just know it's just a matter of him getting a general knowledge of our offense and me figuring out what he likes and what he doesn't like and what makes him tick and go from there.''
— John Reid (@JohnReid64) May 26, 2020
Minshew must become more consistent
Consistency is key when it comes to the NFL. Being good five games out of the year doesn’t cut it. This is especially true for NFL quarterbacks. The numbers don’t have to be miraculous every week.
A game or two slump isn’t the end of the world. The best have their off weeks, but in order to prove you are a franchise quarterback, that means you can’t go through cycles.
Gardner Minshew had consistency issues last season, but overall for a rookie, he was solid. Minshew may start off hot with a few 300-yard games without any turnovers and a couple of touchdowns each game. That should set the standard for his entire season.
What he must do is find a way to perform at a high level each week. A new offensive system should help in his development. Offensive coordinator, Jay Gruden’s job is to help his young signal-caller find a balance in the new offense. He should have a quality benchmark that he needs to strive for.
#Jaguars new OC Jay Gruden says he can do a little more with DJ Chark with his size, speed and ability to get out of breaks. Will move him around in the slot some. Calls him an excellent physical specimen. He's made an impression already saying DJ is hungry and wants to be great.
— Hays Carlyon (@HaysCarlyon) May 26, 2020
He needs to win more games for this team
The Jaguars don’t have a dominant defense anymore. They have a young defense looking to grow. There will be struggles at points this season. That means that the offense will need to step up and win games.
If Gardner Minshew wants to prove he is the future of the Jaguars he will have to lead this team to victories this season. I’m not expecting him to lead the Jaguars to the playoffs. I’m not even saying he has to lead them to a winning record. What I am saying is there has to be games where our team is struggling but Minshew takes control will the roster to victory.
I don’t think the playoffs are impossible, but I think a playoff berth would be unexpected. Jacksonville does have more talent than they are given credit for, however. DJ Chark is a very good receiver. Laviska Shenault could be a very productive No. 2 wide receiver this season. Leonard Fournette is vastly under appreciated.
On defense we have a talented edge rusher in Josh Allen who I think will be even better this season. Myles Jack was a great outside linebacker and he is moving back to where he is most comfortable. Joe Schobert is quietly one of the better middle linebackers in the NFL. Jacksonville has some very good pieces.
If Gardner Minshew can lead them to the playoffs the doubters would be silenced.
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