Gardner Minshew says he played better than the QBs drafted before him

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Jacksonville’s Gardner Minshew says he considers his own results this year to be the best of any rookie quarterback, a point of pride for him as a sixth-round pick.

When a reporter said to Minshew that he had “better or similar numbers” to first-round quarterbacks Kyler Murray and Daniel Jones, Minshew interrupted and said, “better.”

Minshew then noted that he won six games as the Jaguars’ starting quarterback this season, more than any other rookie.

“I think the biggest thing to me is helping my team win, and I did that better than any rookie quarterback,” he said. “You kind of can’t help but compare yourself to those guys, especially when they get taken before you. You kind of always have that chip. I still remember guys who got offered to schools I wanted to go to, and I didn’t get those opportunities.”

Minshew certainly exceeded expectations as a rookie, and proved to anyone who doubted him that he belongs in the NFL.

23 responses to “Gardner Minshew says he played better than the QBs drafted before him

  1. Love everything Minshew brought to the team this year and hope the Jags keep him as the starter moving forward. Spend those two first round picks the next two years on getting the stash some weapons and a lineebacker that can tackle

  2. If this keeps up, there will be lots of expecting couples in the Jacksonville area who name their baby boys “Minshew”.

  3. The upside on Murray is evident. The eye test says that Minshew is for real and will either be a top tier backup QB for a long time in this league or good starting QB for an average team. Murray will likely play in a SB before it’s over. Minshew will only get there backing up an elite QB.

  4. Minshew should have been a high first round pick based on college tape. Scouting is much more an exact science when you evaluate from tape. If you’re trying to see how good a QB is by measuring parts of his body or watching him run, or watching him throw against no defense, or listening to what others are saying, then it’s a total crap shoot. Unfortunately, most evaluators don’t watch enough tape. They scout with their ears, not their eyes. If you don’t believe me, go back and watch him play in college. You’ll be shocked that he wasn’t a first round pick. If you haven’t studied his tape, don’t comment until you do. Also remember, he’s just a rookie, so he’ll get much, much better.

  5. I like him, and I agree with him.

    However, devil’s advocate here, the Giants and the Cardinals are much worse teams than the Jaguars are. They’ve been to the playoffs more recently, more Pro Bowlers on the roster, and were expected to win 10 games.

    Sure, he wasn’t a first round pick. But the situation he walked into was better than Kyler and Jones. That said, he was the best rookie quarterback this season.

  6. Look what Murray has to work with. He was drafted by a 3 win team in one of the toughest divisions in football. I dont see how you can compare the two at this point. If the draft was held today, Murray and Jones would still go before Minshew.

  7. Murray: 3,722 yards, 64.4%, 20 TDs, 12 INTs, passer rating 87.4, 544 rushing yards, 24 total TDs 14 total turnovers . SOS: 4th
    Jones: 3,027 yards, 61.9%, 24 TDs, 12 INTs, 87.7 rating, 279 rushing yards, 26 total TDs, 23 total turnovers. SOS: 25th
    Minshew: 3,271 yards, 60.6%, 21 TDs, 6 INTs, 91.2 rating, 344 rushing yards, 21 total TDs, 13 total turnovers. SOS: 19th

    I’d personally argue Murray had a better year given his 3 more touchdowns, 1 more turnover, about 700 more total yards, higher completion percentage and faced a much tougher schedule. He had a better statistical year than DJ, but I think DJ will have a better career. Minshew also had a better pass blocking OL (16th) than Jones (18th) and way better than Murray’s 26th ranked pass block OL according to football outsiders.

  8. “Minshew should have been a high first round pick based on tape. Scouting is a much more exact science when you evaluate from tape….Unfortunately, most evaluators don’t watch enough tape. They scout with their ears, not their eyes….If you haven’t studied his tape, don’t comment until you do.”
    ___________

    So you believe that: 1) Professional football scouts do not watch tape; and 2) You, as a rank amateur, can discern a players ability by watching tape. Please, regale with the information of how much college tape you actually watch. My guess is zero.

  9. Whoa! Slow down rook, a little humility never hurts and you don’t have to spend valuable time removing your foot from your mouth. Just ask Baker.

  10. Murray: 3,722 yards, 64.4%, 20 TDs, 12 INTs, passer rating 87.4, 544 rushing yards, 24 total TDs 14 total turnovers . SOS: 4th
    Jones: 3,027 yards, 61.9%, 24 TDs, 12 INTs, 87.7 rating, 279 rushing yards, 26 total TDs, 23 total turnovers. SOS: 25th
    Minshew: 3,271 yards, 60.6%, 21 TDs, 6 INTs, 91.2 rating, 344 rushing yards, 21 total TDs, 13 total turnovers. SOS: 19th

    Something to also consider,: Murray played all 16 games, Jones played 13 games and Minshew played 14 games.

    IMO. Minshew played as good, if not better then Murray and Jones. On top of that, if he turns into a franchise QB, the Jags have the luxury of a 6th rd rookie contract – not that it means anything in comparison to Murray or Jones, just throwing it out there.

  11. Minshew was good. Murray was good. Jones was good. Heck, Lock even looked good. Note that there are some names not on that list who were taken high… but it bodes well for us fans in the future. Lots of average QBs out there right now and good QB play makes the game fun (even though I’m into dominant running games and D). I’m happy if this QB draft class overshadows the last one.

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