JAGUARS QB GARDNER MINSHEW II
Thursday, September 19, 2019
(On freedom given by Offensive Coordinator John DeFilippo) “We are all building trust right now. Whether it’s me and ‘Flip’, ‘Flip’ and everybody, or me and the guys on the field. All you can do is try and earn that trust every day and when you do that, you get more opportunities to do fun things like that.”
(On excitement felt coming off the field after first NFL win as a starter) “Yeah you can’t beat it, can’t beat it at all. It was awesome to experience it with these guys. We’ve been battling our tails off getting closer and closer and to finally do it on our home field, it was a lot of fun.”
(On if he ever gets nervous) “I get nervous. You GET nervous and get through it. Just play until you’re in it.”
(On whether it runs through his mind that he’s playing in the NFL on prime time) “Sometimes, but more than anything, it motivates me. A lot of people never thought I’d get this opportunity so now that I do have it, I have to make the most of it. I’m super grateful for it but I know through everything I’ve learned in my career and the situation I am in, I may only get one so you got to make the most of it and that’s what I’m trying to do now.”
(On the way he developed a 50-50 ball to specific receivers) “Absolutely. I feel like with a lot of our guys it’s not 50-50. They’re making some great plays on the ball. That makes it a lot of fun and just getting more reps and getting more comfortable with them and understanding where to put the ball relative to where the defenders are at. Using their body position to make the play has been a lot of fun working with them.”
(On connection with DJ Chark Jr.) “DJ has been awesome. He’s playing with a lot of confidence right now and I have a lot of confidence in him. When he’s one-on-one, I’m going to give him his shot.”
(On if he’s surprised by how he’s been playing) “No, because I know the preparation I put in. I know the guys that I have around me and the coaches we have have done everything they can to prepare me. I’ve never felt unprepared. Didn’t have much experience but I’m definitely prepared.”
(On how the early touchdown relaxed him for the rest of the game) “It’s huge. Anytime the defense can give us a short field, we’re excited. We smell blood in the water and we’re going to try and go get it. That lets us be aggressive which is a fun way to play. So, it was huge. Special teams and defense all played so well tonight which made it really easy for us.”
(On how big of a step the offensive line took tonight) “It was great. I’m pretty clean for the most part. I don’t think we had any sacks so you can’t ask for any more. Those dudes are battling their tails off. I’m super grateful for each and every one of them and they’re just starting to get better.”
(On if he knew after going over the game plan that there was going to be as many deep ball attempts as there were tonight.) “Yeah, it was something we wanted to do. Looking back to the year so far, we’ve been good at them. Our receivers have been great running them, getting separation. It’s something we feel good about.”
(On being used to playing on wet fields) “Yeah between there [at Washington State] and Friday Night Lights in Mississippi, it’s gets a little soggy. You just got to make the best of it sometimes and I thought our guys caught the ball well, protected the ball, and that’s really all you can ask for in a wet game like that.”
