Will the most important injury the Jacksonville Jaguars have had to deal with become the end of Minshew Mania in this city?
After it was revealed that Gardner Minshew not on had several fractures in his thumb and straining ligaments which will keep him out of the game against Houston this weekend, has the coaching staff taken a different approach to the quarterback’s return to action, Somehow, it’s fitting given the season this franchise has ensured so far.
One win, six games played and a tough schedule ahead in the second half of 2020. Now, head coach Doug Marrone turns to another sixth-round pick who is being counted on to turn things around or at least make them interesting.
Jake Luton, come on down.
“We have a long way to go. I mean it’s going to start with these practices each day and preparation and all that. I think we’ll all know it when we see it,” Marrone told the media on Monday.
“I don’t think there’s anything that’s eye-opening, just go in there and see if he can operate and see how he plays against the light rush. I know how he plays without a live rush. He’s done some good things and I’m sure there’ll be some things that he wants to take back and you just hope that that good plays are good, and the bad plays don’t kill you.”
The Jaguars haven’t had the best of luck the past two seasons with starters going down with injuries and the franchise’s track record over a decade hasn’t been consistent. If Luton shows any kind of success while subbing for Minshew, this season could affect how the team deals with Minshew the rest of the way and potentially this offseason.
“I mean you’d like to, as a coach, be able to say, “Yeah, as soon as Gardner’s ready he’ll be able to come back.’ But I think when you’re at the record where we are now, we’re at 1-6, we have to see what this kid can do,” Marrone added.
“I mean if this kid comes in and plays extremely well, then what? Then you’re going to say, ‘How come you’re going to bench him and play the other kid?’ I just think it’s common sense. Opportunities create
themselves and if he does well, then we’ll see where we’re going, and we’ll make that decision when the time comes.”
While statistically, Minshew is in the upper half of NFL quarterbacks this season, he has not taken the next step to becoming an elite signal caller. He has been erratic in recent games and has made mistakes in the passing offense. The second-year player has been added by a running game that is still one of the worst in the NFL.
The Jaguars won their season opener against the Indianapolis but have fallen into a complete free fall since, losing six straight games and have become one of the worst teams in the NFL. It more of an indictment on the defense, which is still having problems holding opponents to under 30 points per contest.
