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JACKSONVILLE – Maybe the kid can do it.
We have heard all the reasons that a rookie quarterback – a backup rookie quarterback, at that – can not win in the NFL, but maybe it's time to consider something else about the colorful, mustachioed, bandana-wearing force of personality nowadays quarterbacking the Jaguars.
Maybe Gardner Minshew II can do it.
Perhaps we should consider that, because it's the people whose opinions matter most – Jaguars players and coaches – believe in the guy to an intriguing extent.
"His confidence gives you confidence," Jaguars veteran tight end Geoff Swaim said Wednesday as the Jaguars (0-1) prepared to play the Houston Texans (0-1) in an AFC South game at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, Sunday at 1 pm
"From the jump, since he got here, he just had this confidence in the huddle. He has a presence about him and that goes a long way. That's big for a young guy. To be able to express yourself to your teammates, it is possible to know that this guy is preparing.
"That kind of stuff jumps out at you."
That feeling was common around the Jaguars' locker room Wednesday.
Yes, losing starter Nick Foles this past Sunday 11 snaps into his Jaguars career in the regular-season opener was a gut punch to a staggering degree. And having your $ 88 million would be a season-ending scenario.
And perhaps that will be the case.
But that's not about you, but it's something you can think of – you can not do it.
Wide receiver Marqise Lee was asked what impressed him about Minshew.
"Composure," Lee said of Minshew, who completed 22 of 25 passes for 275 yards and two touchdowns with an interception in the last three quarters of a loss to Kansas City Sunday.
Lee Minshew after the Jaguars in Round 6 of the 2019 NFL Draft. The much-discussed mustache that helped spark "Minshew Mania" at Washington State last season?
That did not impress Lee.
"The mustache was terrible," Lee said, laughing. "I'm not going to lie to you."
And Minshew's much-discussed bandana?
"The bandana I can go with," Lee said. "It's pretty styling. But the mustache was terrible. When he first got here I was asking, 'Who is this guy?'
What matters more is what Lee said about his second impressions. He said Minshew gained respect from teammates by his approach, his demeanor on the field, his performance in practice. Yes, Minshew's image is outlandish but his professional approach is what matters.
Unsurprisingly, that has been his demeanor this week.
Minshew, who's giving up his life and is not a young man for a rookie, said the right things Wednesday – just as he has done and said the right things since Jaguars selected him in Round 6 of the 2019 NFL Draft.
"The role changes, the approach does not," said NFL starter and hence the biggest week of his football life.
Maybe it's his lengthy, well-documented college journey – four years in college – or maybe it's just how he's wired, but Minshew feels like a quarterback, a leader. And he gives off every vibe of being ready for his closeup.
Wednesday, joking on multiple occasions. Perhaps his best time came when the Jaguars' quarterback was smart enough that Minshew scored a 42% of the 50% of the time. Josh Dobbs majored in aerospace engineering at the University of Tennessee.
"He's kind of his own deal," Minshew said, with a laugh, adding to the media, "I have a communications degree, I mean I know all of you guys …
"I belong in this room."
The Jupiter, Jaguars, Jaguars, Jaguars, Jaguars, Jaguars Foles. And neither was the image.
No, the reason they felt good – and the reason Minshew might become an intriguing story in the coming weeks – is the football intelligence, the poise, the preparation. That's the quarterbacking stuff you can not teach, that you must have. Everything we saw Sunday from Minshew in his NFL start indicating that maybe, just maybe, he has enough to keep the Jaguars afloat in Foles' absence. And everything we've seen this week indicates the same.
Indeed, maybe the kid can do it.
That's the main storyline for the Jaguars this week. Their season depends on the answer.
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