Minshew Mania
The video of Gardner Minshew hugging the sh-t out of his dad is 10 times as good as you think
When the Jacksonville Jaguars selected Trevor Lawrence with the No. 1 overall pick, it felt like the end of Minshew Mania as we knew it. Urban Meyer could claim there was going to be a "QB battle" all he wanted, but T-Law was always going to be the starter and Gardner Minshew was officially destined for a career of being a backup.
Then, in August, the Philadelphia Eagles traded for Minshew to be exactly that - Jalen Hurts' backup. However, given Hurts' style of play, which involves a large amount of quarterback runs that eventually will lead to injury, it was a matter of when, not if, Minshew would get the nod.
That time came on Sunday, when the Eagles played their second straight game at MetLife Stadium, this one against the lowly New York Jets. Coming off an ugly loss to the Giants, a game in which Hurts was hurt, Philly needed a win badly to stay in the NFC Playoff picture. Minshew proved a more-than reliable backup, completing 20 of 25 passes for 242 yards, throwing two touchdowns and turning the ball over zero times. The Eagles won with ease, 33-18, improving their record to 6-7 and remaining "in the hunt." Unrelated - if you take out last year, Minshew is 7-6 as a starter. A rather large caveat, obviously, but we're just saying.
Following the victory, NBCSPhilly reporter John Clark captured an incredible moment between Minshew and his father outside of the stadium. In it, Minshew can be seen hugging the absolute SH-T out of his pops. Whatever you've seen or heard about this video already, just know it's 10 times as good as you think:
Yep, that's what it's all about right there, folks. That's a man who had no clue when or if his next opportunity under center would come, and when it did he seized the hell out of it. Go ahead, say it's "the Jets" all you want. Winning games in the NFL ain't easy, especially on the road. Minshew came in as a backup and made it look easy, though. The Eagles have made some questionable roster decisions in the last few years, but trading a conditional sixth-round pick for Minshew, a borderline NFL starter some teams would kill for right now (cough, cough Giants), was not one of them. How good was his arrival on Sunday?
For those counting, one million people watch that on Twitter, and nearly five million watched the one of him hugging and punching his father. The man puts asses in the seats. Minshew Mania has never been more back.