Source: Michael Hickey / Getty
INDIANAPOLIS–With Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson expected to miss at least a month with an injury, you’ll be seeing a lot more of Gardner Minshew.
Minshew had to start for the Colts at quarterback against the Baltimore Ravens on September 24 and led the team to a 22-19 win. He also led the Colts to a 23-16 win over Tennessee this past Sunday after Richardson had to leave the game with a shoulder injury.
The week before the Ravens game, Minshew took over for an injured Richardson against the Houston Texans and led the Colts to a 31-20 win. He has thrown for 553 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions when he’s played this year.
Minshew will get the start this Sunday when the Colts battle the Jacksonville Jaguars.
“It’s his mental mastery of the offense that sets him apart. His mastery of what our offense and the opposing defense is doing. His ability to see one thing and counter with another. All of that makes him special,” said Colts offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter when speaking to the media Tuesday afternoon.
Cooter says it’s been great to work with Minshew going back from training camp up until now.
“The way that he progresses through the pass game, communicates in the run game, or changing plays to make them better. That’s one thing I think he does really well. It gives him the ability to have success once we get the ball snapped,” said Minshew.
When a quarterback on your team gets injured, Cooter says you have to adapt quickly when you’re an offensive coordinator.
“We put a bunch of stuff in so that – Anthony (Richardson) is down, Gardner (Minshew II) you’re in. Hey, maybe there are a few plays on the call sheet that maybe we’re not going to emphasize with Gardner but maybe there are some other ones that, gosh he’s really good at these. Hey, let’s bring these up – let’s get these going. There’s things our guys know, things we can adjust to pretty quickly. At the end of the day, we’re all out there playing football talking about the changes in scheme and all that stuff – which there are some. Ultimately, we’re snapping it, those guys are throwing and catching and progressing through progressions,” said Cooter.
Minshew used to play for Jacksonville from 2019-2020. Minshew appeared in nine games for the Jaguars during the 2020 season, recording 2,259 passing yards, 16 passing touchdowns, and five interceptions, as well as 153 rushing yards in 29 carries.
The Colts face the Jaguars this Sunday with kickoff scheduled for 1 pm EST. The Jaguars beat the Colts 31-21 September 10.
