The Fall of Sacksonville and the Rise of the 'Shew
There once was a mighty team. Where its residents dominated verbally and physically. A place where the bullied became the bullies. But that was a long time ago...
Jacksonville Jaguars AFC Championship Hype - We Ready
"It's a place where you find 11 savages, 11 dogs, hunting every Sunday," - Yannick Ngakoue
Everybody OUT!
The Jaguars are projected to be one of the worst teams in the NFL in 2020, a far cry from the team that reached the AFC Championship Game three seasons ago. Most players on that roster are gone, including Jalen Ramsey, Calais Campbell, A.J. Bouye, Blake Bortles, Malik Jackson, and Dante Fowler. Two of the pillars still remain: Yannick Ngakoue and Leonard Fournette, but for how long they remain is unknown. As of today, executives, coaches and players are fighting for their jobs. But amongst all the chaos and uncertainty, a well groomed 'stash has caught the hearts of many Jaguar fans.
Minshew Mania
With Nick Foles being traded to the Chicago Bears, it is full-blown Minshew Mania in Duuvaal.
Minshew went 6-6 in 12 games as the Jaguars’ starter. He quarterbacked Jacksonville to all six of their wins last season. Minshew completed 60.6% of his passes for 3,271 yards, 21 touchdowns and six interceptions in 14 games of action. He had signature wins over the Tennessee Titans, the Denver Broncos and the Oakland Raiders last year. With former Washington Redskins head coach Jay Gruden coming in as his new offensive coordinator, Minshew should have a strong 2020 season. Minshew showed great maturity and confidence in a leading role last year. When given the chance, Minshew finds a way to take advantage of it, always thriving in a key situation. He has a terrific opportunity to be great.
Minshew has become somewhat of a cult figure in the NFL and here's why...
His name is actually Gardner Minshew II with no original Gardner Minshew.
He was almost named Beowulf.
He strips down to his birthday suit to exercise.
He has his own tribute song.
Once smashed his hand with a hammer in attempt to play more football.
Most importantly, he's a good quarterback.
Despite all of the odd storylines surrounding Minshew, some of which sound like the start of a Chuck Norris joke, above all else, he's good at what he does. He set all sorts of passing records at Washington State, and even finished in fifth place in the Heisman vote in his final season. He owns the Pac-12 single-season record for most passing yards (4,776), beating the mark previously held by Jared Goff.
"It's been great, I think I kinda found my people in Jacksonville you know, just the right amount of white-trashiness for me," he said. "So we're having a great time down there and lovin' it."