INDIANAPOLIS – This Year of the Backup Quarterback has been thrust on the NFL in general and the Indianapolis Colts in particular.
Seven starting quarterbacks have suffered season-ending injuries, beginning with Aaron Rodgers on the third play of the New York Jets’ Super Bowl-or-bust journey and including the Colts’ Anthony Richardson.
It’s been a wild ride with interesting storylines on a nearly weekly basis – Joe Flacco, Joshua Dobbs, Tommy DeVito, Jake Browning, etc. – but the importance of stability at the most influential position can’t be overstated.
Consider the focal point of the 14 teams holding playoff spots heading into the final weekend of the regular season: 10 have run out the same starting QB all 16 games; two others have followed the lead of the same guy 15 times.
The outliers: the Colts and Cleveland Browns.
Kevin Stefanski is a front-runner for Coach of the Year honors on the strength of directing the Browns to an 11-5 record and the No. 5 seed in the AFC despite bouncing from Deshaun Watson (season-ending shoulder surgery) to P.J. Walker to Dorian Thompson-Robinson to Flacco.
The Colts turned to Gardner Minshew II when they lost Richardson, their much-hyped rookie, to shoulder surgery after just five games.
“Gardner’s been a Godsend for us this year, for sure,’’ Zaire Franklin said Tuesday.
Remember, the overriding objective as the Colts embarked on Shane Steichen’s first year as a head coach was to develop Richardson, the No. 4 overall pick in the draft, as much as possible. Expose him to every situation imaginable. Strive to win, of course. But that almost was secondary to the experiences and growth Richardson would take away from his rookie season.
The direction of the season changed dramatically when Richardson sprained his right shoulder in week 5 against Tennessee and underwent surgery on Oct. 24.
Just like that, the Colts, 2-3 when Richardson went down, transferred their hopes to Minshew. They signed him to a one-year, $3.5 million free-agent contract in March, and it was time to cash it in.
Since replacing Richardson, Minshew has reinforced his reputation as one of the NFL’s premier backups. He’s a career-best 7-5 as a starter – that eclipses his 6-6 record as a rookie with Jacksonville in 2019 – and has done his job often enough at a high level over the past three months to have the Colts 9-7 and facing a win-and-in showdown with the Houston Texans Saturday night at Lucas Oil Stadium.
“They’re in this position they’re in because of good quarterback play by Gardner,’’ said Texans’ first-year coach DeMeco Ryans.
This hasn’t been a one-man show by any means. Minshew hasn’t taken the franchise on his shoulders and carried it to the brink of the postseason with weekly 300-yard, three-TD games.
He has his flaws and limitations. Remember the back-to-back games with four turnovers? He’s fumbled eight times, losing five and is responsible for 14 of the Colts’ 21 turnovers. There have been occasions he’s not noticed receivers open behind the secondary – or missed them entirely – and his 6.8 yards per attempt would be a career-low.
Minshew’s 85.3 passer rating ranks No. 24, but his adjusted QBR by ESPN is 60.3. The latter is No. 11 and ahead of Tua Tagovailoa, Trevor Lawrence, Jared Goff, Baker Mayfield, C.J. Stroud, Joe Burrow and Russell Wilson.
Minshew: More than numbers
Talk to coaches and teammates, and it’s clear Minshew’s impact transcends raw numbers.
“Tough as nails,’’ said Tight End Mo Alie-Cox.
Added Jonathan Taylor: “I just think he has this aura, this energy that draws those guys to him and says, ‘Hey, we can do this together.’ We know it’s going to be tough, but the energy and vibe he brings is fun.’’
“Just his resiliency, man,’’ said Franklin. “He doesn’t quit. He doesn’t shy away. Throughout the season and something you guys don’t see but we see it, the highs and lows of the season affect us all differently. There’s been different times when I’ve felt myself kicked in the stomach and I had to get back to the drawing board and get back to what made me, me. Seeing Gardner go through those types of challenges, both as a leader and as a quarterback leading that offense – seeing how he continues to fight and bounce back and lead that unit – just gives us confidence and we rally behind.’’
Minshew has had his moments on the field. He matched a career best with three touchdown passes against Pittsburgh, has rushed for a career-high three TDs, produced three of his nine career 300-yard games and has six games with a passer rating above 100.0.
And then there’s this: Minshew has five completions at least 50 yards. Only Tagovailoa has more.
When the Colts handed the Texans a 31-20 loss in week 2 in Houston, Richardson was their starter. He gave them an early 14-0 lead before suffering a concussion on the second of his two rushing TDs and being replaced by Minshew, who completed the rout by passing for 171 yards and one TD.
Ryans has been impressed with Minshew’s accuracy and ability to move around in the pocket and create explosive plays. But he’s noticed something else.
“He has that moxie, that playmaker (ability) to him that you can see on tape,’’ he said. “You can see guys really rally behind him because they know the type of plays that he can make.’’
More than that, the Colts know the type of leader they have in Minshew. He’s so much more than the numbers he tacks up.
The previous two seasons, Steichen saw Minshew up close. He was Jalen Hurts’ backup in Philadelphia.
“He’s got that energy about him,’’ Steichen said. “I think that’s a big thing. He’s always upbeat. He always gives us a chance to win and that’s what you want in your quarterback. Every time you step out, the players have belief in him, the coaches have belief in him and I think that’s where it starts.’’
Defensive Coordinator Gus Bradley’s appreciation comes from having worked against Minshew during the offseason program, OTAs and training camp.
He paused before sharing his thoughts.
“I’m not sure if this is right or wrong,’’ Bradley said. “But he gives a team hope. When he plays and he goes in there and makes plays, it’s like, ‘Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, we have a chance.’ When he first came in, it’s not, ‘We lost our quarterback. Oh boy, this is going to be a struggle.’ When he came in, he made plays and I think it gave the team hope that, ‘Wait a minute, we have a chance here now with this guy.’ I think that’s what he brings more than anything to this team is that presence. Somehow this guy is going to find a way to make a big play.’’
Pittman: More than a mustache
Michael Pittman Jr.’s first encounter with Minshew wasn’t after the Colts signed him, but in 2018 when Pittman’s USC Trojans faced Minshew’s Washington State Cougars.
“He came down to the (L.A.) Coliseum,’’ Pittman said with a smile. “At that time they were ranked No. 8 and they lost to us, of course. I think I took a screen 60 yards.’’
What did Pittman know of Minshew at the time?
“Mustache Maniac, the Minshew Mania, Mustache Monster, Mustache whatever,’’ he said. “Everybody was walking around with a little mustache. I knew a lot about him. I just didn’t know him personally.’’
That phase of the relationship formed during the offseason in Indy and when the quarterbacks and receivers got together for throwing sessions prior to training camp.
“He’s more than just a mustache,’’ Pittman said. “Great person, teammate, quarterback. First of all, Gardner is an NFL starting quarterback and a lot of teams don’t have two guys who can be that guy. I think it’s a credit to his preparation and the way he kind of handled camp when they had the whole quarterback battle.’’
On Aug. 15, Steichen ended any suspense by naming Richardson his starting quarterback. Minshew knew that would be the likely outcome, but nonetheless was disappointed.
“Anybody is disappointed when they don’t get the job they were hoping for,’’ Pittman said. “But he didn’t let that bother him and he stayed the same guy and I think he’s reaping some of those benefits now.’’
Minshew downplayed his eventful first season with the Colts. From veteran backup to Richardson to one of the primary reasons the team has so much on the line Saturday night.
“Yeah, you never know,’’ he said. “You kind of take it how it comes. Obviously grateful for it, excited for the opportunity we still have in front of us and want to go finish it the right way.’’
You can follow Mike Chappell on Twitter at @mchappell51.