[JAFF]

Gardner just loves the ball':

INDIANAPOLIS — Gardner Minshew ended up being the right backup quarterback for the Colts for a lot of reasons.

His background as a starter in Jacksonville. His history with Shane Steichen’s offense in Philadelphia. The relationship he’d been building with a Florida quarterback named Anthony Richardson was a bonus.

Minshew was also signed for situations like the one the Colts found themselves facing last week.

When Richardson was taken out of last week’s win over Houston due to a concussion, Indianapolis held a 14-7 lead in a divisional game that was still far too early to call.




“Any time you have a backup quarterback, I think one of the big things for myself, personally, that I look at is, can a guy come in and play on limited reps throughout the week, and be prepared the way he does?” Indianapolis head coach Shane Steichen said. “That’s the type of guy he is.”

Minshew had zero practice snaps last week.


If he has to fill in for Richardson against Baltimore this week — the Colts rookie did not practice Wednesday or Thursday, although the possibility still remains that he could emerge from the concussion protocol before Sunday’s game — Minshew will have an entire week of practice under his belt.

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“You just get a little tighter with the communication with the guys, get a little more reps, time on task,” Minshew said. “I feel really good about how the coaching staff prepares us and always feel ready to go.”

The coaching staff plays a role.

But a big part of the reason that Minshew always feels ready to go is that he’s always thinking about football, particularly the passing game.


“I think Shane said it the other day, but I’ll steal his line: It is like talking to another coach,” offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter said. “Gardner has watched all the tape. You can say, ‘Hey, Gardner, did you see that blitz?' … And he’s like, ‘Oh yeah, they brought this and did this, and I think we can do that to it, I think I can see that.'”

Ultimately, that’s how a backup quarterback earns the trust of his teammates, gives them the feeling that they can still win even though the most important player on the team is on the sidelines.

“Gardner just loves the ball,” middle linebacker Zaire Franklin said. “I mean, he’s the type of guy who could sit in the cafeteria and talk about schemes and offensive philosophy for hours.”

Franklin’s not exaggerating.

Minshew’s only 27, and he likely still has a long career ahead of him.



But it sounds like the quarterback is already well on his way to a career as one of the NFL’s next up-and-coming offensive minds.

“He’s always around the building, he’s watching tape, he’s always drawing up new pass ideas,” Cooter said. “If you guys want any pass ideas, go ask Gardner and he’ll give you 10 of them. He’s got ideas on top of ideas, but that’s because he loves the game and loves being a part of the thing and thinking about the team, and trying to find those little advantages that can help him succeed and help us succeed.”

Minshew’s love of the X’s and O’s began at Brandon (Miss.) High School, where the Bulldogs ran an Air Raid offense that allowed the quarterback to make a lot of calls at the line of scrimmage. The same was true in college at Washington State; Minshew got used to trying to find answers to the defense in real time.

If he has to start Sunday against Baltimore, Minshew’s love of the cerebral side of the game is going to come in handy against a Ravens defense that brings pressure from all angles, putting pressure on the quarterback to identify and recognize blitzes.

And he might have to carry an even larger share of the load than usual, considering that veteran center Ryan Kelly is in the concussion protocol — Kelly didn't practice Wednesday or Thursday. If Kelly does not play, second-year offensive lineman Wesley French will likely be making the first start of his NFL career, and the center is responsible for making a lot of protection calls at the line of scrimmage.

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Having Minshew behind him would help.

“He knows the defense, the looks, the adjustments and maybe the ‘tells,’ if you will,” Cooter said.

Minshew relishes the challenge.

Relishes the chance to be on the field. While he doesn’t quite have Richardson’s youthful joy, Minshew plays with his own brand of excitement, celebrating plays as they happen.



“When you get a guy like that, I mean, (he) could play with anybody,” wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. said. “Every single time he’s in there, he’s juiced up, and he’s ready to play.”

If he has to play this week, at least he’ll know when he wakes up on Sunday morning.