Indystar 10/12

[JAFF]

‘Enjoy every second of it’: Colts QB Gardner Minshew is starting again where it began
Joel A. Erickson
Indianapolis Star




SKIP



INDIANAPOLIS — For a little while, a brief moment in the bright Florida sun, the Jaguars were Gardner Minshew’s team.

Jacksonville was his town.

Forced into the lineup in the first quarter of his first NFL game by a broken Nick Foles collarbone, Minshew went 6-6 as a rookie starter and became a force of nature, the leader of a cult of personality that was a perfect fit for northeast Florida.

The jorts. The long hair. The bandanas. The mustaches dotting the crowds at EverBank Stadium.

“It was awesome, man,” Minshew said. “It was a dream. It’s everything you wanted as a kid and then some. Man, it was a whirlwind. It feels like forever ago.”




But it wasn’t all that long ago.

Minshew was the starter in Jacksonville just three years ago, trying to turn the fantasy of his rookie season into a permanent reality, only to see it all slip away faster than he could have ever expected, sliding through his hands like the sand of Atlantic Beach, sending him on an odyssey that took him first to Philadelphia and now Indianapolis.


He will walk back into Everbank Stadium for the first time as an opposing player Sunday, stepping into the starting quarterback role for a Colts team that has lost talented rookie Anthony Richardson for an extended period of time, giving Minshew another chance to prove himself as a bona fide starter in an NFL quarterback picture that’s always changing.

“For Gardner to be in this position, be able to go back against a team that moved on from him — I know him, I know how competitive he is,” Indianapolis middle linebacker Zaire Franklin said. “I’m looking forward to seeing what he does on Sunday.

What does returning to Jacksonville mean to Gardner Minshew?

Minshew kept his comments on his time as a Jaguar to a minimum this week.

If he’s feeling nostalgia at the prospect of going back to a place he was once beloved, if he’s feeling any sense of vengeance, Minshew kept it inside in his weekly meeting with media.



A reporter asked him, at one point, if he felt any unique emotions heading back to his first home in the NFL.

“Not really, man,” Minshew said. “Just excited to get out there and play football. Wherever, whenever, it’s always a good time.”

Minshew clearly built a connection with the Jaguars fan base during that magical rookie season.

He still has a house there. Trains in the state of Florida during the offseason, which is how he spent part of his offseason working out with Richardson, long before the Colts called the rookie’s name with the No. 4 pick of April’s draft.

“I’m really grateful for my time in Jacksonville,” Minshew said. “Those fans, that community.”

How he feels about the way his time in Jacksonville ended is harder to read.

Minshew opened his second season in Jacksonville by going 19 of 20 to beat the Colts in the season opener, then averaged 316.5 passing yards over the next four games, although the Jaguars failed to win any of them.

The final game of that stretch included an injury to the thumb on Minshew’s throwing hand that started to break his hold on the Jacksonville starting job. Minshew played the next two games and struggled; team doctors discovered multiple fractures and a strained ligament

Then-Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone told reporters at the time that Minshew did not tell the team about the injury right away. Minshew later said that he thought the injury was just a bruise; at any rate, Jacksonville was unaware of the injury for two weeks.

“When Gardner came in, I just talked to him, I said: ‘I can understand. One, if you’re injured, you need to report it,’” Marrone told the Florida Times-Union at the time. “’Two, it’s not like I don’t understand the competitiveness in you, where you want to continue to play.’ I said, ‘But you have to make smart decisions and decisions that are best for the team.”

The Jaguars spiraled the rest of the way, finished 1-15 and landed the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, a draft that featured no-doubt Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence. Lawrence won the job in training camp in 2021, and the Jaguars traded Minshew to Philadelphia, fulfilling his request to be dealt.

Minshew learned a valuable lesson about the NFL life along the way.

“Just take it as it comes,” Minshew said. “You can expect one thing to come, but it never really happens the way you expected. Just take it as it is and try to enjoy every second of it.”

If he harbors any resentment toward the Jaguars for the way things ended, Minshew didn’t let it show this week, although his former roommate in Jacksonville, Jaguars safety Andrew Wingard, hinted there might have been some hard feelings.

“It’s unfortunate how he kind of got ran out of the building here, but he is where he is,” Wingard told 1010 AM in Jacksonville this week. “I’ve always said it, he’ll play in this league for as long as he wants to. I think the Colts are just as good, if not better, with him behind center.”

Shane Steichen, kindred spirit

Minshew did not find playing time in Philadelphia.



Not with Jalen Hurts blossoming into one of the NFL’s best young quarterbacks.

But he did find a kindred spirit in Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen, a football junkie who cut his teeth in the NFL as an assistant coach with the Chargers, talking offense late into the night with legendary quarterback Philip Rivers.

From the moment Minshew arrived in Philadelphia, Steichen could tell the new Eagles quarterback had the same passion.

“He came into that first meeting, I remember, in Philly, and he had this (Microsoft) Surface, and he was constantly taking notes,” Steichen said. “Everything we said, taking notes. … I said this when I got hired, but just the obsession with football at the quarterback position.”

When Minshew hit free agency for the first time last offseason, he looked at his options and decided it was best to stick with Steichen, even though the Colts told him upfront that they’d likely be playing the quarterback they planned to draft with the No. 4 pick.

“A lot of it was Shane, my comfort with him and the offense,” Minshew said of his free agency decision. “I felt like playing with him, I would have the best chance of being successful.”

He also had a chance to play.

Even if it was only an outside shot, given Steichen’s belief in developing young quarterbacks by playing them as quickly as possible. When the Colts named Richardson the starting quarterback halfway through August, Minshew threw his support behind the rookie.

He also acknowledged that he’d wanted the job.

“You’re hurt, obviously,” Minshew said at the time. “Any time you put so much into something, it can be disappointing when you don’t hear what you want to hear. I totally understand, I’m all in with what we got going.”

Minshew has been an incredible resource for Richardson, helping the rookie play better than anybody expected through the first five games of the season, ably stepping into the lineup as Richardson dealt with a bruised knee, then a concussion, and now a serious injury to his AC joint that will keep the rookie out at least four weeks, potentially more.



He feels for the young quarterback. Minshew’s been through injury, knows how hard it is to get sidelined by something out of his control.

“Hate it for him,” Minshew said. “He’s really had some tough luck to start the year.”

‘Elite processor of the game’

Minshew has a chance now.

A chance to prove he can still be a starting NFL quarterback, even though he knows this is Richardson’s franchise. Minshew signed a one-year, $3.5-million deal in Indianapolis this offseason; play well during this stretch, and a chance to compete for a starting job might be there for him in free agency.

Maybe he can show the rest of the NFL what Steichen sees in him.

“I think he’s an elite processor of the game,” Steichen said. “When you’ve got a guy that can process the game quickly and make quick decisions, he’s really good, he’s accurate, he knows where to go with the football at the right time and the right place.”

Minshew’s best asset is the trait Steichen saw on that first day in Philadelphia.

He is obsessed with offensive football, and he spends so much time thinking about the game that the chess match that happens at the line of scrimmage has become second nature to him.

“It’s his mental mastery of the offense,” offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter said. “His mastery of what we’re doing, realistically, what the defense is doing, how he can use one thing to counter the other. … For some guys, they may not see that during the game, but Gardner sees it.”

A lot of quarterbacks can read coverages.

Minshew knows the rules that guide each defender in those coverages, how they’re supposed to react to everything the offense does, and how those rules can be exploited in his favor.

“He’s a student of the game,” backup Colts quarterback Sam Ehlinger said. “A lot of guys study offensive tape, but Gardner studies defenses, too, so he knows their rules. If we’re in two by two with the back releasing to the flat, he knows the safety has to come down to the flat, and he knows that means there should be a hole here. It’s very impressive.”

Minshew has the mind of a future offensive coordinator.

Maybe the mind of a current offensive coordinator. Minshew’s already become famous inside the Colts’ facility for drawing up plays, dreaming up wrinkles for the coaches to use, sometimes creating all-new plays.

Ask any Colt about Minshew’s play design, and they smile, then laugh a little bit. Sometimes Minshew does it on the sideline on game day.

“I think sometimes he gets bored with just watching practice tape, because he wants to continue to expand his mind,” Ehlinger said. “He does that by drawing plays versus different coverages, trying to be creative.”

Minshew does not have prototypical physical traits.

For a player like Minshew to be successful in the NFL, he has to be a step ahead, reading the defense, knowing instantly how to attack its weak points.

“He knows that’s where his strength is,” Ehlinger said. “Processing, being able to get the ball out of his hands versus different coverages quickly and in the right spot.”

NFL teams are typically looking for starting quarterbacks who can do what Minshew does, but also have the physical gifts to make plays when everything breaks down and the read gets muddied, who have the arm strength to attack any weakness in the defense, even the faults that seem impossible to reach.

But there are plenty of quarterbacks, backup quarterbacks by reputation, who’ve carved out second chances for themselves in the NFL because of their processing ability, because they can make up for their lack of prototypical physical traits by blending seamlessly into an offense that can still hum without highlight-reel plays from the quarterback.

Minshew hasn’t explicitly said he’d like to be a full-time starter again.

But he’s still only 27 years old, still finds himself chasing the thrill of playing the game. When Minshew realizes a play is going to work, he often lets out a whoop of celebration as he releases the throw, before he even sees the ball settle in the receiver’s hands.

He can’t help himself.

“I love it,” Minshew said. “You can never take it for granted. I think being off the field and not being able to play just really ignites that fire in you, makes you realize how much you miss it. … I’m just grateful every time I get to step out there.”

Minshew knows how fast those chances can slip away.

And he wants to make this one count.

Beginning on the same field he once, briefly, made his own.

[JAFF]

A play away, QB Sam Ehlinger believes 2022 starts will serve him well if Colts need him
Joel A. Erickson
Indianapolis Star







INDIANAPOLIS — Sam Ehlinger is once again a play away from the lineup.

Ehlinger, who started three games for the Colts in 2022, has spent most of the season as the team’s third quarterback, taking far fewer snaps in training camp than either Anthony Richardson or Gardner Minshew, and leading the scout team during the season.

But the news that Richardson is expected to miss at least the next four weeks — and maybe more — due to a separated shoulder pushes Ehlinger up the depth chart again.

Minshew is the Indianapolis starting quarterback for the near future.


Ehlinger’s a play away, an NFL cliché that also happens to be true, as evidenced by the first five games of the Indianapolis season. Minshew, the team’s veteran backup, has already played 170 snaps, relieving Richardson in two games and starting another.

The good news is the team’s new No. 2 has experience.




“It doesn’t change much,” Ehlinger said. “The process stays the same.”

Ehlinger completed 63.4% of his passes, averaged 5.7 yards per attempt, took 14 sacks and compiled a 76.0 quarterback rating in three starts and 120 snaps last season, snaps that showed Ehlinger belongs at the NFL level, even if he wasn’t ready to handle the starting role.


Those 120 snaps were also invaluable to Ehlinger’s development.

No matter how much time a young quarterback puts into the film room, the playbook and the game plans in front of him, there’s an element to reading defenses that cannot be replicated until he’s on the field.

“When you play, you get live feedback,” Ehlinger said. “I got some live feedback last year to be able to figure out what I needed to work on, and for me that was processing, getting the ball out of my hand quicker.”

For Ehlinger, the eye-opening game was his second start, a disastrous loss to the New England Patriots and Bill Belichick, who is well-known for his ability to make life difficult on young quarterbacks.

Ready for more:Jonathan Taylor getting bigger workload in Week 6

“It’s really easy to sit back in a laid-back environment, on the sideline or in the film room, the bullets aren’t really flying, to say ‘Oh yeah, you’ve got to go with the ball here,’” Ehlinger said. “It’s a lot different when you have it right in front of you, the ball’s in your hands, what are you going to do?”

Even just 120 snaps is enough to change the way Ehlinger prepared this offseason.

“It’s kind of the feel, the understanding of the speed of the game,” Ehlinger said. “You get live feedback on throws you need to work on, coverages you weren’t good against for what reason, sloppy footwork in this drop or this concept. The feedback is exponentially higher than if you weren’t playing.”

Ehlinger has no snaps this season, but if he has to go in on a moment’s notice, he's much more prepared than he would’ve been without last season's experience.

[JAFF]

Colts LB Shaquille Leonard working back after groin injury, dropping snap count
Chloe Peterson
Indianapolis Star

INDIANAPOLIS -- After multiple seasons defined by sitting on the sidelines because of injury, Colts linebacker Shaquille Leonard is almost back to full strength.

The three-time All-Pro has been sidelined by a multitude of injuries since 2020, including a broken ankle, multiple concussions, a broken nose, and two back surgeries. He played just three games in 2022 because of his back injuries.

Leonard was still limited throughout training camp and the beginning of the season, working back from his back injury. He seemed to be back to full strength in the Colts' season-opener, playing 86% of Indianapolis' defensive snaps.

After that, though, his snap count decreased week-by-week -- for what the Colts' said was part of a plan to ramp him back up to full speed. He played 72% of defensive snaps in Week 2, 69% of snaps in Week 3, and just 45% of snaps in Week 4.


Leonard has also been inhibited by an unrelated groin injury, which kept him out of the Colts' Week 5 game against the Titans.

"When we sat down and looked at it, we just felt like we're going to have a plan in mind and follow that plan," Colts defensive coordinator Gus Bradley said Oct. 3. "There may be more, there may be less reps, but it's based on how we're going to bring him back."


More:Why Colts are playing Shaquille Leonard less and why they expect to increase his snaps

At the same time, defensive end Tyquan Lewis had season-ending patellar injuries in two straight years but is back in the playing rotation, giving hope to Leonard.

"Oh man, it's amazing to see him go through all the things that he's been though and then go back out there and play as well as he did," Leonard said. "Him and I have battling through the same thing for the past few years, so we've been kind of in each other's ears, try to push each other ... you definitely love to see that, you continue to grow, continue to build up better and better."


Heading into Week 6, Leonard is targeting a full return from his groin injury. He was a full participant at practice on Wednesday and is aiming to be active in Jacksonville on Sunday.

He'll still be limited; the Colts are anticipating a November return to full strength for their highest-paid linebacker. This is an important season for Leonard, who signed a five-year, $98.25 million contract with $52.5 million guaranteed in 2021. He is set to be paid $15.7 million this year. Next season is the first year that the Colts could save money on the salary cap by cutting him; they would absorb $8 million in dead cap space and have just over $12 million in cap savings.


"This Sunday doesn't get bigger," Leonard said. "You just got to go in, take full advantage of the opportunity, go in and play good ball and hopefully come out with another victory."

[CletusPyle]

If the Colts win Sunday, I will start to wonder if fate is at work and it is giving Gardner Minshew another chance to live his dream! Stranger things have happened...I really like Minshew as a player and from what little I know, as a person! With JT back, this is the team I thought we had when we brought in Ryan, except now we have a better coach. I remember thinking the Colts had enough talent to at least win our division and possibly compete for an AFC championship....not saying we do yet, but a win on Sunday would certainly have this team wondering if something special could happen in Indy.

This team has a lot of talent, Minshew doesn't beat himself, with JT healthy defenses will have to load the box and that might mean chances for the deep ball to Pierce might be a lot more likely....do not rule out the Colts just yet!