Early in the season, it seemed like rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson was on pace for a breakout year. The fourth-overall pick of the Indianapolis Colts had quickly adjusted to the NFL and was already making show-stopping plays with his arm and his legs. Unfortunately, a shoulder injury brought his promising season to a halt.
The good news, though, was that the Colts signed Gardner Minshew during the offseason. Minshew, considered one of the better backups in the league, was a veteran with experience under Shane Steichen. For those reasons, the expectation was that he would be an adequate fill in. So far, it has been a bit of a mixed bag for Minshew.
Indianapolis is 5-5 and alive in the playoff race, but Minshew has had plenty of ups and downs. In 10 games this season, starting six, Gardner Minshew has completed 63.7% of his passes for 1,721 yards, eight touchdowns, and six interceptions. He has also added two rushing touchdowns on the ground. However, with the six interceptions, and five fumbles, turnovers have been a problem for Minshew.
Regardless, Minshew’s teammates still have complete faith in him. Veteran defender, and team captain, Kenny Moore II made that clear in a recent appearance on The Jim Rome Show. Moore explained to Rome that he thinks Minshew is doing a great job and no one is surprised because they know what he’s about. When Rome asked Moore about being able to follow Minshew’s lead into battle, Kenny expressed that “guys follow guys who love ball,” and Minshew is a guy that loves ball and wants to win.
"Guys follow guys who love ball."
— Jim Rome (@jimrome) November 17, 2023
-@KennyKennyMoe3 on Gardner Minshew and what makes a leader in an NFL locker room. pic.twitter.com/XPgMVmM3rD
Gardner Minshew is easy to follow because he loves football
Moore also said that he’s excited to see what Minshew will do for the rest of the season. That’s what everyone is waiting to see. However, the Colts don’t need Minshew to do too much. With the elite backfield of Jonathan Taylor and Zack Moss, and a defense that was seemingly rounding into form before the bye week, Minshew just needs to protect the football and get it to his playmakers like Michael Pittman Jr. and Josh Downs. If that happens, there’s a pretty good chance that Minshew will be starting a playoff game this postseason.