JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – When Nick Foles was injured, it forced the Jaguars to hand the keys to the offense to the man with the marvelous mustache, Gardner Minshew.
In his first NFL game, he threw two touchdowns and set a franchise record for completion percentage. That is a pretty good way to start an NFL career, especially for a guy who has had a journey like his to the NFL.
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Minshew had a rocky college career.
He had a scholarship offer from UAB, but then UAB suspended its program. Minshew then ended up going to Northwest Mississippi Community College.
From there, Minshew transferred to East Carolina where he had a rocky couple of years before graduating. When Minshew was looking for places to play as a graduate transfer, Nick Saban and Alabama offered him a spot on their team.
Then, Washington State came calling with a starting role to offer. The rest is history.
Having that sort of journey helps build character. Minshew said it taught him a lot about how to be a leader.
The mustache is the first thing everyone notices about Minshew. But if he can keep playing as well as he did in Week 1 against the Chiefs, Minshew will give people a lot more to talk about.
Minshew has been compared to last year's No. 1 overall pick, Baker Mayfield, because of their similar height and build, but Minshew grew up watching Florida when it had Chris Leak and Tim Tebow.
What are the odds that Minshew grew up looking up to Tebow, and then ends up playing for Tebow's hometown team? Maybe it is just a coincidence, but maybe it was all meant to happen.
Even with Minshew now starting, the Jaguars still have playoff aspirations and Nick Foles cannot return until Week 11. What if Minshew continues to play well and leads the team to an 8-2 or 7-3 record and the team is in the playoff picture?
Well, that would be a good problem to have.
Only time will tell if Minshew Mania will lead to mustaches and jean shorts being the new fashion at TIAA Bank Field, or if it will come to a quick end.