Tag: jacksonville offense

Gardner Minshew and Laviska Shenault are two big reasons to watch Thursday Night Football

The two young offensive players, and their offensive coordinator’s designs, are making the Jaguars must-watch television.

I enter every single piece I write with a simple goal: To convince the reader of something. Whether it deals with a draft eligible quarterback, an offensive scheme, or the execution of a blitz, I want the reader to come away believing in what I have put in front of them. My goal here is the same. I want you to be excited to watch Thursday Night Football when you’re done reading.

This is not an easy task.

The jokes on Twitter and the snickering in living rooms began almost a week ago, when the promotions began airing for the Miami Dolphins and the Jacksonville Jaguars, our two teams set to square off tomorrow night. They were everywhere. Take a few minutes on Twitter or Google and search for yourself, but come on back here when you are done.

I’m here to tell you, this game is must-watch from where I sit.

It starts with Gardner Minshew.

The Jacksonville quarterback has become one of football’s more engaging personalities, but anyone who saw him during his draft process, particularly down at the Senior Bowl, could have seen this coming. Minshew quickly won over the football media world at his Media Day session, talking about playing for Mike Leach, the chip on his shoulder, and working progression reads in an Air Raid offense.

But beyond the persona there was something fascinating about Minshew on film, dating back to his time at Washington State under Leach. His footwork:

Air Raid quarterbacks are notorious for having footwork problems, particularly in their mastery of the pocket. Minshew defied that conventional wisdom. His ability to flow from read to read while keeping his feet under him, ready to throw, was more in line with your traditional dropback quarterbacks in “pro style offenses” – whatever that term means – than a Mike Leach Air Raid passer.

Through two games he has completed 49 of 65 passes (a completion percentage of 75.4%) and 512 yards, six touchdowns and two interceptions. His NFL passer rating of 115.7 is seventh in the league, and his touchdown passes tie him for second behind only Russell Wilson, and in a group that contains Aaron Rodgers and another scorching-hot quarterback, Josh Allen.

That footwork is a huge reason why Minshew is off to his hot start:

On those plays against the Tennessee Titans, you can see how Minshew’s footwork keeps him in position to be successful, even when responding to pressure from the defense. He keeps his feet under him, works through reads, and evades the pressure slightly, creating just enough space to get off a throw from the pocket.

His footwork also puts those around him in a position to be successful, particularly when it comes to accurate ball placement and how he manipulates defenders in the secondary:

Minshew’s quick and precise footwork sets up defenders in the secondary, but also enables him to put the ball where it needs to for his receivers to make plays after the catch.

One of those receivers? Rookie Laviska Shenault Jr.

Offensive coordinator Jay Gruden deserves a ton of credit not only for how he has put Minshew in position to be successful but also for how he has utilized the rookie wide receiver. Gruden has run a mixture of West Coast and Air Raid passing concepts to give Minshew some defined reads in the passing game, but he has also been very creative with Shenault. The rookie has been used on 74 offensive plays, and has aligned in the offensive backfield as a running back, in the Wildcat as a quarterback, in the slot, in a wing and outside on the boundary.

So far this season Shenault has six receptions for 72 yards and a touchdown, as well as seven rushing attempts for 47 yards. This video dives into the various ways Gruden is using the rookie:

As the league moves closer and closer to an era of “positionless football,” Shenault might just be the offensive player for the modern age. Think about how opposing defensive coordinators have to approach Jacksonville. With Shenault in the game do you treat him as a wide receiver, and play a sub package? Or do you treat him as a running back, and play base. If you go with a sub package, Gruden can align him as a running back and test your light defensive fronts. But if you play base, Gruden can dial up passing concepts to stress your linebackers.

Either way, you are likely to be wrong.

So hopefully at this point you are excited to see this game Thursday night. Minshew’s footwork in the pockets, Shenault’s versatility and Gruden’s schematic diversity are three big reasons to watch. However, if you still are not convinced there is one more big reason:

That’s right, we have a quarterback facial hair battle brewing! Dolphins passer Ryan Fitzpatrick threw down the gauntlet in defense of beards earlier this week.

As you might expect, Minshew was quick to respond, generally playing it coy but with some shade thrown in:

So if I can’t convince you to tune in, perhaps the allure of a QB facial hair tussle can.

 

Minshew, Shenault guide Jaguars offense to victory

If the early returns are any indication, Gardner Minshew and Laviska Shenault Jr. are going to be in for quite a season.

After a turbulent off-season, the Jacksonville Jaguars came out and started the season off right, earning a 27-20 victory over the Indianapolis Colts. Two of their young offensive stars, quarterback Gardner Minshew and rookie wide receiver Laviska Shenault Jr. shined in the victory. Minshew was almost perfect, completing 19 of 20 passes for 173 yards and three touchdowns, while Shenault was utilized all over the field and scored his first NFL touchdown.

Looking at how the Jaguars used their young wideout to help the entire Jacksonville offense is a window into their schematic future.

Take Jacksonville’s first touchdown of the 2020 NFL season. The Jaguars face a 2nd and goal on the six, and Shenault aligns on the left side of the offense. The rookie then comes in motion across the formation, and a defender trails him. Take note of the response from the Indianapolis secondary:

With the defender trailing, Minshew has an inkling that the Colts are in man coverage. There will be a twist in a moment, as we will see. Here’s what the Jaguars run on the play:

Shenault shows the defense a potential screen, while Chark releases vertically. That puts the cornerback in a bind. Remember, Minshew is thinking the Colts are in man coverage, given how they responded to Shenault’s motion. But there is a twist, as promised. Indianapolis drops into a red zone Cover 2 look. Instead of the man coverage Minshew was expecting, he gets a zone look.

However, this works just as well for the offense. Cornerback TJ Carrie is still stuck between a rock and a hard place. He has the flat to that side, so Sheanult works as a “low,” but with Chark releasing to the outside, he now is bracketed with a “high.” The cornerback squats for a moment in response to the potential screen to Shenault, and that is all Minshew needs:

The threat of Shenault creates the opportunity, and Minshew takes advantage.

A similar concept worked later in the second quarter, when Minshew was able to find Shenault on a vertical route. This time the Jaguars face a 1st and 10 in their own territory, and Shenault comes in motion before the play from left-to-right again:

This time, it is Kenny Moore who trails the rookie across the formation. Just before the snap, here is the state of play:

Here’s what Jacksonville runs:

They throw a lot of eye candy at the Colts’ defense, and in particular Moore, who is one of the best slot cornerbacks in the league. They show a split-zone design, with the running back aiming to the left, but Minshew fakes the handoff and slides to the right, with the tight end releasing to the flat. The boundary receiver takes off vertically, drawing the cornerback. Moore first sees the run action, and then the QB rolling to him with the tight end releasing to the flat. All of that action draws his attention, while Shenault sneaks out vertically. With the vertical route from the outside WR pulling the cornerback downfield, the rookie is wide open:

Easy throw, easy catch and Jacksonville is near midfield.

While he was with Colorado, Shenault aligned all over the field for the Buffaloes, including snaps at tight end, running back and yes, at quarterback. So it should come as no surprise that we saw a little of Shenault taking snaps out of a Wildcat formation against the Colts:

Minshew begins the play under center but then motions out towards the sideline, allowing Shenault to take the direct snap. He patiently picks his spot and cuts inside for a gain of five. Not the most exciting play, but one more thing opposing defenses will need to prepare for each time they face the Jaguars.

Then there is the touchdown from Minshew to Shenault, that looked almost like a connection between Tom Brady and Wes Welker. Shenault aligns in a stack-slot to the right and will run a crossing route, throttling down for a second before continuing over the middle:

You can see why this play is reminiscent of something veterans like Brady and Welker would connect on, and not two younger players like Minshew and Shenault. When the rookie WR throttles down, that draws the nearest defender towards him and causes that player to settle a bit. Then when Shenault accelerates, he is able to extend his separation and Minshew hits him in stride. QB and WR are certainly on the same page here, and that is also evident from the end zone camera. Pay close attention to Minshew’s feet:

One of the knock on Air Raid quarterbacks coming out of college – such as Minshew – is that their footwork is not precise enough to function in an NFL offense. This was a mischaracterization of Minshew, whose footwork was very effective in the pocket. He always keeps his feet in position to throw as he works through his reads, and this play is a prime example. Notice how he resets his feet towards the middle of the field just before releasing this throw? That is precisely the kind of footwork you want to see from a veteran passer. But here is Minshew doing it in just his second season.

Many thought the Jaguars were lining up for a shot at Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence with the moves they made this offseason. But if Minshew continues to perform like this, Jacksonville might be looking to address another position early in next year’s draft. With Shenault at his side, and the attention he is drawing already from opposing defenses, Minshew might just keep this current form going.