MythBusters: Who says Gardner Minshew doesn’t have a big arm?
Joe Thomas is one of the greatest offensive tackles in NFL history, and he’s used his football intelligence to become an outstanding, enlightening broadcaster in his post-football career. Perhaps if Thomas wasn’t such a great football mind, I wouldn’t take issue with one thing he said during Sunday’s game against the Cleveland Browns and Philadelphia Eagles from the Browns’ side. After Minshew’s pass to receiver Zach Pascal with 1:42 left in the first quarter was negated by pass interference, Thomas and broadcast partner Chris Rose were kinda yukking it up about Minshew’s arm.
. @joethomas73, you are a legend on the field and in the booth. But with all due respect, Minshew is more than a popgun thrower. pic.twitter.com/fd8VPfJnIv
— Doug Farrar ✍ (@NFL_DougFarrar) August 21, 2022
“Gardner Minshew has always been better at the shorter things.” Thomas continued, followed by a joke about Minshew visiting the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in his jorts.
I get it — Minshew has become his own meme to a point. But he has shown starting quarterback potential in his time with the Jaguars and Eagles, and while the “noodle arm” thing goes back to his time at Washington State (because guys in Air Raid offenses simply can’t have good deep arms), Minshew has proven it wrong. He did so with the Jaguars, and he did so with the Eagles in 2021, albeit with limited opportunities.
Last season, per Pro Football Focus, Minshew completed three of six passes of 20 or more air yards for 89 yards, one touchdown, no interceptions, and a passer rating of 135.4. One of those incompletions came in Week 18 on a nice end zone throw to receiver JJ Arcega-Whiteside, who dropped it.
This 36-yard dart to tight end Dallas Goedert in Week 12 against the Jets was more like it.
As if to further prove the point in the Browns game, Minshew had two straight second-quarter completions to receiver Deon Cain of 20 and 22 air yards, respectively, chronicled by our own Laurie Fitzpatrick.
The very next play pic.twitter.com/5v8WUnaHaN
— Laurie Fitzpatrick (@LaurieFitzptrck) August 21, 2022
So, again with all due respect to Mr. Thomas (and we really do mean that — it’s hard to remember a more prefect pass protector in his era), the canard about Minshew’s deep arm is just that.
