HOUSTON (SPORTSRADIO 610) – Gardner Minshew's 22-of-25 performance coming off the bench for an injured Nick Foles against Kansas City caught the attention of the Texans.
"He played really well. Just watching the tape the last couple of nights here, he played really well. He was accurate, got the ball out on time, had a couple of shot plays, threw the ball downfield to (D.J.) Chark (Jr.), threw the ball downfield to (Chris) Conley, did a good job with his feet. He has a real good understanding of the offense. Yeah, he's a good football player," Texans' Head Coach Bill O'Brien said of the rookie quarterback.
Minshew, a sixth-round pick from Mike Leach's pass happy Washington State program, had an interesting journey through his collegiate career. He was headed to UAB before they shut down their program, that led him to a temporary stay at Troy. From Troy he went on to Northwest Mississippi Community College, where he helped win the 2015 Junior College National Championship. He transferred to East Carolina after his Juco title run, but played sporadically. With a degree in hand, Minshew was planning to spend his final year of eligibility as the third string quarterback at Alabama, getting a head start on the coaching career he desired.
Leach ruined that path with his phone call to Minshew asking him, "Do you want to be a backup at Alabama, or lead the nation in passing?"
Minshew found the perfect place for him and the perfect man to put him on his path to the NFL, and Leach's prediction proved to be true as Minshew's 367.6 yards per game did lead the nation.
"He hit about 12 completions straight, and after that, caught their attention pretty well," Texans' cornerback Johnathan Joseph said. "What caught my attention was he was a junior college offensive player of the year, I think he was player of the year at Washington State, so wherever he's been, he's been a successful player."





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