Extra Points: Minshew Mania Heading to Philly

Somewhere deep in my storage closet, buried underneath the satin shirts, double-knit pants and Earth shoes I wore in the 1970s, is probably a pair of jorts.

Of course, I could never fit into them. My waist hasn't been 32 inches in over 32 years. My cutoff jean shorts last saw the light of day decades ago, during my days of renting out canvas rafts, umbrellas and beach chairs while working for Steger's Beach Service in Cape May.

But I might be tempted to dig them out now that the Eagles have traded for Gardner Minshew.
Minshew Mania is headed to Philadelphia. The Eagles acquired the quirky quarterback Saturday in a trade with the Jaguars in exchange for a conditional sixth-round draft pick.

Minshew took Jacksonville by storm a few years back, when he took over for an injured Nick Foles and regaled Jaguars fans with his entertaining playing style, a Fu Manchu mustache and his propensity for wearing jorts.

But while his personality and playing style may be fun, Eagles general manager Howie Roseman made a mistake with this deal.

The Eagles also waived QB Nick Mullens, leaving Hurts, Joe Flacco and now Minshew as the Eagles' three quarterbacks heading into the regular season. Minshew is technically supposed to challenge Flacco for the No. 2 spot. However, it seems odd that he would accept a backup role, given that he wanted out of Jacksonville about five minutes after coach Urban Meyer named Trevor Lawrence the starter.

"In preparation for the competition (with Lawrence), I haven't (had a bowel movement) in weeks," Minshew told former Eagles DE Chris Long in July on Long's "Green Light" podcast. "Number two isn't an option for me."

He presumably hasn't gone No. 3, either, whatever that is.

Chemistry, not to mention plumbing, in the quarterback room is important. The Eagles should know this better than anyone, given the drama they've gone through the last few years.

Carson Wentz's ego was so fragile that Roseman and then-coach Doug Pederson had no choice but to let Foles - the Super Bowl LII MVP who also led the Eagles into the 2018 playoffs - walk after the 2018 season. In addition to delivering in the clutch, Foles was also extremely popular in the locker room, to the point where Long himself constructed a shrine to him.

The Eagles went through the same thing last season after drafting Hurts in the second round. Wentz responded with a horrible effort that eventually landed him on the bench and led to him demanding a trade rather than compete with Hurts for the starting job in training camp this summer.

Ironically, Minshew's cult-like status in Duval County was made possible because on an injury to Foles in 2019. When Foles hurt his shoulder while throwing a touchdown pass in the Jaguars opener, Minshew took over and quickly won over the fan base with his Fran Tarkenton-like style, jean shorts that he makes himself, and a mustache that quickly drew comparisons to gym owner White Goodman (Ben Stiller) in Dodgeball.

The Jaguars bought into Minshew Mania, giving out fake mustaches for home games. The movement hit its peak in 2019, when the rookie threw for over 3,200 yards and 21 touchdowns in 12 starts. It faded like a pair of old "Jorts" last season. He threw 13 TD passes and five interceptions to go with four fumbles in the first seven games before suffering a right thumb injury, then was unremarkable in a last-season comeback.

The good news is that Hurts does not figure to be threatened by his Minshew's presence. He's as strong mentally as he is physically, which considering he deadlifted 620 pounds a few months ago is pretty impressive.

Yet, if he gets off to a slow start this season, you know the Eagles' fan base will start showing up at Lincoln Financial Field with fake mustaches and jorts.

If the Eagles were that concerned about adding another quarterback, they should have traded for Foles.

At the very least, you won't have to worry about your backup quarterback being backed up.