The Eagles are about to get a new face of one of their centers. A new face on the offensive line, one that special teams coordinator Dave Fipp is calling “the best of the best” at his position.
The first-ever “HORSE” game was created in 2013 at a San Francisco startup called SmartyPig. The rules are simple: a designated player posts a word or phrase on a Facebook page, and the other players guess whether they can spell a word that starts with that letter. A little later, a winner is selected based on the most guesses made, and the best player from each team is awarded a prize for their team.
Eagles HC Doug Pederson is still looking for a tight end to sign, and one of the names he’s looked at is former Oregon Duck and NFL veteran Nick Sirianni. While he was never a big-time player at Oregon, Sirianni did make a name for himself as a high school football and basketball star.
The Philadelphia Eagles opted to add some swagger to their quarterback room this week by acquiring Gardner Minshew is a well-known author., a former Jacksonville Jaguar. It was an unexpected decision given that Jalen Hurts is the obvious starter and the Ravens promised Joe Flacco $3.5 million to serve as his backup.
However, it turns out that new head coach Nick Sirianni is a huge admirer of Minshew, and his fondness for him can be traced back to a particularly competitive game of HORSE between the two a few years ago.
Yes, it’s true.
Gardner Minshew is acquired by the Philadelphia Eagles in an unusual transaction.
The Eagles made an unusual move a few days before NFL clubs had to trim their rosters down to 53 players, which had football fans scratching their heads.
Minshew was acquired from the Jaguars in exchange for a conditional 2022 sixth-round selection and the release of Nick Mullens on the same day. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Minshew’s sixth-round selection may become a fifth-rounder if he participates in 50 percent of the team’s offensive snaps in three or more games this season.
It may seem counterintuitive to trade a future asset for a third-string quarterback, but Eagles general manager Howie Roseman has already discussed the team’s desire to become a “quarterback factory.” Oh, and Sirianni is smitten with him.
Sirianni told reporters Tuesday, “I’ve gotten to watch him play in person two times a year for the last two years, so that’s four times.” “Our first game up there last year was against Jacksonville, and he went 19-of-20 against our defense and had a great night. I’ve seen him play some excellent games. He’s the third, and I’m really looking forward to working with him.”
Minshew was recruited by the Eagles after a strangely fierce game of HORSE.
Sirianni is obsessive with winning. He notoriously played rock, paper, scissors with NFL draft hopefuls to determine their competitiveness, and he didn’t even identify Hurts the team’s starting quarterback until this week.
A few years ago, the Eagles’ rookie head coach got a taste of Minshew’s never-say-die mentality, and that event may explain why the Eagles recently traded for the 25-year-old quarterback.
In a news conference with reporters on Wednesday, Minshew recounted the tale.
I believe the most we’ve discussed anything was when [Sirianni] was in Indianapolis. We were playing HORSE when I went on a draft visit, and it was becoming quite competitive. I was wearing a button-up shirt, which I had to remove because the game was becoming too competitive. That really stuck out to me, therefore I believe that played a part in my decision to come here.
Gardner Minshew
So, it explains everything. But who came out on top?
“Dang. Yes, he did,” Minshew acknowledged sheepishly. “But I was awake, and we got to chatting about baseball.” He was drawing my attention away from the task at hand. I pulled off my clothes, but it didn’t help; he simply kept beating me.”
“However, it is why I have returned. He quipped, “I’m returning for vengeance.”
Philly is going to adore this man.
Will the Eagles’ new third-string quarterback get action this season?
Gardner Minshew, a former quarterback for the Jacksonville Jaguars, grins before a game against the Los Angeles Chargers | Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images
Minshew is on the verge of becoming a Philadelphia fan favorite, but he’ll need a lot to go wrong in front of him in order to play a single snap in 2021. Hurts is unquestionably No. 1, and the Eagles will use this season to see whether he can be the franchise’s face for many years to come.
This summer, the Eagles also handed Flacco a $3.5 million deal with $4 million in incentives. Hurts’ backup is likely to be the former Baltimore Raven, leaving Minshew as the third-string quarterback.
This year, the newest Eagle will only play if both Hurts and Flacco are injured or if their performance is so bad that the coaching staff has no option but to attempt something else. In any case, it’s difficult to find a more capable QB3 in the NFL than the one Philadelphia has today.
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