I don't have data right now regarding sophomore slumps for QBs, but here is my take on some people's "concerns" about it as it pertains to Gardner.

In a well run organization with good support he would be given another year if he has a sophomore slump. Though, if he has one with the Jags, I don't think he will get that much leeway. It may largely depend on where they would pick in next year's draft and how big the slump is.

That being said, I wouldn't be surprised if he had a nice year with the Jags. I believe that Minshew can play. I think that he has shown that he can be a starter in this league. He may have started out as a backup but that doesn't mean, he can't be a starter. A lot of talented QB's start out as backups.I think that a lot of people just can't let go where he was drafted and they are honed into drafting Trevor Lawrence. Some people including some Jags fans, will not fully accept Minshew being the starter as long as Trevor is out there.

Some people should just say, short of Minshew taking the Jags to the Super Bowl, they want Trevor Lawrence. (And a Jags fan on Twitter actually said they didn't care if Gardner won the Super Bowl, they still wanted Trevor Lawrence). At least that would be honest, instead of IMO some of this disingenuous speculation/worry about Gardner's ability to be a starting QB on this team. When I think that some people just want Trevor Lawrence or maybe Justin Fields, regardless of how Gardner ends up performing. And should just say that, if that's how they feel.

If some people are that worried about Gardner not performing well, and if he doesn't, then the Jags will be in a position to draft Trevor or Justin anyways. I honestly think some people that keep "questioning" Minshew's ability are more afraid he's going to perform well or at least good enough to keep the team from drafting Trevor. And that's a big reason why the keep "worrying" about him. He had a nice rookie season with things to build on and is continuing to work very hard to improve himself. He could become even better and grow as a QB this upcoming season.

Granted, I do acknowledge that some people have legitimate concerns about him and the Jags team overall. They have legitimate concerns about the tougher schedule, him not having the best protection, etc... but some of this other stuff feels disingenuous and is coming from people that continue to doubt Gardner/really want Trevor Lawrence, don't like the Jags, etc...

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