Throughout his time in Kansas City, the head coach has always acquired the same kind of backup quarterback.
Many people are creatures of habit. Once they find a formula that works for them, they stick with it until they die.
I’m one of them. I love all sorts of ice cream, but nothing beats soft-serve vanilla in a waffle cone.
When it comes to his backup quarterbacks, Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid is the same way — except in his case, Gardner Minshew is the soft-serve vanilla, and the Chiefs’ offense is the waffle cone.
Reid doesn’t want sprinkles or hot fudge on his backup. He wants someone dependable — a veteran who can step in when he’s needed, work within the offense, make all the throws and steady the ship.
“He’s been there,” Reid said of Minshew after Thursday’s OTA practice. “He’s started. He’s got the confidence of the guys around him. Patrick knows he’s been in there and done it, so they can bounce things off each other.
“It’s always good to have peers that have played. I think on game day, he’ll be great with Patrick, just with what he’s seeing from the sideline and what Pat’s seeing when he’s in there.”
Photo by Bruce Yeung/Getty Images
As for Minshew, he’s just grateful for the opportunity.
“I love it, man,” he declared. “[I’m] so happy to be a part of this — [and] super grateful for Coach Reid bringing me in and giving me an opportunity.”
Minshew, who has 46 starts for four different teams over a six-year NFL career, acknowledged the challenge of learning Reid’s complex offense.
“I feel like there’s so much to learn,” he said. “I’m looking for any way to help this team, help this organization and be a part of something special.”
Still, he believes the offense suits him well — particularly in what it gives the players.
“It’s a lot of giving the tools to the players to be successful — letting guys kind of do what they think is right out there,” he explained. “It’s a lot of fun playing that way — and having guys around you who know how to play that way.”
This pairing has been a long time coming. Before the Jacksonville Jaguars selected him in the sixth round (178th overall) back in 2019, Minshew met with the Chiefs.
“I remember visiting here,” he recalled of the experience, “and how good I felt leaving here — with Coach Reid and the staff in place and the offense and everything they were doing. So I think it’s been on my radar for a long time.”
But while playing as a backup under Reid could give Minshew’s career a boost, he’s not focused on anything beyond this season.
“When you’re learning,” he explained, “[and] you feel like you’re getting better — moving closer to the person you want to be [and] the player you want to be — then that’s a successful year.”
The most important part of a backup quarterback’s job is having a good relationship with the starter. For Minshew, working with Mahomes has already been enlightening.
“It’s easy to see all the highlight plays [and] the big throws,” he noted. “You see that every day on the practice field. But what I really wanted [was] to come here and see is how [Mahomes] prepares — not just in the building, [but] how he gets his body right [and] how he trains. I think he does everything at the elite, highest level. There’s just so much to take from that.”
We’re all hoping that Minshew only takes the field in the preseason — or during a 50-point blowout of his most recent former team: the Las Vegas Raiders. But if his number is called, there will be comfort in knowing the team will be in steady hands.
That’s all you can ask from soft-serve vanilla in a waffle cone.