How bad is Blaine Gabbert? (1 Viewer)

[Sabertooth]

I was not impressed from what I observed about Gabbert's play last year and he could end up being a draft bust for the Jaguars; however, it is still too early to write him completely off just yet.

A lot of NFL players have been quickly considered as being pretty bad early in their careers, only to see them turn things around later. Aaron Rodgers was being talked about as potentially becoming a bust by some people at one point in time in his career and he rebounded quite nicely (and I am not saying that Gabbert will become Rodgers either).

Grading Ten Years of NFL Drafts: From 1996-2005

Aaron Rodgers = Bust? (news to me)

I know that Rodgers situation was different as he sat behind Favre for a few years while Gabbert had to play early in his career, but is just too quick to assume that he has no hope of making significant improvements.

I agree. I'm not saying he will succeed or he won't. But let's hold off on the pitchforks for at least 2 more seasons.

 

[Raider Nation]

Still really, really bad.

 

[Gandalf]

Yep. Very very bad. The type of bad that loses your week if you use him as a bye week replacement.

 

[Raider Nation]

Yep. Very very bad. The type of bad that loses your week if you use him as a bye week replacement.

I can't even see that, to be honest. I'd say there is a 75% chance he goes undrafted in my 10-team league.Someone will take him in the late rounds of a 12-teamer.

 

[Touchdown There]

Scared QB with a mullet.

 

[Wadsworth]

Scared QB with a mullet.

I hope the scared part of your post proves to be as inaccurate as the mullet part.

 

[Touchdown There]

Scared QB with a mullet.

I hope the scared part of your post proves to be as inaccurate as the mullet part.

Sounds like you are talking about the future. You might have missed his snaps in 2011. Give them a look-see. He is what he is. Pseudo mullet - http://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/headshots/nfl/players/full/13987.png&w=350&h=254

 

[Touchdown There]

Scared QB with a mullet.

I hope the scared part of your post proves to be as inaccurate as the mullet part.

Sounds like you are on the Gabbert hype train. What do you see in store for 2012?

 

[lbouchard]

Scared QB with a mullet.

I hope the scared part of your post proves to be as inaccurate as the mullet part.

Sounds like you are talking about the future. You might have missed his snaps in 2011. Give them a look-see. He is what he is. Pseudo mullet - http://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/headshots/nfl/players/full/13987.png&w=350&h=254

No mullet anymorehttp://lockerz.com/s/202094531

 

[Touchdown There]

Scared QB with a mullet.

I hope the scared part of your post proves to be as inaccurate as the mullet part.

Sounds like you are talking about the future. You might have missed his snaps in 2011. Give them a look-see. He is what he is. Pseudo mullet - http://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/headshots/nfl/players/full/13987.png&w=350&h=254

No mullet anymorehttp://lockerz.com/s/202094531

No more mullet power? The Jags are really screwed now.

 

[Mr. Brownstone]

Scared QB with a mullet.

I hope the scared part of your post proves to be as inaccurate as the mullet part.

Sounds like you are talking about the future. You might have missed his snaps in 2011. Give them a look-see. He is what he is. Pseudo mullet - http://a.espncdn.com/combiner/i?img=/i/headshots/nfl/players/full/13987.png&w=350&h=254

Right, I'm sure he just flat out missed all of his snaps in 2011.

 

[Pots]

Yep. Very very bad. The type of bad that loses your week if you use him as a bye week replacement.

I can't even see that, to be honest. I'd say there is a 75% chance he goes undrafted in my 10-team league.Someone will take him in the late rounds of a 12-teamer.

Seriously? I can see in a start-2 QB league, but no way I see him getting drafted in the vast majority of 12-teamers unless the roster sizes are HUGE.

 

[Warpig]

I call it the "Gabbert effect". The Jags WR's can be had for next to nothing. Except for Blackmon. Owners are holding out hope he can produce. Sure, if you want 60 receptions for 800 yds and 4 TD's from one of your WR's.

 

[Pots]

Here's a good question, which starting QBs would you rate UNDER Gabbert for the 2012 season?

 

[Faust]

Blaine Gabbert not taking Jaguars starting job lightly

By Brian McIntyre NFL.com

Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Mike Mularkey has already named second-year quarterback Blaine Gabbert his starter, but the No. 10-overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft is not taking his spot at the top of the depth chart for granted, Vito Stellino of the Florida Times-Union reports.

"I compete every practice," Gabbert said. "I know perfect isn’t really ever achievable, but I like to think it is. I’m plenty competitive and I get really mad at myself, just like anybody would if you expect it to be perfect. When you miss a throw, miss something easy that you know you can make, the biggest thing is you just have to bounce back."

Gabbert must have been downright furious with himself during a rookie season when he barely completed 50 percent of his 413 pass attempts for 2,218 yards with 12 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. Gabbert also was sacked 40 times and his 5.4 yards per attempt was dead last among qualifying quarterbacks.

Gabbert has been thoroughly roasted in the national media. He also hasn't been given great odds to keep Chad Henne, who was signed a two-year, $6.75 million contract two days into free agency, from replacing him this summer. So he deserves some credit for letting Mularkey's declaration go in one ear and out there other, continuing to compete for the starting job.

"If you don't go out there and compete in every aspect of your life -- your football life, I should say -- in the weight room, in the film room, on the football field, you’re not going to be successful," Gabbert said. "You know somebody, somewhere is busting their tail harder than you."

 

[Zaphod]

It must be May, the only time of the year when even Gabbert sounds like a viable NFL player.

 

[Wadsworth]

It must be May, the only time of the year when even Gabbert sounds like a viable NFL player.

A strange comment considering this is Gabbert's first May as an NFL player.

 

[Pots]

It must be May, the only time of the year when even Gabbert sounds like a viable NFL player.

A strange comment considering this is Gabbert's first May as an NFL player.

No it's not a strange comment. He's saying May is where coaches and reporters speak up all sorts of players in the off-season with little real reason to do so. How many Jacksonville games did you watch last year? This guy has nowhere to go but up because he's on the floor right now. An improvement would still be one of the leagues worst QBs.

 

[Raider Nation]

It must be May, the only time of the year when even Gabbert sounds like a viable NFL player.

A strange comment considering this is Gabbert's first May as an NFL player.

No it's not a strange comment. He's saying May is where coaches and reporters speak up all sorts of players in the off-season with little real reason to do so. How many Jacksonville games did you watch last year? This guy has nowhere to go but up because he's on the floor right now. An improvement would still be one of the leagues worst QBs.

I'll go ahead and guess he watched 16 of them.

 

[cstu]

Here's a good question, which starting QBs would you rate UNDER Gabbert for the 2012 season?

Maybe Cassell?

 

[Raider Nation]

Here's a good question, which starting QBs would you rate UNDER Gabbert for the 2012 season?

Maybe Cassell?

 

[cstu]

Here's a good question, which starting QBs would you rate UNDER Gabbert for the 2012 season?

Maybe Cassell?

Well, then just wait until somebody gets injured!

 

[Wadsworth]

It must be May, the only time of the year when even Gabbert sounds like a viable NFL player.

A strange comment considering this is Gabbert's first May as an NFL player.

No it's not a strange comment. He's saying May is where coaches and reporters speak up all sorts of players in the off-season with little real reason to do so. How many Jacksonville games did you watch last year? This guy has nowhere to go but up because he's on the floor right now. An improvement would still be one of the leagues worst QBs.

I'll go ahead and guess he watched 16 of them.

Going out on a limb there.

 

[Raider Nation]

It must be May, the only time of the year when even Gabbert sounds like a viable NFL player.

A strange comment considering this is Gabbert's first May as an NFL player.

No it's not a strange comment. He's saying May is where coaches and reporters speak up all sorts of players in the off-season with little real reason to do so. How many Jacksonville games did you watch last year? This guy has nowhere to go but up because he's on the floor right now. An improvement would still be one of the leagues worst QBs.

I'll go ahead and guess he watched 16 of them.

Going out on a limb there.

And you deserve a medal for it!

 

[Wadsworth]

Here's a good question, which starting QBs would you rate UNDER Gabbert for the 2012 season?

Maybe Cassell?

Gabbert was the worst starting QB in the NFL last season, it is hard to rate anyone below him at this point. I suspect that will change in the next few months but right now it is a short list if there is a list at all.

 

[JaxBill]

Here's a good question, which starting QBs would you rate UNDER Gabbert for the 2012 season?

I'd put him in the tier with Sanchez/Ponder/Locker just below Cassell/Kolb. Think I'd have that group ranked higher than Weeden/Moore. Of that group, I'd think that Ponder and then Gabbert would have the larger upside.As far as 12 team redraft I think his draftability depends on roster size and whether teams take 3 QB.This is a huge offseason for Gabbert and supposedly he's been making the most of it, working with the coaches on his footwork and studying film. I like some of his offseason quotes. He knows this is a make or break season to impress the new coaching regime and new owner.

In a media session after the Jaguars OTA's, Gabbert was asked about some reporters questioning his throwing ability. Gabbert responded by saying, "I'd like to challenge them to a throwing competition. Like Uncle Rico."

"If you don't go out there and compete in every aspect of your life - your football life, I should say - in the weight room, in the film room, on the football field, you're not going to be successful," Gabbert said. "You know somebody, somewhere is busting their tail harder than you."

 

[SWC]

maybe he went through hipnosis therapy and was trained to not cry like a baby when he sees defensive players i do not even care if he can outthrow uncle rico it does not matter when he is curled up in the fetal position because the ref would not let the game be a flag football game what a wussatron from the ninth dimension which the dimension where everyone is afraid of stuff take it to the bank brohans

 

[Touchdown There]

Here's a good question, which starting QBs would you rate UNDER Gabbert for the 2012 season?

Maybe Cassell?

Gabbert was the worst starting QB in the NFL last season, it is hard to rate anyone below him at this point. I suspect that will change in the next few months but right now it is a short list if there is a list at all.

Wadsworth - what are your projections for Gabbert.

 

[Wadsworth]

Here's a good question, which starting QBs would you rate UNDER Gabbert for the 2012 season?

Maybe Cassell?

Gabbert was the worst starting QB in the NFL last season, it is hard to rate anyone below him at this point. I suspect that will change in the next few months but right now it is a short list if there is a list at all.

Wadsworth - what are your projections for Gabbert.

There is so little data to base a projection on right now that it is difficult. There is a new head coach, OC, QB coach, offense and 3 new WRs. None of the OTAs have been open to the public so far so I have not even been able to see them run the offense in shorts. Reports coming out of the practices have been positive, Clint Session when asked about the defense chose to talk about the offense instead saying, "I don’t want to toot their horn but they’re looking like the greatest show on turf compared to last year." Landry added, ""Already, it's(the offense) definitely night and day from last year." Paul Posluszny called Blackmon an "an absolute stud" after watching him in practice.Reports from the local media have been positive but not as gushing as the players reports. At this point I think 440 attempts, completing 245 for around 2,800 yards with 18 TDs, 13 INTs sounds about right. I have no plans to draft him in any redraft format, but he is a guy I will keep an eye on in preseason because there is a lot of potential in the situation for a much bigger improvement in production than I an projecting right now.

 

[JaxBill]

A huge amount of Gabbert video from last year and college here:

http://draftbreakdown.com/blaine-gabbert-video-sampler-platter

Even when he looks "good" like in the Bengals video, his footwork still looks off. No wonder the Jags are trying to fix that.

The Texans video is downright ugly, both in terms of the amount of pressure he's facing and the way he deals with it.

 

[Faust]

Jaguars' Mularkey: Give Blaine Gabbert a chance

By Marc Sessler

Writer

Let's not make excuses for Blaine Gabbert, but how many rookie passers compared favorably to Cam Newton last season? Not Andy Dalton, they aren't the same guy. The Carolina Panthers quarterback set the earth on fire and rocked expectations for first-year signal-callers.

Gabbert's problematic rookie campaign with the Jacksonville Jaguars is further defaced when placed next to Newton's body of work. Cam made the game appear easy at times. He wasn't perfect, but he was the engine behind Carolina's point spike, going from a league-low 12.2 points per game in 2010 to 25.4 last season. Newton was larger than life; Gabbert was a man feeling around in the dark.

Jaguars coach Mike Mularkey wasn't around for Gabbert's rookie campaign (most who were have been fired and scattered), but he talked a little bit Tuesday about the dangers in comparing quarterbacks.

"Cam Newton was the No. 1 pick of the draft. He's a special type of player, but so is Blaine," Mularkey told reporters, stressing the importance of repetitions for a young passer.

Where Newton was seen as the only option at quarterback in Carolina, Gabbert came out of the NFL lockout as David Garrard's backup. Then the floor fell out. In what must have felt like a fever dream for Gabbert, Garrard was released in September, Del Rio was fired in November and the rookie found himself starting by Week 3.

"Cam Newton was obviously going to be your starter going into the season, whether that gave him an advantage over Blaine, I don't ... I really don't want to talk about players on other teams," Mularkey said. "The repetitions in camp are important, every one of them is important that you get. And I don't know the amount that Blaine got compared to anyone else in this camp last year, but I'm sure it wasn't the amount he would have liked ... or the coaches would have liked."

With the addition of rookie wideout Justin Blackmon and a full offseason under his belt, Gabbert must show progress out of the gate. Asking him to play the way a functional quarterback would is not too much. Asking him to duplicate Newton's growth -- that's a different, possibly for anyone.

 

[DawnBTVS]

Things I noticed just from watching the Bengals game...

- Had two TDs taken away (1 drop, 1 a bad throw that led his receiver too much)

- Footwork needs a serious overhaul but the offensive playcalling didn't help out at all. A lot of times the receivers had little awareness (running an out route on 3rd & Goal in front of the goal line, hooking up a yard shy of the 1st down line on another 3rd Down)

- The offensive line was... astonishingly bad. When he did have time, he seemed indecisive (as is common with rookie QBs).

I think the addition of Blackmon & Robinson alone, plus the emphasis on footwork will definitely make Gabbert better than he was last season. I'm not nearly as doom and gloom as others are. Also for those referencing the Texans game, they were one of the top defenses in the league and Gabbert was a rookie with poor receivers and poor line play. I won't fault him too much for that.

Rough Early Projection: 283/480 for 3,312 yards and 17 TD to 13 INT. Similar numbers to what Matt Ryan put up as a rookie. I think the Jaguars will try to emulate what Mularkey had in Atlanta and try to let Gabbert develop a comfort level first before opening the playbook.

 

[AB in DC]

3312 yards seems awfully high for Gabbert. Only 16 QBs in the entire league reached that total in 2011.

 

[Lash]

how bad is he?

a fellow that i work with was on Mizzou staff during the recruitment and first year of Gabbert playing

i asked him about drafting Gabbert in fantasy football and about what he'll do for the Jags

he said: "He will be the biggest bust of the first round"

 

[DawnBTVS]

3312 yards seems awfully high for Gabbert. Only 16 QBs in the entire league reached that total in 2011.

You're right but I'm also slightly counting on a more successful screen game, which can help pad his YPA totals a bit (a lot of the screens in those highlights went for 4-6 yards tops due to the RB/WRs going down on first contact). I also think he'll be more comfortable going downfield with a full offseason and better coaching re: his technique.Realistically I guess I shouldn't be putting him at 6.9 YPA (probably 6.3-6.4) but he does have more weapons around him that should lessen drops and let him take shots downfield that can be completed. I counted at least 3 dropped TD passes just in those linked highlights (2 of which were extremely blatant drops).

 

[Sweet Love]

It must be May, the only time of the year when even Gabbert sounds like a viable NFL player.

A strange comment considering this is Gabbert's first May as an NFL player.

Here's the thing...Newton and Dalton also never had a May...yet both produced top 3 rookie QB stats in the last 15 years. Now, I am not saying Gabbert can't get it together (both Newton and Dalton had much better passing options). In fact, you hear why Kolb did so poorly (or even Bradford) and it is due to a lack of camp time. In the end, we may find out 5-10 years from now, how the coaches in Carolina and Cincy maximized their time by calling for a very basic playbook that played to their QBs strengths, while other coaches tried to jam the whole thing in and received poor results. Personally, unless Newton and Dalton end up being the Manning and Brady of their era, there was likely some VERY smart coaching involved or at least a little hocus pocus.

 

[Hoot&HoLLer]

http://espn.go.com/blog/afcsouth/post/_/id/37250/yes-improving-gabbert-can-rebound

 

[cstu]

Here is a list of the bottom 20 QB's with the worst YPA and over 200 pass attempts as rookies:

70 Rick Mirer qb 1993 23 1 16 274 486 2833 5.83 12 17 225.071 Drew Bledsoe qb 1993 21 1 13 214 429 2494 5.81 15 15 177.972 Mike Pagel qb 1982 22 1 9 111 221 1281 5.80 5 7 91.373 Craig Whelihan qb 1997 26 1 9 118 237 1357 5.73 6 10 84.874 David Woodley qb 1980 22 1 13 176 327 1850 5.66 14 17 170.975 Kyle Boller qb 2003 22 1 11 116 224 1260 5.63 7 9 88.276 Joe Pisarcik qb 1977 25 1 13 103 241 1346 5.59 4 14 87.077 Johnny Green qb 1960 23 1 10 89 228 1267 5.56 10 10 108.378 Steve Fuller qb 1979 22 1 16 146 270 1484 5.50 6 14 116.679 Chris Weinke qb 2001 29 1 15 293 540 2931 5.43 11 19 220.4->80 Blaine Gabbert qb 2011 22 1 15 210 413 2214 5.36 12 11 157.581 Joey Harrington qb 2002 24 1 14 215 429 2294 5.35 12 16 147.182 Jack Trudeau qb 1986 24 1 12 204 417 2225 5.34 8 18 133.483 Tom Sherman qb 1968 23 1 14 90 226 1199 5.31 12 16 100.084 Ryan Leaf qb 1998 22 1 10 111 245 1289 5.26 2 15 65.585 Jimmy Clausen qb 2010 23 1 13 157 299 1558 5.21 3 9 86.686 Steve Deberg qb 1978 24 1 12 137 302 1570 5.20 8 22 96.587 Kyle Orton qb 2005 23 1 15 190 368 1869 5.08 9 13 120.988 Bruce Gradkowski qb 2006 23 1 14 177 328 1661 5.06 9 9 126.289 Donovan McNabb qb 1999 23 1 12 106 216 948 4.39 8 7 103.790 Dan Darragh qb 1968 22 1 11 92 215 917 4.27 3 14 45.0
The best case is McNabb and Deberg rebounded for a solid 2nd year. Bledsoe was nearly as bad as Gabbert and had a good career.

 

[Zaphod]

Here is a list of the bottom 20 QB's with the worst YPA and over 200 pass attempts as rookies:

70	Rick Mirer	qb	1993	23	1	16	274	486	2833	5.83	12	17	225.071	Drew Bledsoe	qb	1993	21	1	13	214	429	2494	5.81	15	15	177.972	Mike Pagel	qb	1982	22	1	9	111	221	1281	5.80	5	7	91.373	Craig Whelihan	qb	1997	26	1	9	118	237	1357	5.73	6	10	84.874	David Woodley	qb	1980	22	1	13	176	327	1850	5.66	14	17	170.975	Kyle Boller	qb	2003	22	1	11	116	224	1260	5.63	7	9	88.276	Joe Pisarcik	qb	1977	25	1	13	103	241	1346	5.59	4	14	87.077	Johnny Green	qb	1960	23	1	10	89	228	1267	5.56	10	10	108.378	Steve Fuller	qb	1979	22	1	16	146	270	1484	5.50	6	14	116.679	Chris Weinke	qb	2001	29	1	15	293	540	2931	5.43	11	19	220.4->80	Blaine Gabbert	qb	2011	22	1	15	210	413	2214	5.36	12	11	157.581	Joey Harrington	qb	2002	24	1	14	215	429	2294	5.35	12	16	147.182	Jack Trudeau	qb	1986	24	1	12	204	417	2225	5.34	8	18	133.483	Tom Sherman	qb	1968	23	1	14	90	226	1199	5.31	12	16	100.084	Ryan Leaf	qb	1998	22	1	10	111	245	1289	5.26	2	15	65.585	Jimmy Clausen	qb	2010	23	1	13	157	299	1558	5.21	3	9	86.686	Steve Deberg	qb	1978	24	1	12	137	302	1570	5.20	8	22	96.587	Kyle Orton	qb	2005	23	1	15	190	368	1869	5.08	9	13	120.988	Bruce Gradkowski	qb	2006	23	1	14	177	328	1661	5.06	9	9	126.289	Donovan McNabb	qb	1999	23	1	12	106	216	948	4.39	8	7	103.790	Dan Darragh	qb	1968	22	1	11	92	215	917	4.27	3	14	45.0

The best case is McNabb and Deberg rebounded for a solid 2nd year. Bledsoe was nearly as bad as Gabbert and had a good career.

There is a whole lot more 'meh' on that list, than success stories. I know everyone likes to project positive outcomes for every player in year N+1 and the offseason is a time of optimism for ALL NFL players, but I didn't see a lot to like in year one. I think he has a decent chance to improve this season (he could hardly be worse), but I doubt he has much chance to ever climb above the 16-24 range for starting QBs.

 

[Faust]

http://espn.go.com/blog/afcsouth/post/_/id/37250/yes-improving-gabbert-can-rebound

By Paul Kuharsky | ESPN.com

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- I came to the Jaguars' headquarters at EverBank Field in search of specifics.

Blaine Gabbert’s terrible rookie year was well-documented. But his new coaches believe he still can become a quality NFL quarterback.

What have they seen that fuels their confidence in him? And can we expect to see improvement in summer camp and fall games?

We’ve heard from coach Mike Mularkey about how he respected the way Gabbert dealt with all the negativity connected to his completion percentage of just over 50.0, the 40 sacks he absorbed, the 12 touchdown passes against 11 interceptions, his 14 fumbles (five of them lost) and 65.4 passer rating.

Offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski offered some analysis of what needed fixing in this “Evening with the Coaches” talk early in the offseason.

I wanted to pick up on that.

Enduring early lumps is part of the deal for virtually every quarterback early in his career. Now, with a new start, tell me about what he’s doing better, I asked.

The initial request was a long shot, but I was still disappointed that Gabbert and his coaches were unwilling to show me one play on film -- comparing and contrasting what Gabbert did with it in last year’s training camp or during last season, and what he’s doing now. No, they don’t need to go into that sort of detail or offer that level of information. But what would it have hurt?

Short of that, Bratkowski offered the most detail in discussing Gabbert’s improvements so far, circling back to what he touched on in that chalk talk.

“Fundamentally, there were some times last year in his drops when he was getting a little bit long with his footwork and getting a little too fast,” Bratkowski said. “So what we’ve tried to do is get him to slow his feet down just a little bit, take shorter steps and stand taller in the pocket.

“Those are some things we identified when we first looked at him, and he’s improving on those things out there right now. You can see him carrying it into the actual plays we’re running in team situations.”

After a fast drop that took him too deep, he typically wound up shuffling forward as soon as he completed his drop, and his busy feet hurt his ability to make sound throws.

Gabbert said forming the new habit isn’t hard.

“The biggest thing all the quarterbacks are working on is just calming our feet down, staying in the pocket, not getting too long, not taking too long of a drop,” Gabbert said. “Because at some point in time, the angles get off with our offensive tackles when they’re trying to block a rush end …

“A lot of the footwork is dictated on the route concepts, the type of offense you run, the style of offense you run. And we have a different offense. We have different plays, and the drops go with those types of plays.”

Mularkey said the Jaguars' offense is about half installed at this point. Reporters are dismissed from OTA sessions once the team reaches the installation phase.

So, despite the reportorial desire to be shown, not told, those of us trying to track the team are left to rely more on conversations than observations regarding Gabbert and everything else.

In the handful of team plays I saw, one horrific pass stood out: a short throw over the middle that bounced well behind the intended receiver. At another point, as the quarterbacks threw to a couple of stationary receivers while running through some red zone possibilities, they were aiming for a target at the front left corner of the end zone.

The situation required a high, firm pass. After Gabbert’s first try wasn’t loopy enough, quarterbacks coach Greg Olson assumed the position of a cornerback the pass needed to get over. He stood with his back to the throw, an arm extended. But as he anticipated the ball’s arrival, he jokingly pulled his hands back to cover his head.

“Can I trust you?” he joked as he turned back to Gabbert, whose second attempt at the pass had cleared Olson and landed where it needed to, proving him trustworthy.

It was rhetorically symbolic, I thought.

"It really is about that to me, at any position with any position coach -- there's got to be a trust factor," Olson said. "He's got to feel that everything I tell him is meant to get him better. Three months into the relationship, I think we are developing that trust factor. If there is no trust there, you have no chance to grow."

Gabbert's teammates have big expectations for a big bounce-back after a rookie season that included the team's being sold and former coach Jack Del Rio getting fired during a 5-11 season.

“I don’t know that I’ve ever heard of a situation where a quarterback gets thrown into a starting role that early with the deficiencies in personnel that we had at that time, with a lot of things stacked against him,” said guard Uche Nwaneri.

“I think people kind of teed off on him. There were some things that he did that weren’t particularly the best, but, you know, he was a rookie. There were so many things happening that affect the quarterback as the result of protection, route running, guys getting open.”

Look, it’s somehow fashionable to say that the bad things Gabbert put on display last year serve as indisputable evidence he can’t be a successful NFL quarterback. I understand his footwork isn’t the only thing that gets sped up -- our assessments come faster than ever.

But judging a quarterback on 15 games and 13 starts with a bad team is simply too hasty.

Gabbert is not going to be Peyton Manning or Troy Aikman. But those guys were awful as rookies, too. Manning threw 28 interceptions, and his Colts were 3-13. Aikman threw 18 interceptions and didn’t win a game for the Cowboys.

Two things struck me as I spoke with Gabbert that I think are significant for right now.

Several times he talked about how’s he’s having fun, how football is fun, how the new offense is fun.

And he still looks and sounds the part -- he’s got confidence as he talks, and in the way he carries himself. He doesn’t look like a broken guy. He looks like a kid ready to go give it another try.

The biggest issue is dealing with the rush. Olson said the team is trading some seven-on-seven passing situations (where there are no linemen) for team periods where Gabbert has to feel pressure and sort it out. In drills without defenders, a coach or an equipment guy typically charges at him with flailing arms.

"For a guy coming out of a system in college where he wasn't only in the shotgun, but they had him lined up 7 yards deep, it was new to him last season," Olson said. "We're just hoping he'll be more comfortable with that environment, coming out from underneath center, taking a drop with an oncoming rush. That's all you can hope for right now, is the comfort level gets much greater. And it's been good."

Not having OTAs and minicamps didn’t hurt Cam Newton when it came to posting big rookie numbers for the Panthers, and it didn’t stop Andy Dalton from leading the Bengals to the playoffs.

Gabbert didn’t get off to the same kind of start, and maybe he’ll never earn his way into a conversation about the top quarterbacks of the 2011 draft class.

He’s getting that OTA time now. There is time to build slowly. It’s a different deal.

I wondered if Gabbert was appreciating the pace now, or finding himself anxious to get to the Jaguars' Sept. 9 opener in Minnesota, so he could do something to start to erase the dud of a first season.

“Everybody’s eager,” he said. “When you have a season where things don’t go the way you want them to, you’re always eager to get back out there. But it’s a process.”

The important people are willing to give him the time to go through it. The rest of us will just have to wait.

Nowhere To Go But Up

Here's a list of rookie quarterbacks who've thrown at least 11 interceptions, taken at least 40 sacks and posted a passer rating of 65.4 or worse:

• Blaine Gabbert, Jaguars, 2011

• Andrew Walter, Raiders, 2006

• David Carr, Texans, 2002

• Jeff Komlo, Lions, 1979

• Dennis Shaw, Bills, 1970

Source: Katherine Sharp, ESPN Stats and Info

 

[Sabertooth]

how bad is he?a fellow that i work with was on Mizzou staff during the recruitment and first year of Gabbert playingi asked him about drafting Gabbert in fantasy football and about what he'll do for the Jagshe said: "He will be the biggest bust of the first round"

What does your friend think of BJ Coleman?

 

[Dinsy Ejotuz]

Gabbert will still be a fantasy wasteland for a few years even if he pans out since he's starting from pretty far down and the Jags aren't going to throw much, but he'll take a big step forward this year IMO. I'd say he'll do something like 5.7 NY/A (up from 4.24). That's still not good, but it's acceptable for a 22 year old developmental QB in his 2nd year. Assuming the Jags don't bail on him I still think that he'll be a pretty good NFL starter in five years.

 

[Lash]

Here is a list of the bottom 20 QB's with the worst YPA and over 200 pass attempts as rookies:

70	Rick Mirer	qb	1993	23	1	16	274	486	2833	5.83	12	17	225.071	Drew Bledsoe	qb	1993	21	1	13	214	429	2494	5.81	15	15	177.972	Mike Pagel	qb	1982	22	1	9	111	221	1281	5.80	5	7	91.373	Craig Whelihan	qb	1997	26	1	9	118	237	1357	5.73	6	10	84.874	David Woodley	qb	1980	22	1	13	176	327	1850	5.66	14	17	170.975	Kyle Boller	qb	2003	22	1	11	116	224	1260	5.63	7	9	88.276	Joe Pisarcik	qb	1977	25	1	13	103	241	1346	5.59	4	14	87.077	Johnny Green	qb	1960	23	1	10	89	228	1267	5.56	10	10	108.378	Steve Fuller	qb	1979	22	1	16	146	270	1484	5.50	6	14	116.679	Chris Weinke	qb	2001	29	1	15	293	540	2931	5.43	11	19	220.4->80	Blaine Gabbert	qb	2011	22	1	15	210	413	2214	5.36	12	11	157.581	Joey Harrington	qb	2002	24	1	14	215	429	2294	5.35	12	16	147.182	Jack Trudeau	qb	1986	24	1	12	204	417	2225	5.34	8	18	133.483	Tom Sherman	qb	1968	23	1	14	90	226	1199	5.31	12	16	100.084	Ryan Leaf	qb	1998	22	1	10	111	245	1289	5.26	2	15	65.585	Jimmy Clausen	qb	2010	23	1	13	157	299	1558	5.21	3	9	86.686	Steve Deberg	qb	1978	24	1	12	137	302	1570	5.20	8	22	96.587	Kyle Orton	qb	2005	23	1	15	190	368	1869	5.08	9	13	120.988	Bruce Gradkowski	qb	2006	23	1	14	177	328	1661	5.06	9	9	126.289	Donovan McNabb	qb	1999	23	1	12	106	216	948	4.39	8	7	103.790	Dan Darragh	qb	1968	22	1	11	92	215	917	4.27	3	14	45.0

The best case is McNabb and Deberg rebounded for a solid 2nd year. Bledsoe was nearly as bad as Gabbert and had a good career.

yeah like in Dumb and Dumber ... "So you're saying there's a chance?!"

 

[Lash]

how bad is he?a fellow that i work with was on Mizzou staff during the recruitment and first year of Gabbert playingi asked him about drafting Gabbert in fantasy football and about what he'll do for the Jagshe said: "He will be the biggest bust of the first round"

What does your friend think of BJ Coleman?

he coached at Mizzou, not Tennessee or Chatt

 

[Faust]

Jaguars' Blaine Gabbert has been 'impressive' at minicamp

By Gregg Rosenthal

Around The League editor

Few players were more maligned last season than Jaguars quarterback Blaine Gabbert.

With that in mind, his public rehabilitation this summer was almost inevitable. It would have been surprising if we didn't hear a lot of positive press about Gabbert. This is just how the NFL news cycle works. Its the offseason. Every young player that struggled last season is ready to turn it around.

The positive press has been particularly insistent when it comes to Gabbert. Let's hear from John Oesher of Jaguars.com. It's a long passage, but well worth reading:

"It's not unfair to say he made real and necessary strides this offseason. What you wanted and needed to hear about Gabbert this offseason was that he was focusing on the fundamentals in his drop and doing things correctly and naturally enough that he can carry them into pressurized situations in the regular season. All reports were that the fundamentals improved and that Gabbert had a good offseason on that front. "During the first two days of minicamp - the first time the media has been allowed to watch a full practice since the beginning of the offseason program - the difference in Gabbert was obvious. He has looked all offseason like a different player off the field - more confidence, and a bit more maturity - and the player we saw on the field for most of minicamp looked different, too. This is all 'just the offseason,' of course, and everything you can say positive about Gabbert seems empty until you see it on the field in September, but he has looked about as good as a second-year quarterback learning a new offense and getting NFL coaching for the first time could look in an offseason.

I can hear what you are thinking. (Really, I have that power.) This is the Jaguars' website. They have to say that.

That's not fair to Oesher, who is an excellent reporter. (And judge of football.) If he's writing this, it is truly what he believes and surely what the team believes.

It doesn't mean Gabbert will be a different player in the regular season. I have my doubts. What showed up on film last year matters more.

Disagreement in evaluation is healthy, though. If Gabbert surprises and plays well this year, it sounds like a lot of folks around the Jaguars won't be so surprised.

 

[bicycle_seat_sniffer]

http://espn.go.com/blog/afcsouth/post/_/id/37250/yes-improving-gabbert-can-rebound

By Paul Kuharsky | ESPN.com

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- I came to the Jaguars' headquarters at EverBank Field in search of specifics.

Blaine Gabbert’s terrible rookie year was well-documented. But his new coaches believe he still can become a quality NFL quarterback.

What have they seen that fuels their confidence in him? And can we expect to see improvement in summer camp and fall games?

We’ve heard from coach Mike Mularkey about how he respected the way Gabbert dealt with all the negativity connected to his completion percentage of just over 50.0, the 40 sacks he absorbed, the 12 touchdown passes against 11 interceptions, his 14 fumbles (five of them lost) and 65.4 passer rating.

Offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski offered some analysis of what needed fixing in this “Evening with the Coaches” talk early in the offseason.

I wanted to pick up on that.

Enduring early lumps is part of the deal for virtually every quarterback early in his career. Now, with a new start, tell me about what he’s doing better, I asked.

The initial request was a long shot, but I was still disappointed that Gabbert and his coaches were unwilling to show me one play on film -- comparing and contrasting what Gabbert did with it in last year’s training camp or during last season, and what he’s doing now. No, they don’t need to go into that sort of detail or offer that level of information. But what would it have hurt?

Short of that, Bratkowski offered the most detail in discussing Gabbert’s improvements so far, circling back to what he touched on in that chalk talk.

“Fundamentally, there were some times last year in his drops when he was getting a little bit long with his footwork and getting a little too fast,” Bratkowski said. “So what we’ve tried to do is get him to slow his feet down just a little bit, take shorter steps and stand taller in the pocket.

“Those are some things we identified when we first looked at him, and he’s improving on those things out there right now. You can see him carrying it into the actual plays we’re running in team situations.”

After a fast drop that took him too deep, he typically wound up shuffling forward as soon as he completed his drop, and his busy feet hurt his ability to make sound throws.

Gabbert said forming the new habit isn’t hard.

“The biggest thing all the quarterbacks are working on is just calming our feet down, staying in the pocket, not getting too long, not taking too long of a drop,” Gabbert said. “Because at some point in time, the angles get off with our offensive tackles when they’re trying to block a rush end …

“A lot of the footwork is dictated on the route concepts, the type of offense you run, the style of offense you run. And we have a different offense. We have different plays, and the drops go with those types of plays.”

Mularkey said the Jaguars' offense is about half installed at this point. Reporters are dismissed from OTA sessions once the team reaches the installation phase.

So, despite the reportorial desire to be shown, not told, those of us trying to track the team are left to rely more on conversations than observations regarding Gabbert and everything else.

In the handful of team plays I saw, one horrific pass stood out: a short throw over the middle that bounced well behind the intended receiver. At another point, as the quarterbacks threw to a couple of stationary receivers while running through some red zone possibilities, they were aiming for a target at the front left corner of the end zone.

The situation required a high, firm pass. After Gabbert’s first try wasn’t loopy enough, quarterbacks coach Greg Olson assumed the position of a cornerback the pass needed to get over. He stood with his back to the throw, an arm extended. But as he anticipated the ball’s arrival, he jokingly pulled his hands back to cover his head.

“Can I trust you?” he joked as he turned back to Gabbert, whose second attempt at the pass had cleared Olson and landed where it needed to, proving him trustworthy.

It was rhetorically symbolic, I thought.

"It really is about that to me, at any position with any position coach -- there's got to be a trust factor," Olson said. "He's got to feel that everything I tell him is meant to get him better. Three months into the relationship, I think we are developing that trust factor. If there is no trust there, you have no chance to grow."

Gabbert's teammates have big expectations for a big bounce-back after a rookie season that included the team's being sold and former coach Jack Del Rio getting fired during a 5-11 season.

“I don’t know that I’ve ever heard of a situation where a quarterback gets thrown into a starting role that early with the deficiencies in personnel that we had at that time, with a lot of things stacked against him,” said guard Uche Nwaneri.

“I think people kind of teed off on him. There were some things that he did that weren’t particularly the best, but, you know, he was a rookie. There were so many things happening that affect the quarterback as the result of protection, route running, guys getting open.”

Look, it’s somehow fashionable to say that the bad things Gabbert put on display last year serve as indisputable evidence he can’t be a successful NFL quarterback. I understand his footwork isn’t the only thing that gets sped up -- our assessments come faster than ever.

But judging a quarterback on 15 games and 13 starts with a bad team is simply too hasty.

Gabbert is not going to be Peyton Manning or Troy Aikman. But those guys were awful as rookies, too. Manning threw 28 interceptions, and his Colts were 3-13. Aikman threw 18 interceptions and didn’t win a game for the Cowboys.

Two things struck me as I spoke with Gabbert that I think are significant for right now.

Several times he talked about how’s he’s having fun, how football is fun, how the new offense is fun.

And he still looks and sounds the part -- he’s got confidence as he talks, and in the way he carries himself. He doesn’t look like a broken guy. He looks like a kid ready to go give it another try.

The biggest issue is dealing with the rush. Olson said the team is trading some seven-on-seven passing situations (where there are no linemen) for team periods where Gabbert has to feel pressure and sort it out. In drills without defenders, a coach or an equipment guy typically charges at him with flailing arms.

"For a guy coming out of a system in college where he wasn't only in the shotgun, but they had him lined up 7 yards deep, it was new to him last season," Olson said. "We're just hoping he'll be more comfortable with that environment, coming out from underneath center, taking a drop with an oncoming rush. That's all you can hope for right now, is the comfort level gets much greater. And it's been good."

Not having OTAs and minicamps didn’t hurt Cam Newton when it came to posting big rookie numbers for the Panthers, and it didn’t stop Andy Dalton from leading the Bengals to the playoffs.

Gabbert didn’t get off to the same kind of start, and maybe he’ll never earn his way into a conversation about the top quarterbacks of the 2011 draft class.

He’s getting that OTA time now. There is time to build slowly. It’s a different deal.

I wondered if Gabbert was appreciating the pace now, or finding himself anxious to get to the Jaguars' Sept. 9 opener in Minnesota, so he could do something to start to erase the dud of a first season.

“Everybody’s eager,” he said. “When you have a season where things don’t go the way you want them to, you’re always eager to get back out there. But it’s a process.”

The important people are willing to give him the time to go through it. The rest of us will just have to wait.

Nowhere To Go But Up

Here's a list of rookie quarterbacks who've thrown at least 11 interceptions, taken at least 40 sacks and posted a passer rating of 65.4 or worse:

• Blaine Gabbert, Jaguars, 2011

• Andrew Walter, Raiders, 2006

• David Carr, Texans, 2002

• Jeff Komlo, Lions, 1979

• Dennis Shaw, Bills, 1970

Source: Katherine Sharp, ESPN Stats and Info

you know suck when you are on a list with Jeff Komlo

 

[DesmondBishop]

I was one of those that thought Gabbert would be out of the NFL in a few years because he looked so bad and so afraid to take a hit. So let me now say, I may have been one that jumped on him a little quickly. Now I am not going to say he is a superstar or anything like that, but if you watched him against the Giants first team D, he looked pretty good. What I was most impressed by is the fact that he threw the ball well and stood in the pocket, which is something he would not do last year, he ran as soon as they hiked the ball.

Again, I am not anointing him as anything special at this point, but I would definitely keep an eye on him as he looks like a different QB than he did last year.

 

[pghrob]

http://jacksonville.com/sports/football/jaguars/2012-08-10/story/good-start-blaine-gabbert-jaguars-win-preseason-opener

Good start for Blaine Gabbert as Jaguars win preseason opener

Second-year QB sharp in preseason opening victory

Posted: August 10, 2012 - 11:19pm | Updated: August 10, 2012 - 11:42pm

Read more at Jacksonville.com: http://jacksonville.com/sports/football/jaguars/2012-08-10/story/good-start-blaine-gabbert-jaguars-win-preseason-opener#ixzz23Fvh7o00

By Vito Stellino

Blaine Gabbert showed a glimpse Friday night of the quarterback the Jaguars thought he could be when he was drafted in the first round last season.

In directing a 13-play, 89-yard touchdown drive on the Jaguars’ first possession, Gabbert showed little resemblance to the jittery, skittish, quarterback who ran the worst passing offense in the league last year.

And in the end, a late touchdown and two-point conversion by the reserves gave the Jaguars a 32-31 victory over the New York Giants in the preseason opener for both teams at EverBank Field.

After overthrowing Marcedes Lewis on his first pass, Gabbert looked like a poised, confident quarterback as he completed four of six passes for 51 yards on the first drive. He completed four third-down passes, the fourth a three-yard touchdown pass to Cecil Shorts.

The Jaguars turned the ball over on their next two series and the Giants cashed in for two touchdowns to build a 24-7 lead. But the Jaguars rallied in the fourth quarter to win on a two-point conversion pass from Jordan Palmer to rookie Matt Veldman.

Still, Gabbert’s play was the story of the night for the Jaguars.

“I was proud of those guys,’’ said Jaguars first-year head coach Mike Mularkey. “There’s a lot of pressure on Blaine to come out there and to go 90 yards making really good third- down throws. Protection was good. It was very crisp. There is something. There is life right there that we can build off, definitely.’’

Gabbert said of the first series, “It was great to start fast. We wished we could have continued that momentum the next couple of drives but for the most part we did some really positive things. We are going to correct our mistakes on film when we come in tomorrow.”

Gabbert completed passes on the drive of seven yards to Laurent Robinson, and 12 and 29 to Mike Thomas and then had the touchdown strike to Shorts.

Another bright spot for the Jaguars was the play of running back Rashad Jennings, who is getting an opportunity to start because of Maurice Jones-Drew’s holdout. Jennings ran 12 times for 56 yards.

“It felt good just to be back on the field playing a child’s game with my teammates and working on my craft,’’ said Jennings, who spent last season on injured reserve. “I’m still getting better.’’

The Jaguars cut the Giants’ lead to 24-14 at halftime on a two-yard touchdown pass from Chad Henne to Brian Robiskie after Antwon Blake recovered a muffed punt. Blake recovered a second muffed punt in the fourth quarter to set up a Josh Scobee field goal of 29 yards.

Henne left at halftime after completing 4 of 9 for 28 yards and a TD pass.

Palmer, the third-team quarterback and brother of Oakland’s Carson Palmer, took over at the start of the third quarter and directed a 13-play 85 yard touchdown drive to cut the deficit to 24-21. Montell Owens got the touchdown on a seven-yard run as he ran over a Giants’ defender.

The Giants added a final touchdown after a muffed punt by Mike Brown and the Jaguars countered with a field goal and a touchdown to cut the deficit to 31-30 at the two-minute warning.

Palmer then threw a two-point conversion to Matt Veldman to win the game.

Vito Stellino: (904) 359-4249

Read more at Jacksonville.com: http://jacksonville.com/sports/football/jaguars/2012-08-10/story/good-start-blaine-gabbert-jaguars-win-preseason-opener#ixzz23FvbMlXN

 

[Raider Nation]

I am not going to say he is a superstar or anything like that, but if you watched him against the Giants first team D, he looked pretty good.

Spoiler

Preseason = vanilla defense

 

[JaxBill]

I am not going to say he is a superstar or anything like that, but if you watched him against the Giants first team D, he looked pretty good.

Spoiler

Preseason = vanilla defense

Spoiler

So what is Kolb's excuse?