Print ArticleEUJacksonville: In our Preseason Guide, we’ll take a look at some of the various on and off the field events that occurred while you were away to get you up to speed as well as share some game day tips that will help you optimize your enjoyment of the 2013 Jaguars. Written by RICHARD DAVID SMITH III / Photos by FRAN RUCHAlSKI
Players
Quarterback Position Battle With the possible exception of NHL goalie, NFL quarterback is the most important position of any sport; so not being completely settled on one going into the season isn’t an ideal place to be. This will be the third season for first round pick Blaine Gabbert, and he is quickly running out of time to prove himself. Gone are the days when quarterbacks had the luxury of a couple of seasons on the bench behind a veteran followed by a couple of seasons to grow into the role (which is probably the proper way to groom a QB, see: Aaron Rodgers). No, today’s NFL teams want instant results and--with the exorbitant amounts of money they pay rookies combined with a pass happy league that tailors just about every rule around protecting and making the game easier for QBs--you can hardly blame them. Rookie quarterbacks like Robert Griffin III and Cam Newton dominating the league right out of the gate isn’t helping the case of the likes of Gabbert, either.
In other words, you can now toss Gabbert’s highly praised Wonderlic test score into the trash, this is a make or break year for Gabbert, and failure to produce will most likely result in the Jaguars going in a different direction at QB in 2014. Gabbert has never had the look of an NFL QB. His arm strength is unquestioned, but he seems to play scared and lets happy feet get the best of him when he is under duress in the pocket, and that never allows him to position himself correctly in order to make consistently accurate throws. This is reflected in his poor, Tebow-like 53.8% completion percentage, 17 interceptions, and 62 sacks in 25 career games. Those kinds of numbers don’t even come close to getting it done. If he fails this year, I’m not gonna say that he won’t remain in Jacksonville…but it may be as starting QB of the Jacksonville Sharks of the Arena Football League rather than the Jaguars.
Chad “less bad” Henne stars in the role of Gabbert’s backup QB, but could possibly usurp Gabbert with a less bad preseason. He shined in his first few games when he took over for an injured Gabbert in 2012, but then fluttered down the stretch. As a classic literature fan, I wouldn’t mind seeing third-stringer and Andy Reid project Mike Kafka grab the starting job, if for no other reason than it would allow me to
utilize the word “Kafkaesque” (from Metamorphosis author, Franz Kafka, meaning: marked by senseless, disorienting, often menacing complexity) in my column.
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