Reasons I Want (NEED) Blaine Gabbert to Succeed

All we have heard leading up to training camp (practice in underwear) is Competition. Competition. I need a Quarterback. I need someone to hang my hat on. I need Blaine Gabbert to succeed this Competition. I'm not really a Henne fan. I mean if he was that great he would still be in Miami. He's not. Don't get me wrong, he's a servicable Quarterback. But I need a starter. I need to see Peyton Manning type behavior. Not Peyton Manning. I'm not delusional. I don't expect my team to go to the Super Bowl. Yet.

Perspective from the 2 training camps I went to:

1. Gabbert down the middle to Cecil Shorts III. Anybody down the middle. I've seen far too many sideline passes the last few years. I need some "down the middle".

2. Hurry up offense!!  Imagine that. I've only been silently BEGGING for HUO for 2 years!

3. Gabbert performing a serviceable pump fake! He even had me fooled.

4. Gabbert clapping his hands and saying "Good job ______". Signs of being a leader. The kind of leader we've wanted him to be all this time.

5. This one like the last one is not really a playmaking point. It does show some leadership improvement and cohesiveness with his team (he has his team members' backs). One of the players at the practice field decided not to stay a long time and sign autographs. A fan started heckling the player. Blaine Gabbert standing nearby says "give the guy a break we all want to get to the showers". Wow. Sticking up for a fellow teammate. Someone has been taking leadership classes. 

There were other things that weren't as good: 

1. Gabbert holding on too long. This one might actually need to be on the good list. Hopefully "chuck and duck" is a thing of the past.

2. Ball making an interception on Gabbert. It's going to happen. 

3. There were several questionable snaps which make me want to fault the backup Center, Brewster. Those snaps looked like fumbles but in all fairness I mention them.

But really. Why must Blaine Gabbert succeed? 

1. The Jaguars spent a top 10 first round draft pick for him. I can't bear to see another draft pick, much less a first round draft pick fall to the wayside. I can't. 

2. How many offenses has this kid had to learn? He has had four different head coaches. JDR, Mel Tucker, Mike Mularkey, Gus Bradley. You have to figure Tucker didn't change the offense that much since he became the HC at the end of the 2011 season. So let's say 3 offenses. That can't be easy. Compound that with being a young QB. We'll be lucky if he isn't totally ruined. I mean that nicely. If he doesn't make it, that will be on JDR and Gene Smith. JDR for firing Garrard and starting Gabbert too soon. He had no offseason to learn with the lockout that year. 

3. The Jaguars need a successful QB now. There is no time for reinventing the wheel with a rookie QB next year. 

4. He's easy on the eyes. Come on. What did you expect from a chick? Much less a football chick. 

 

MDK in the House

We Must Protect This House

Coach'em Up

I've started several blogs, only to not finish them. Maybe my heart is not in it during the off season (like there is an off season ;-) ). It's not as if I haven't held vigil on jaguars.com waiting for the next player to re-sign or a new free agent to come to town. It's not as if I haven't been riled up about something. It's not as if I haven't threatened to do to Tallahassee what Sherman did to Atlanta. So today we'll talk about a few things. I don't hate on my own team. So, if you are looking for that, you've come to the wrong place.

Finally, there is a rebuilding process going on with the Jacksonville Jaguars that I can tolerate= modest free agency+building through the draft. FINALLY. Finally we can do things the right way. Instead of going off half cocked=signing every obscure player from a small school (which usually costs us twice as much time getting them to the level of the NFL)+dealing HUGE free agency contracts just to have players "take a vacation" in sunny, no state income tax Florida. See my blog "Is A Big Splash In Free Agency Necessary". I'm excited about the draft. But unlike many others, I have really tried to fix my attitude to this belief- This is All New Folks. We didn't just hire a new coach. We have a new owner, Shad Khan, a new coach, Gus Bradley, a new GM (YAY!! and no for sale signs were placed!!), David Caldwell, new everything. Free Agent players signing are excited. Why shouldn't we be? Why shouldn't we be excited for a new coach who wants to make everything a competition? Who has reached out to the players even before he was allowed to talk football with them? I have to trust the new system in place. And why not??!! I love my team!!!!

Speaking of coaches.....Jimbo Fisher needs some coaching up. About what you ask? I won't number them because there are many. Jimbo, don't start throwing your weight around too much. You didn't beat Florida last year and you know what that means? Your BEE-hind is on the hot seat. As well as Randy Spetman's BEE-hind. Not only for not beating Florida EVERY year but for unceremoniously taking Bobby out of the equation and for not making sure he is forever part of the game at Florida State. Do we really want to end up like Penn State? Not making it right by our legend? The man you pushed aside? Yeah. We are crazy at Florida State. We don't care about the ACC championship. We care about beating Florida EVERY year. Not just the year the game is played in Tally. Please Jimbo. Please do not waste Jameis Winston from Hueytown, Alabama. He is the best Quarterback we have.  But please, let the best man win. Now, Jimbo, you lost 7 of 9 assistants. 1 of them was only employed a month. That's sad. I'm a little afraid of what that really means. Does that mean you are a head case and are hard to work for/occupy the same space with? Jimbo, this play calling thing is WAY out of hand. What's it going to take for you to give it up to someone else? And now you really probably can't because the best person to give that to is in Miami. My favorite part of that saga, Jimbo, is that you  want opinions and directions/ "input" from offensive coaches DURING the game. WHHATTT????!!! Jimbo, FSU is a FOOTBALL DYNASTY. We do not operate in this manner you speak of. Let me repeat: FSU is a Football Dynasty. FSU has spent more weeks at #1 than any other team. We did that with a legend, Bobby Bowden.  Jimbo, it is not merely enough to win the ACC Championship at Florida State. If  Florida State won a National Championship, I'm not sure that would be enough either. We want to be feared. We want to be lauded. We want to be revered. We deserve to be. We are Florida State. And we are Unconquered.


MDK In The House.

We MUST Protect This House

Stay Calm, Wear Black

Part 2 Let Me Get This Right and Drinking the Kool-Aid

So, let me get this right....
It surprises you that Lance Armstrong is a jerk and used performance enhancing substances? I hate to tell you, I knew he was jerky and the fact that he uses those substances doesn't really surprise me. I've never cared much for him. Yes, I get the whole LIVESTRONG thing and what he's done for cancer awareness. But the way he has weaved himself in out of the women in his life is not very attractive in my opinion. And the way he dumped Sheryl Crow because she wanted kids, moved on to the next girl and had 2 kids with her...not cool. Anyway, long story short if he seems like a jerk he probably is a jerk.
Manti Te'o...WOW. He is a testament to NOT doing online dating. Nothing wrong with doing things the old fashioned way. My mom once married someone from Pittsburgh and she only dated him, before she married him, a short time. She failed to go to Pittsburgh and see his "other life". There were a lot of things he exaggerated about himself and not to mention he was a Steelers fan. An obnoxious one at that. What I'm getting at is if you are in a relationship, you want to meet up with them fairly soon. You know. To make sure they are who they say there are. You never really know someone, but at least you won't have a nation mocking you and your draft won't suffer from it. Is Te'o innocent? That's not for me to say. BTW Law and Order Special Victims Unit did a similar episode. CREEPY.

Drinking the Kool-Aid....
I am still drinking the Jaguar Kool-Aid. I am trying to contain my excitement about the new Jacksonville Jaguars General Manager, David Caldwell, and also the new Head Coach, Gus Bradley. My official line is "I'm Missouri. Show me." However, inside my mind I'm excited. Excited I won't have to put for sale signs in "some one's" yard during the off season. Excited that we have people with positive pedigree. Excited to get my team back on the right track. I just wanna win.


MDK in the House

We Must Protect This House

P.S. On the off chance I have struck a nerve with my whole obsession over Andrew Luck, Stanford and the Indianapolis Colts (see It's Not Called The Naive Football League), let me add the names of Pep Hamilton and Ron Turner to the story. Just wiki them. Interesting the flow of coaches between Stanford and the Colts. There are no coincidences.