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Jaguars draft two potential playmakers

admin — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 00:15:51 +0000

With the NFL draft, the Jacksonville Jaguars needed to add another playmaker on offense. That one fact was known by everyone from draft experts to the man on the street. The Jaguars couldn’t ignore it and they had an opportunity to address that problem immediately. They did with the first of their eventual 6 draft picks when they selected wide receiver Justin Blackmon with the 5^th pick of the first round. The Jags gave up a fourth round pick to move up to assure that they got Blackmon, who was probably the best receiver in the draft. He will be a great compliment to Maurice Jones-Drew and Marcedes Lewis. Given the fact that they have not been successful in the past with their wide receiver selections, they need Blackmon to be a success. Blaine Gabbert now has enough pieces around him to at least make a run at the playoffs. The critics are waiting for him to “put up or shut up” at this point.

The Jaguars used their remaining 5 picks to add depth to the defense. They went with defensive players with four of their picks and had heads scratching when they selected a punter in the third round. Their second round pick of DE Andre Branch gave them a guy that can both rush the passer and drop back into pass coverage. At Clemson, he moved around a lot on the defense and has the ability to be disruptive if he focuses on improving.

Blackmon and Branch each have the potential to help lift the Jaguars toward playoff contention. But there is still a long way to go.

Now that they lost the Tebow sweepstakes, what’s next for the Jaguars?

admin — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 22:26:44 +0000

Now that Tim Tebow is definitely somewhere else, what’s next for the Jaguars? Well, the first thing to consider is the mindset of quarterback Blaine Gabbert. Gabbert had already taken a lot of criticism from the Jaguar faithful and then the prospect of Tim Tebow returning to Florida appeared. While Gabbert said that he wasn’t affected, most believe that he was. When asked about the criticism, Gabbert replied that he could only “respond on the football field”. While that sounds great, any response on the field will require more than just Gabbert. Other than Maurice Jones-Drew, Gabbert has very little to work with. The Jaguars have to address the need for more out of their receiving corps. With the NFL draft approaching in just a matter of weeks, the Jags will have an opportunity to add a wide receiver or two. They are sitting at the 7^th pick in the draft and they should be able to draft either Justin Blackmon or Michael Floyd at that spot. Improving offensive production and keeping that offense on the field longer will help take some pressure off of the Jaguar defense. A defense that is not always on the field could go a long way to giving the Jaguars a chance at improving on last season’s 5-11 record.

Jaguar fans left wondering about what could have been with Tebow

admin — Sat, 24 Mar 2012 19:54:56 +0000

Once the Peyton Manning circus ended its multi-city tour in Denver, fans around the league gave thought to the possibility of Tim Tebow coming to their town. Football fans in Jacksonville were no different. Many felt that Tim Tebow would be a perfect fit for their Jaguars. They wanted him back in Florida. There apparently was some agreement with the fans in the Jags front office. Head Coach Mike Mularkey said that “it’s hard not to want a guy like that”. Jaguars owner Shahid Khan has said that he advised then owner Wayne Weaver in 2010 to draft Tim Tebow. Khan even had General Manager Gene Smith look into trading for Tebow after Manning signed in Denver. Even though some have said that the Jaguars were not interested in Tebow, it’s obvious that they were.

But what about Blaine Gabbert? He is their starting quarterback after all. Shahid khan reiterated his support for his starting quarterback by saying that the Jaguars are still committed to developing Gabbert. No one should have been surprised at that statement. There was nothing else for Khan, Smith or Mularkey to say. They had to back their starting quarterback. The real question is whether their public show of support will work. Gabbert’s psyche was already bruised after last season. The thought that he was that close to being replaced could further hurt him. Or it could inspire him to show the Jaguars front office and the fans what he is really made of. Only time will tell.

New Owner Khan Give Jaguars Fans Some Things To Think About

admin — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 23:52:44 +0000

New Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shahid Khan gave Jaguars fans a lot to think about after a wide ranging interview recently. Khan said many things that will have people wondering about the new direction that he will bring to Jacksonville. The quote that has everyone talking is when Khan said that he would have drafted Tim Tebow. He then went on to rave about Tebow. Khan then criticized the last few Jaguar drafts and by definition the work of his own general manager, Gene Smith.

Very few people would have made two critical mistakes like Khan made in that interview. The first mistake was to throw his quarterback Blaine Gabbert under the bus. How can you talk about how great another team’s quarterback is? Gabbert had enough critics in Jacksonville without the owner joining the chorus. The second mistake was to question the draft choices of his general manager. Why give the public the impression that you lack confidence in your general manager? If Khan didn’t think that Smith knew what he was doing, why keep him? Jaguar fans have every reason to be concerned about the fate of their team. The new owner is giving the impression that he will be very hands on and involved in all football decisions. Sometimes a hands on owner can be a good thing, but most of the time it isn’t.

Jaguars Hire Mularkey As Head Coach

admin — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 16:30:41 +0000

The Jacksonville Jaguars have hired Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey as their new head coach. It is the hope of new Jaguars owner Shahid Khan that Mularkey will help the struggling Jaguars offense which was the NFL’s worst this past season. Mularkey has a wealth of experience in the NFL. He played as a tight end for the Minnesota Vikings and the Pittsburgh Steelers over a nine year career. Mularkey’s coaching career started in Tampa Bay as the tight ends coach. From there he returned to the Pittsburgh Steelers, eventually rising to offensive coordinator. His offense became one of the best in the NFL. The success led to a shot as the head coach of the Buffalo Bills in 2004. The Bills offense started strong but struggled later on and disagreements with the front office led to his resignation in 2006. After a short stint in Miami as offensive coordinator and later tight ends coach, he became the Atlanta Falcons’ offensive coordinator in 2008. Behind Matt Ryan, his offense was extremely successful and that led to interviews for head coaching positions. The Jaguars are expecting that Mularkey can work his magic with 2^nd year QB Blaine Gabbert. Whether that happens or not remains to be seen. Mularkey’s Falcon offense struggled against the Giants and didn’t put up any points. He had a lot more talent to work with in Atlanta than he will have in Jacksonville.

Jaguars Win One For Weaver

admin — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 23:49:55 +0000

Maurice Jones-Drew

The Jacksonville Jaguars gave outgoing owner Wayne Weaver one last win to savor as they topped the pathetic Indianapolis Colts, 19-13. Weaver sold the team for $770 million dollars in November after first bringing the Jaguars to Jacksonville as an expansion team in 1993. The win was also special for RB Maurice Jones-Drew. Jones-Drew rushed for 169 yards in route to the NFL rushing title and the Jaguars single season rushing record. He was one of the few things that the Jaguar fans had to cheer for this season. The Jags finished with a 5-11 record and a lot of uncertainty. Next season will bring a new owner and a new head coach. Head Coach Jack Del Rio was mercifully fired in November and replaced by defensive coordinator Mel Tucker. Since none of the assistant coaches are under contract for next year, expect wholesale changes by General Manager Gene Smith and incoming owner Shahid Khan. The fans can take solace in the fact that they may have seen the future in QB Blaine Gabbert. Gabbert struggled in his first starts, but has show that he has the tools to be a successful starting quarterback In the NFL. With help from Maurice Jones-Drew and a solid defense, the Jaguars future could be looking up.

Another Loss to the Texans

Sports Writer — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 03:42:02 +0000

Offense was certainly not the best part of the game between Houston and Jacksonville today, with Matt Leinart going out early in the game and Blaine Gabbert only being able to throw for 136 yards in a loss to the Texas; taking the Jaguars to 3-8 on the year. In another show of offensive futility, Maurice Jones-Drew was only able to gain 99 yards on the ground; which led the game in total. Still, the Jaguars were unable to find a way to win ugly, and did not score enough points in the second half once the Texas were reduced to their third string quarterback. Eventually, this led to backup McCown coming into the game, and playing reasonably well; going 7 for 11 and gaining 62 yards total. Yet again, the Jaguars defense played well, not allowing any points in the second half but not getting any help from the offense.

Loss to Cleveland

Sports Writer — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 07:17:52 +0000

The Jaguars suffered yet another disappointing loss to the sliding Browns, going down 10-14 in Cleveland this afternoon. The Jaguars defense has actually been quite stellar this year, holding the Browns to low 14 points and only 334 yards total and 186 passing yards total. However, the inability of the Jaguars offense to capitalize on their first downs and their costly penalties led to another game that felt like a missed opportunity for all involved. The lack of progression of Blaine Gabbert is concerning yet again, with him only completing 50% of his passes and throwing for 195 yards; something that should have improved by now. That being said, the Browns defense has played surprisingly well this year, so judgment may be too harsh on this game alone. Again though, the fact is that Gabbert has not performed as well as other rookies who were taken later in the draft, and one has to question the long term future and the status of the Jaguars in the Andrew Luck sweepstakes.

Victory!

Sports Writer — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 06:39:35 +0000

In a game where the Jaguars were actually favored to win, they did not disappoint! Putting the Colts into even more dire straits probably wasn’t even possible, but the Jaguars did their best to contribute to the previously powerful AFC team’s demise with a 17-3 victory today. Maurice Jones-Drew ran for a score and Blaine Gabbert threw for the other, which combined with a balanced attack on offense and a stingy defense that gave the colts nothing at all to work with. An interesting fact about the game, Jones-Drew has gained 1,043 of his 6,102 total yards for his career against the Colts; a team that nearly drafted him when he was coming out of college. This hopefully will alleviate some of the pressure off of Blaine Gabbert, who many thought might choke in a game where the Jaguars were actually supposed to dominate the opposition.

Issues With Gabbert

Sports Writer — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 05:19:58 +0000

On first glance, Blaine Gabbert looks like an NFL quarterback. He has the looks, the physical tools, the cannon arm, and the swagger that are all associated with a successful pro player. However, the fact of the matter is, Gabbert has not developed as well as other rookies this year and may get left behind. He has completed fewer than 50% of his passes and had a QB rating of only 62. Initially, many fans were able to pin the blame on a bad offensive line that was simply allowing rushers to attack Gabbert from all sides, but that has vastly improved as of late, and Gabbert is still getting sacked. So what’s the big problem? Gabbert simply does not have NFL-level pocket presence at this moment in time. He does not have the innate ability to ‘feel’ pressure and get rid of the ball, something that he needs to learn more than better mechanics or a better knowledge of the playbook in Jacksonville.