How bad is Blaine Gabbert? (3 Viewers)

[Dr. Awesome]

Last two weeks:19-33 for 195 2TDs, 1 INT19-33 for 217 2TDs, 2 INTsIt looks like the kid is improving a little. Those are actually around the numbers you might expect from a rookie QB with potential. On the flipside Greg Cosell was recently quoted as saying: "I will say unequivocally that (Gabbert) will not make it in this league as a starting NFL quarterback." That seems like a bold statement to make concerning a rookie QB who is in a bad situation.

Merely headline grabbing. It is way too early to pull the plug on this kid. He has no real weapons. Give him Dwayne Bowe and Steve Breaston and see how he does.

I don't think it's too early to pull the plug on the kid. I believe he is a bust and will take some crow if he pans out. If he's still starting in 3 years I'll be surprised.

 

[jojoh07]

This guy sucks

 

[rockaction]

It goes to eleven.

 

[RenegadeGM]

http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/7263999/11-things-loved-week-11

8. Blaine Gabbert The most bizarrely hilarious play of the week, though, belongs to our favorite overmatched Jags quarterback. Facing a third-and-8 from the Cleveland 9-yard line while down 14-7, the Jags drop Gabbert back to pass, but Browns end Jabaal Sheard beats right tackle Guy Whimper to blow up the play. Sheard spins Gabbert around, and in the process, Gabbert makes one of the most confusing throws we've ever seen.

Literally, the throw confuses us. What was Gabbert thinking? In what scenario is it a good idea to frantically turn toward the sideline and desperately heave a pass eight yards backwards? How can that scenario involve being in the red zone? And even if Gabbert thought that he could somehow turn the pass into a forward one, he was still in the pocket and would have been called for intentional grounding! Actually, Gabbert only lost 14 yards on the fumble and would have cost his team 15 with the intentional grounding, losing a down either way. He saved his team a yard! Maybe he deserves more credit than we thought.

link to the play

I think he was trying to lateral out-of-bounds, which would have stopped the clock and prevented a sack.

There is a worse pass. This one, courtesy Aaron Brooks.

 

[Abraham]

He's awful.

 

[Mr_Swearengin]

He is the biggest coward I have ever seen

 

[SWC]

another awe inspiring performance by the best quarterback to ever poop his pants during a game in the league last night this guy is ridiculous some players make others better he actually makes everyone so bad that the other players he made bad in turn make other players bad so he is like the transitive theory of making other players bad holy cow i cant believe how much money they spent on this guy maybe they should invest some money in a hypnotist to try and fool him into thinking getting hit will not hurt wow my apologies jaguar fans it looks like you will have to research what it feels like to be from kansas city

 

[Mr. Brownstone]

another awe inspiring performance by the best quarterback to ever poop his pants during a game in the league last night this guy is ridiculous some players make others better he actually makes everyone so bad that the other players he made bad in turn make other players bad so he is like the transitive theory of making other players bad holy cow i cant believe how much money they spent on this guy maybe they should invest some money in a hypnotist to try and fool him into thinking getting hit will not hurt wow my apologies jaguar fans it looks like you will have to research what it feels like to be from kansas city

period

 

[Wadsworth]

Obviously it is pile on time for Gabbert, but his rookie year has not been as bad as some would suggest. Next week if he starts he will be the youngest QB in the history of the NFL to start 13 games. His offensive line obviously has protection issues and his WRs at this point about as bad as it gets in the NFL. Yet he is still over 50% completion percentage and has thrown more TDs than INTs. Before last night he had only lost 2 fumbles all season and had not lost a fumble in the previous 8 weeks. He did not throw many bad passes and even the INT hit Lewis in both hands.

Overall his performance is not close to good enough at this point but considering his youth and situation it has not been the catastrophe that some suggest.

For comparison :

Sam Bradford: 357/191 53.5 2,164 6 and 6 70.5, fumbles lost 7

Blaine Gabbert: 352/178 50.6 1,924 11 and 10 65.6, fumbles lost 4

 

[Mr. Know-It-All]

He is the biggest coward I have ever seen

He plays behind that o-line with those wrs, yet he shows up to play each week....that is not cowardly, that is stupid.

 

[azgroover]

Obviously it is pile on time for Gabbert, but his rookie year has not been as bad as some would suggest. Next week if he starts he will be the youngest QB in the history of the NFL to start 13 games. His offensive line obviously has protection issues and his WRs at this point about as bad as it gets in the NFL. Yet he is still over 50% completion percentage and has thrown more TDs than INTs. Before last night he had only lost 2 fumbles all season and had not lost a fumble in the previous 8 weeks. He did not throw many bad passes and even the INT hit Lewis in both hands. Overall his performance is not close to good enough at this point but considering his youth and situation it has not been the catastrophe that some suggest.For comparison :Sam Bradford: 357/191 53.5 2,164 6 and 6 70.5, fumbles lost 7Blaine Gabbert: 352/178 50.6 1,924 11 and 10 65.6, fumbles lost 4

Might as well throw Curtis Painter in the mix with those two guys.

 

[Mr_Swearengin]

Obviously it is pile on time for Gabbert, but his rookie year has not been as bad as some would suggest. Next week if he starts he will be the youngest QB in the history of the NFL to start 13 games. His offensive line obviously has protection issues and his WRs at this point about as bad as it gets in the NFL. Yet he is still over 50% completion percentage and has thrown more TDs than INTs. Before last night he had only lost 2 fumbles all season and had not lost a fumble in the previous 8 weeks. He did not throw many bad passes and even the INT hit Lewis in both hands. Overall his performance is not close to good enough at this point but considering his youth and situation it has not been the catastrophe that some suggest.For comparison :Sam Bradford: 357/191 53.5 2,164 6 and 6 70.5, fumbles lost 7Blaine Gabbert: 352/178 50.6 1,924 11 and 10 65.6, fumbles lost 4

I don't care about his numbers, but the fear he plays with. He throws every pass running backwards in fear of being hit. I know his line sucks, but he cowers in fear on his passes even if the heat isn't on. Even with experience I can't see him learning to be brave. This is a mental thing and you usually can't outgrow that.

 

[Wadsworth]

Obviously it is pile on time for Gabbert, but his rookie year has not been as bad as some would suggest. Next week if he starts he will be the youngest QB in the history of the NFL to start 13 games. His offensive line obviously has protection issues and his WRs at this point about as bad as it gets in the NFL. Yet he is still over 50% completion percentage and has thrown more TDs than INTs. Before last night he had only lost 2 fumbles all season and had not lost a fumble in the previous 8 weeks. He did not throw many bad passes and even the INT hit Lewis in both hands.

Overall his performance is not close to good enough at this point but considering his youth and situation it has not been the catastrophe that some suggest.

For comparison :

Sam Bradford: 357/191 53.5 2,164 6 and 6 70.5, fumbles lost 7

Blaine Gabbert: 352/178 50.6 1,924 11 and 10 65.6, fumbles lost 4

I don't care about his numbers, but the fear he plays with. He throws every pass running backwards in fear of being hit. I know his line sucks, but he cowers in fear on his passes even if the heat isn't on. Even with experience I can't see him learning to be brave. This is a mental thing and you usually can't outgrow that.

That is clearly a huge exaggeration. And he has in fact gotten better about it within the current season. Don't get me wrong, the kid has a long way to go and he may never get there. But the piling on and repeated "coward" talk has snowballed well beyond any reasonable criticism.

 

[Warpig]

Obviously it is pile on time for Gabbert, but his rookie year has not been as bad as some would suggest. Next week if he starts he will be the youngest QB in the history of the NFL to start 13 games. His offensive line obviously has protection issues and his WRs at this point about as bad as it gets in the NFL. Yet he is still over 50% completion percentage and has thrown more TDs than INTs. Before last night he had only lost 2 fumbles all season and had not lost a fumble in the previous 8 weeks. He did not throw many bad passes and even the INT hit Lewis in both hands.

Overall his performance is not close to good enough at this point but considering his youth and situation it has not been the catastrophe that some suggest.

For comparison :

Sam Bradford: 357/191 53.5 2,164 6 and 6 70.5, fumbles lost 7

Blaine Gabbert: 352/178 50.6 1,924 11 and 10 65.6, fumbles lost 4

I don't care about his numbers, but the fear he plays with. He throws every pass running backwards in fear of being hit. I know his line sucks, but he cowers in fear on his passes even if the heat isn't on. Even with experience I can't see him learning to be brave. This is a mental thing and you usually can't outgrow that.

That is clearly a huge exaggeration. And he has in fact gotten better about it within the current season. Don't get me wrong, the kid has a long way to go and he may never get there. But the piling on and repeated "coward" talk has snowballed well beyond any reasonable criticism.

His stats would be worse if he attempted to pass downfield more often like a real NFL qb should. Completing 50% of your passes while constantly throwing short of the first down marker does not impress me.No excuse for his cowardice behind the line. It almost looked like he purposely fumbled those balls last night to try and get the defense to worry about the ball instead of sacking him!

His WR's do suck too. And I blame that in the GM. They cut their most productive wideout in Jason Hill...WTF!?! As if they had better quality behind him.

They put Dillard in the lineup?!? That is a firable offense in itself! Dude clanks balls off his hands regardless if it is a pass or punt.

Gene Smith is the epitome of suckage.

 

[golfguy]

Obviously it is pile on time for Gabbert, but his rookie year has not been as bad as some would suggest. Next week if he starts he will be the youngest QB in the history of the NFL to start 13 games. His offensive line obviously has protection issues and his WRs at this point about as bad as it gets in the NFL. Yet he is still over 50% completion percentage and has thrown more TDs than INTs. Before last night he had only lost 2 fumbles all season and had not lost a fumble in the previous 8 weeks. He did not throw many bad passes and even the INT hit Lewis in both hands.

Overall his performance is not close to good enough at this point but considering his youth and situation it has not been the catastrophe that some suggest.

For comparison :

Sam Bradford: 357/191 53.5 2,164 6 and 6 70.5, fumbles lost 7

Blaine Gabbert: 352/178 50.6 1,924 11 and 10 65.6, fumbles lost 4

I don't care about his numbers, but the fear he plays with. He throws every pass running backwards in fear of being hit. I know his line sucks, but he cowers in fear on his passes even if the heat isn't on. Even with experience I can't see him learning to be brave. This is a mental thing and you usually can't outgrow that.

That is clearly a huge exaggeration. And he has in fact gotten better about it within the current season. Don't get me wrong, the kid has a long way to go and he may never get there. But the piling on and repeated "coward" talk has snowballed well beyond any reasonable criticism.

His stats would be worse if he attempted to pass downfield more often like a real NFL qb should. Completing 50% of your passes while constantly throwing short of the first down marker does not impress me.No excuse for his cowardice behind the line. It almost looked like he purposely fumbled those balls last night to try and get the defense to worry about the ball instead of sacking him!

His WR's do suck too. And I blame that in the GM. They cut their most productive wideout in Jason Hill...WTF!?! As if they had better quality behind him.

They put Dillard in the lineup?!? That is a firable offense in itself! Dude clanks balls off his hands regardless if it is a pass or punt.

Gene Smith is the epitome of suckage.

>>>>>>>>>.RGIII please pick up the courtesy phone, the jaguars are on the phone for you. maybe he can have some success with the lousy wrs in jacksonville and lousy OL. gabbert looks like a deer in headlights.

 

[Couch Potato]

Gabbert is so bad that his QB rating and his uniform number are the same

Gabbert is so bad that JaMarcus Russell has offered to tutor him.

Gabbert is so bad that Jon Gruden can't think of anything positive to say about him.

Gabbert is so bad that Sam Hurd feels sorry for him

Gabbert is so bad that Jerry Sandusky won't “hang out” with him.

Gabbert is so bad that fans in LA are begging the Jags to STAY in Jacksonville

Gabbert is so bad, if he were an actor he'd be Keanu Reeves

Gabbert is so bad, if he were an actress he'd be Lindsay Lohan

Gabbert is so bad, if he were a singer he'd be William Hung

Gabbert is so bad, if he were a dancer he'd be... uh, let's stay with William Hung

Gabbert is so bad, if he were a song he'd be just about anything by Justin Bieber

Gabbert is so bad, if he were a movie he'd be Battlefield Earth.

Other than that, he's great!

 

[footballnerd]

Gabbert is so bad that Shahid Khan wants a refund

 

[Wadsworth]

This is turning into the Nega-Jackie Battle thread.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

Gabbert is so bad that he only wears sweats because he can't stand in anything with pockets.

 

[Mr. Brownstone]

Gabbert is so bad, if he were an actor he'd be Keanu Reeves

I...am an FBI Agent NFL Quarterback.

 

[shnikies]

so, do the jags give up a high drat pick to broncos for tebow?gets folks in the stands at jax and elway is justified for the pick....

If the Jags do indeed try to trade for Tebow it wouldn't cost a high draft pick. I would guess it would cost a 4th or 5th. I don't think Tebow is going to be in Denver next year and I'm having trouble thinking of a team that would trade for him. It'll be a buyer's market for Tebow so if the Jags wanted him they could get him for cheap.

This post is all kinds of wrong, so much so that I wonder if it is To the point of the thread - gabbert is awful.

 

[Wadsworth]

Gabbert stinks!!! How anyone in their right mind could prefer him over a proven winner like Tim Tebow is beyond me.

Good, I was hoping to find a thread discussing Tebow.

 

[SWC]

the best part of blayne oops i crapped in my drawers gabbert is when the season is over for 7 or 8 weeks and i dont have to think about how much blaine has ruined one of the most proud and storied fanchisess in the nfl and how he singlehandedly makes other people not even like football anymore including other players such as his wrs who might as well go run around in a park because when they get open blaine is usually cowering in a corner because the ref told him just because he is wearing flags doesnt mean that the d doesnt still get to tackle him maybe he should go hang around with tim tebow and see what tough and dedicatino really look like and maybe he can be like rudy and play better than his size but i doubt it hell probably go on pooping up his pants week after week and therfore pooping all over the jacksonville metroplex area and the men and women that proudly serve the USA take it to the bank for them bromericans but not for blayne

 

[Warpig]

I'd love for Tebow to go to Jacksonville. And I think he can be had for a 6th...5th at the most. Let he and Henne battle it out for the #1 QB spot. Let Gabbert sit there and play with his hair while holding the clipboard and blowing bubbles.

I don't see Tebow going to Green Bay. Not sure Tebow would fit in their high powered offense. He wouldn't have to worry about that in J-ville.

 

[DoubleG]

the best part of blayne oops i crapped in my drawers gabbert is when the season is over for 7 or 8 weeks and i dont have to think about how much blaine has ruined one of the most proud and storied fanchisess in the nfl and how he singlehandedly makes other people not even like football anymore including other players such as his wrs who might as well go run around in a park because when they get open blaine is usually cowering in a corner because the ref told him just because he is wearing flags doesnt mean that the d doesnt still get to tackle him maybe he should go hang around with tim tebow and see what tough and dedicatino really look like and maybe he can be like rudy and play better than his size but i doubt it hell probably go on pooping up his pants week after week and therfore pooping all over the jacksonville metroplex area and the men and women that proudly serve the USA take it to the bank for them bromericans but not for blayne

Please repost in English. It makes it easier for those of us who are from the U.S.. TIA.

 

[Pots]

the best part of blayne oops i crapped in my drawers gabbert is when the season is over for 7 or 8 weeks and i dont have to think about how much blaine has ruined one of the most proud and storied fanchisess in the nfl and how he singlehandedly makes other people not even like football anymore including other players such as his wrs who might as well go run around in a park because when they get open blaine is usually cowering in a corner because the ref told him just because he is wearing flags doesnt mean that the d doesnt still get to tackle him maybe he should go hang around with tim tebow and see what tough and dedicatino really look like and maybe he can be like rudy and play better than his size but i doubt it hell probably go on pooping up his pants week after week and therfore pooping all over the jacksonville metroplex area and the men and women that proudly serve the USA take it to the bank for them bromericans but not for blayne

Lets play a game. Can you find a single capital letter or example of punctuation in this post?

 

[Fly]

the best part of blayne oops i crapped in my drawers gabbert is when the season is over for 7 or 8 weeks and i dont have to think about how much blaine has ruined one of the most proud and storied fanchisess in the nfl and how he singlehandedly makes other people not even like football anymore including other players such as his wrs who might as well go run around in a park because when they get open blaine is usually cowering in a corner because the ref told him just because he is wearing flags doesnt mean that the d doesnt still get to tackle him maybe he should go hang around with tim tebow and see what tough and dedicatino really look like and maybe he can be like rudy and play better than his size but i doubt it hell probably go on pooping up his pants week after week and therfore pooping all over the jacksonville metroplex area and the men and women that proudly serve the USA take it to the bank for them bromericans but not for blayne

Gabbert is as bad as your punctuation.

 

[Mr. Brownstone]

the best part of blayne oops i crapped in my drawers gabbert is when the season is over for 7 or 8 weeks and i dont have to think about how much blaine has ruined one of the most proud and storied fanchisess in the nfl and how he singlehandedly makes other people not even like football anymore including other players such as his wrs who might as well go run around in a park because when they get open blaine is usually cowering in a corner because the ref told him just because he is wearing flags doesnt mean that the d doesnt still get to tackle him maybe he should go hang around with tim tebow and see what tough and dedicatino really look like and maybe he can be like rudy and play better than his size but i doubt it hell probably go on pooping up his pants week after week and therfore pooping all over the jacksonville metroplex area and the men and women that proudly serve the USA take it to the bank for them bromericans but not for blayne

Gabbert is as bad as your punctuation.

It's his shtick. Roll with it.

 

[Fly]

the best part of blayne oops i crapped in my drawers gabbert is when the season is over for 7 or 8 weeks and i dont have to think about how much blaine has ruined one of the most proud and storied fanchisess in the nfl and how he singlehandedly makes other people not even like football anymore including other players such as his wrs who might as well go run around in a park because when they get open blaine is usually cowering in a corner because the ref told him just because he is wearing flags doesnt mean that the d doesnt still get to tackle him maybe he should go hang around with tim tebow and see what tough and dedicatino really look like and maybe he can be like rudy and play better than his size but i doubt it hell probably go on pooping up his pants week after week and therfore pooping all over the jacksonville metroplex area and the men and women that proudly serve the USA take it to the bank for them bromericans but not for blayne

Gabbert is as bad as your punctuation.

It's his shtick. Roll with it.

I know, it just seemed appropriate given the topic.

 

[bigunreal]

The media has done a real job on Blaine Gabbert, with their constant, Tebow-like mantra of "He can't play!" and ridiculous nonsense about him having the worst rookie season ever for a QB. Reality- his performance (and his stats) hold up very well against the vast majority of rookie QBs ever to play in the NFL.

Compare what Gabbert did last season, with perhaps the worst receiving corps in the league, to Josh Freeman's rookie season. Gabbert was far superior statistically, yet Freeman was given no competition and shone the next year. Why is Gabbert a "bust," but Freeman wasn't? What has Chad Henne done to justify him starting over a guy they drafted 10th overall?

The media creates these guys reputations. Brady Quinn is considered a "bust," when he had what, 12 starts in 3 seasons? Same thing goes for Matt Leinart, who was never given even a complete year as the unquestioned starter. On the other hand, somehow Josh Johnson, who has never showed any potential at all, and owns a career QB rating of 57.7 (well below any so called "bust" in history), with a total of 5 TDs vs. 10 INTs, is considered a hot commodity that would somehow be given a chance to start in San Francisco.

All QBs receive too much blame and too much credit.

 

[Dr. Awesome]

The media has done a real job on Blaine Gabbert, with their constant, Tebow-like mantra of "He can't play!" and ridiculous nonsense about him having the worst rookie season ever for a QB. Reality- his performance (and his stats) hold up very well against the vast majority of rookie QBs ever to play in the NFL.

Compare what Gabbert did last season, with perhaps the worst receiving corps in the league, to Josh Freeman's rookie season. Gabbert was far superior statistically, yet Freeman was given no competition and shone the next year. Why is Gabbert a "bust," but Freeman wasn't? What has Chad Henne done to justify him starting over a guy they drafted 10th overall?

The media creates these guys reputations. Brady Quinn is considered a "bust," when he had what, 12 starts in 3 seasons? Same thing goes for Matt Leinart, who was never given even a complete year as the unquestioned starter. On the other hand, somehow Josh Johnson, who has never showed any potential at all, and owns a career QB rating of 57.7 (well below any so called "bust" in history), with a total of 5 TDs vs. 10 INTs, is considered a hot commodity that would somehow be given a chance to start in San Francisco.

All QBs receive too much blame and too much credit.

Gabbert completed 50.8% of his passes. Freeman's rookie season? 54.5%. Gabbert had a 5.36 ypa. Freeman's rookie season? 6.4 ypa.

Gabbert rushed for about 5 yards per game. Freeman? 16.

And if you actually watched Gabbert consistently flee from ghost rushers you'll realize he's even worse than the numbers indicate (which is awful). You think Leinart and Quinn are studs that were just never given a chance? C'mon...if they were good the coaches would LOVE to give them playing time. Their stats indicate they're absolutely awful as well. They didn't get more playing time because nothing indicated they should. And coaches don't just watch games. They watch practice and training camp. At a certain point they need to go with a guy who might actually win and not just roll a guy out because he looks horrendous but might someday look okay if only he were given an entire season.

And Josh Johnson at least worked with Harbaugh in college. It's not the first time a HC has interest in bringing in a familiar face nor will it be the last. Josh might sign with SF as a camp body fighting to win a backup spot. Could he become the starter? Sure. Harbaugh says everyone has to win their spot on the roster. And if you're down to comparing Gabbert to Josh Johnson that shows how far his stock has fallen.

 

[msommer]

.... On the other hand, somehow Josh Johnson, who has never showed any potential at all, and owns a career QB rating of 57.7 (well below any so called "bust" in history), with a total of 5 TDs vs. 10 INTs, is considered a hot commodity that would somehow be given a chance to start in San Francisco.

All QBs receive too much blame and too much credit.

...And Josh Johnson at least worked with Harbaugh in college. It's not the first time a HC has interest in bringing in a familiar face nor will it be the last. Josh might sign with SF as a camp body fighting to win a backup spot. Could he become the starter? Sure. Harbaugh says everyone has to win their spot on the roster. And if you're down to comparing Gabbert to Josh Johnson that shows how far his stock has fallen.

When Josh Johnson was drafted by TB in the fifth round in 2008, he was a 'project' that would take years to pan out, if ever.When Blaine Gabbert was drafted in the first round of the 2011 draft Mike Mayock called him 'the most NFL ready QB of them all' (Cam Newton and Andy Dalton would like to say hello, Mike).

Hardly apples to apples.

That aside Johnson would only be given a chance to start in SF if Kaepernick was even worse (and Alex Smith had not resigned).

 

[Abraham]

The worst part about Gabbert is that his stats are actually misleading in showing how GOOD he is. The best word for it is "lost." He looks completely lost on the field. He looks like each completion is a "blind squirrel finds an acorn" and each snap where he doesn't hand it to MJD is an absolute hold-your-breath-and-hope-nothing-bad-happens experience for his fans. I'm a little shocked, frankly, that he was as "good" as his numbers indicate.

 

[outlawassassins]

simple answer: PRETTY BAD

 

[Amused to Death]

so, do the jags give up a high drat pick to broncos for tebow?gets folks in the stands at jax and elway is justified for the pick....

If the Jags do indeed try to trade for Tebow it wouldn't cost a high draft pick. I would guess it would cost a 4th or 5th. I don't think Tebow is going to be in Denver next year and I'm having trouble thinking of a team that would trade for him. It'll be a buyer's market for Tebow so if the Jags wanted him they could get him for cheap.

This post is all kinds of wrong, so much so that I wonder if it is To the point of the thread - gabbert is awful.

I see what you did there.

 

[flapgreen]

Jags

 

[Pots]

Tebow would have made the Jags a fun team to watch. :(

 

[Faust]

A few observations from Greg Cosell on twittergregcosell

Anxious to watch Gabbert. Biggest issue was inability to make throws in muddied pocket. Critical in NFL. Can't do, can't play. We'll see.

Gabbert in very good situation with Mularkey. Terrific with run game + play action. Will help Gabbert w/quicker throws + more defined reads.

Agree with many who have responded. Henne could beat out Gabbert + it wouldn't surprise me. Henne, though, has always been erraticw/accuracy

 

[Wadsworth]

A few observations from Greg Cosell on twittergregcosell

Anxious to watch Gabbert. Biggest issue was inability to make throws in muddied pocket. Critical in NFL. Can't do, can't play. We'll see.

Gabbert in very good situation with Mularkey. Terrific with run game + play action. Will help Gabbert w/quicker throws + more defined reads.

Agree with many who have responded. Henne could beat out Gabbert + it wouldn't surprise me. Henne, though, has always been erraticw/accuracy

Greg Cosell:

I will say unequivocally that (Gabbert) will not make it in this league as a starting NFL quarterback.

I thought Cosell had already written Gabbert off.

 

[Hoot&HoLLer]

I enjoy and follow Cossell. But I have now crossed over to having a soft spot in my heart for Gabbert. Sort of my Rocky Balboa (Rocky 3 &4) & Dan Ruettiger who MUST go deeper & work harder than he ever did to survive & win.

Signed a hopeful owner who drafted him over Newton at #12 last year.

 

[SWC]

robert goddell watched blaine play once and almost encoraged a bounty sytem on him

 

[Faust]

A few observations from Greg Cosell on twitter:

@gregcosell

Anxious to watch Gabbert. Biggest issue was inability to make throws in muddied pocket. Critical in NFL. Can't do, can't play. We'll see.

Gabbert in very good situation with Mularkey. Terrific with run game + play action. Will help Gabbert w/quicker throws + more defined reads.

Agree with many who have responded. Henne could beat out Gabbert + it wouldn't surprise me. Henne, though, has always been erraticw/accuracy

Greg Cosell:

I will say unequivocally that (Gabbert) will not make it in this league as a starting NFL quarterback.

I thought Cosell had already written Gabbert off.

I am having a hard time finding the original article where he was quoted and in what context. It is possible that he made a snap judgement after seeing some particularly bleak tape on Gabbert from last year, and after having some time in the off-season - he is trying to keep an open mind on Gabbert.Cosell also isn't suggesting that Gabbert is very likely to turn things around, just that it is too early to completely write him off just yet and that it also wouldn't shock him to see Henne beat him out (as per the bolded parts above)

 

[Faust]

Gabbert's rookie year was a nightmare, but he won't be a bust

By Pete Prisco | CBSSports.com Senior NFL Columnist

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- There is nothing worse than being called "soft" in the NFL, only imagine it's a word far worse that that, one we can't print here.

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blaine Gabbert has been called everything and anything you can imagine to insult his toughness after a rough rookie season in 2011. He's been called the kind of names that would make some players fight back, the kind of things you don't want next to your name.

Instead of fighting back, Gabbert has opted to take a different approach to having his toughness questioned by national media, Jaguars fans and even a certain former coach who sits in a Monday night booth and thinks he invented the quarterback position.

"I have to respond on the football field," Gabbert said last week during a break from offseason workouts. "The biggest thing I worry about is my teammates. How do they feel about me? I can't worry about what people are saying. When somebody says something, people run with it. That's what happened. I can't worry about that."

The Gabbert-is-soft talk became an out-of-control topic after the Jaguars' nationally televised Monday night game against Baltimore, a game the Jaguars somehow won. The ESPN crew, led by Jon Gruden, lit up Gabbert, who was making his fifth career start after being the 10th pick in the April, 2011 draft. The ripping hasn't stopped since.

It didn't help that the Jaguars, who opened their veteran orientation camp Tuesday, were linked to the tough-guy quarterback Tim Tebow, the favorite son of this city, who some fans see as the anti-Gabbert for his gritty style.

The reality is that at times Gabbert was jumpy in the pocket early on last season. But that waned as the season moved along, as he became more comfortable. I say most of the problems were brought on by bad mechanics and a bad system.

It's fixable. Gabbert will not be a bust -- even if most of you think he will be.

In fact, I will go as far as saying that a year from now you will be talking about him as one of the rising quarterbacks in the league. I say that because he is smart, has a big arm, can make all the throws and spins his head. He's also willing to put in the work.

That means something. It's why he's working hard to understand the team's new offense under first-year coach Mike Mualrkey. He spends a lot of time at the team's facility and takes home the work at night.

"You want to make sure it's fresh when you come back in the morning," Gabbert said.

As for the soft talk, you can tell it bothers him, even if he won't admit it. Wouldn't it bother you if you played a tough-guy game for a living and were singled out as the timid one?

So during my half-hour sit down with Gabbert, I pulled out a paper with an evaluation from former NFL personnel man Mike Lombardi, who now works for the NFL Network, and let Gabbert read it.

It read: "In my 20-plus years in the NFL, I don't think I have seen a high first-round pick look as scared or as out of place as Blaine Gabbert. The game looks entirely too big for him. When the ball is in his hand, he treats it like a hot potato. His play was embarrassing, considering he was a top-10 pick. I believed Gabbert was a good prospect and wrote about it leading up to the draft. When everyone was concerned about his down-field throws, I thought he would be able to adjust. But never did I think his eye level would be this low, his unwillingness to hang in the pocket this bad. I readily admit my mistake. Now the Jaguars need to do the same. How can they expect players around him to buy in? Gabbert cannot fool his teammates. If he continues to play like this, no one will want to play with him."

Gabbert looked up from the paper and just shook his head.

"Who is Mike Lombardi?" Gabbert said. "Every season a player is going to have a certain label. It creates buzz. It creates controversy and interest. Whatever the label is for the year, it's going to stick with you. He doesn't know what's going on. He doesn't know anything about me. It's comical. It's funny."

Lombardi is wrong about a couple of things. The new Jaguars staff -- and especially the front office -- still believes in Gabbert. And just to make sure, I checked with some of the players I trust and asked them privately about his toughness.

To a man, they all said he was plenty tough.

"You watch what he does this year," one player said. "All that stuff got way overblown. He's on a mission to prove everybody wrong. I've seen guys who aren't tough. He isn't one of them."

So what was wrong? How could a player who Jaguars fans roared about after a trade up to get him become the most-hated player on the roster? A day doesn't go by where a fan doesn't call into a talk show and mock Gabbert for his perceived lack of toughness.

It was the perfect storm for a disaster. Among the factors:

• The lockout. Gabbert was given a playbook by the team, but he couldn't meet with coaches to discuss it. It was learning on the fly. Normally by the time a rookie quarterback goes to camp, he knows the playbook, having run the plays at minicamps and OTAs. "It was a weird last year not having these minicamps," Gabbert said. "Not being able to hang out with the coaches and learn their offense with them and have them teach it to you was tough. You're kind of looking at the paper and saying, 'all right.' When I got here last year I hardly knew anything. I showed up Day 1 of camp and all the things I knew were things I tried to teach myself."

• Gabbert was only 22 with only two years of college playing experience. The front office expected him to sit and watch the entire season, but when David Garrard was released in the preseason -- a move that the front office had to make when coach Jack Del Rio told them he wouldn't start Garrard -- Gabbert moved up to second team. When Luke McCown was terrible the first two weeks, he became the starter. Gabbert was the youngest player in league history to start 14 games in a season.

• The run-centric offense. Under Del Rio, the Jaguars were a run-first team and were built that way. That meant a lot of Maurice Jones-Drew and a lot of bunched-up sets and little focus on building around the quarterback position. That made it tough to adjust for Gabbert, or any other passing quarterback.

• Bad receivers. With Del Rio's future in doubt, Del Rio had to piece together a staff and one of the coaches he hired on a one-year deal was receivers coach Johnny Cox, who really struggled and the receivers regressed. Quarterback coach Mike Sheppard was also part of the problem, according to team sources. Nice guy who wasn't tough enough.

• Poor footwork by Gabbert. He spent too much time throwing off his back foot. It's clear his mechanics needed work and Sheppard or whoever wasn't giving it to him. Gabbert had a passer rating of 65.4, worst in the league, and completed just 50.8-percent of his passes. A lot of that had to do with footwork.

• Now we know why. Gabbert played most of the season with a toe injury on his right, plant foot. He never complained about it and didn't miss time because of it. "You have to play through stuff like that," he said. "People expect you on the field. It's just part of the deal. You have to learn to deal with the pain, whether it's a lot of pain or a little pain. You have to push through it."

Add it all up, and no wonder Gabbert is toast in this town instead of the toast of the town.

A change in coaching staffs gives him a new outlook heading to 2012. Mularkey, who helped Matt Ryan develop in Atlanta, will be much more detailed when it comes to his quarterback. Mularkey also hired quarterbacks coach Greg Olson to help tutor the bad things out of Gabbert. Olson is credited with helping to develop Drew Brees at Purdue.

Gabbert said he called Ryan shortly after Mularkey was hired to talk about his new coach and to get a feel for the offense. Mularkey and offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski are expected to liven up the passing game.

"That experience he got will be, I can't tell you, how important it'll be coming into this season," Mularkey said. "Those games he played in will be great for him. Great in the long run."

It might not have felt that way during the season, but Gabbert loved playing, no matter how tough it was for him and how many names he was called.

"I can't let that stuff bother me," he said. "I just have to show it's not true with the way I play. And I will."

I know I am the minority when I say this: I agree with him.

 

[flapgreen]

Pretty damn bad.

 

[Hoot&HoLLer]

Blaine meet Justin. Feed him.

 

[Faust]

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.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

So bad that Jax felt they needed to grab a punter in the 3rd round...guess they know they are going 3 n out a lot.

 

[cstu]

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.

Stafford was nearly as bad as Gabbert his rookie year and he had Calvin to throw. Personally, I don't think Gabbert will ever be a great QB but it's way too early to say can't be an NFL QB.

 

[lbouchard]

I think we need to reserve judgment for this year. Now he has a legit wideout, and Robinson is actually a pretty good #2. People forget sometimes that this was a lockout season. Rookies had no time to prepare for the NFL, and QBs face the hardest transition. Obviously Cam was fire and Dalton was very good as well, but those are the exceptions. QBs usually need time. Plus he picked it up a little bit towards the end.

 

[jurb26]

I think we need to reserve judgment for this year. Now he has a legit wideout, and Robinson is actually a pretty good #2. People forget sometimes that this was a lockout season. Rookies had no time to prepare for the NFL, and QBs face the hardest transition. Obviously Cam was fire and Dalton was very good as well, but those are the exceptions. QBs usually need time. Plus he picked it up a little bit towards the end.

I agree that judgement should be reserved for now, in a sense...Here's the rub I have with Gabbert, he looks timid and scared in the pocket. It's true that many other QBs performed poorly in their rookie year, Stafford was mentioned by someone else. If I compare the 2 guys rookie performances that I saw the difference is stunning and it starts with the fact that one guy looked natural in the pocket, fearless and just had the intangible quality about him that you expect from a QB who will become successful in the NFL. The other looked scared, always confused and had happy feet. Rookie QBs are going to make mistakes and they are going to get confused but there is just something about the way in which it appears with Gabbert that makes me nervous.I'm not saying he is doomed to fail. I agree that it's far too early to make that call. I'm just saying I'm nervous.