Photo: Bob Mack/The Times-Union
- Adam Parker
If you happened to catch any Jacksonville Jaguars football last season (assuming of course, that the games weren't blacked out in your area), you noticed a common theme every time the Jags' took the field -- the championship-caliber defense was being held back by the lackluster offense.
Sure, you have 2011 rushing champion Maurice Jones-Drew at the forefront, but when teams start stacking eight and sometimes even nine guys in the box, you know there must be something wrong.
To put it plainly, no one around the NFL lost any sleep over Jacksonville's passing game (or more realistically, lack there of) and likely had a relatively simple defensive gameplan coming in against the Jaguars -- stop MJD, because if you stop MJD, the bulk of the pressure will fall on rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert.
That proved to be a recipe for success for most Jaguars' opponents, as the former Missouri star just couldn't hack it during his rookie campaign.
The Jaguars hope that's all about to change with the addition of first-round pick and former two-time Biletnikoff award winner Justin Blackmon.
To say Gabbert was a mess during his rookie season was probably one of the biggest understatements of the 2011 campaign.
He suffered from "happy feet" in the pocket, sensing pressure when there wasn't any. He had difficulty keeping his eyes downfield looking for receivers and missed throws terribly in the pros that I saw him make on countless occasions at Mizzou.
Gabbert was a quarterback coming out of college with the prototypical size and above-average accuracy. Though Gabbert played about 98% of his snaps at Mizzou from the shotgun, it was believed that he wouldn't have much trouble making the transition once he went through the rigors of an NFL training camp.
But Gabbert was put in a tough spot. In fact, all rookie quarterbacks last year were behind the eight-ball because of the shortened offseason brought on by the lockout. The only guy who really had any success was Carolina Panthers' quarterback Cam Newton, but veteran wide receiver Steve Smith had a lot to do with that.
Now, in year two, the Jaguars are hoping incoming rookie Justin Blackmon can provide that true No.1 target for Gabbert, thereby allowing them to grow and improve together as young players.
Blackmon came into the draft as the top wide receiver on the board, and rightfully so. Blackmon may only be 6'1", but he plays much bigger and more physical than that. JB gives it 100% on every play no matter the assignment.
Whether it be going deep and fighting for the jump ball, running a sharp slant pattern and getting that all-important inside position or simply blocking his man to try and seal the edge on running plays, the man loves the game of football and will leave everything out on the field come game day.
He has the confidence that he can beat anyone who lines up across from him and if he's able to do so, that will make things loads easier on Gabbert in year two.
Jaguars general manager believes the Jags' can be a playoff-caliber team next season. If 'Goldilocks' Gabbert is able to keep his head up and make plays to help take some pressure off MJD, they'll likely be in good shape.
The defense and running game will do their respective jobs. It will be down to the Gabbert-to-Blackmon combination to deliver the final piece of the playoff puzzle for Jacksonville.