Don’t look now, but 3rd year QB Blaine Gabbert put in a surprising performance against what should have been a pretty decent Jets secondary. Full disclosure, I didn’t actually watch the game, but the stat line speaks for itself: 13/16 for 165 yards and a TD. Obviously, it’s only week 2 of the preseason and the Jets aren’t expected to have an elite unit, but what makes this an especially noteworthy performance is that Gabbert succeeded as the starter, while his competition faltered. Chad Henne completed only 4 of 10 passes for 30 yards and an INT.
After a pretty miserable first week of the preseason where Gabbert was 5 of 10 for 19 yards and a pick in his start against the Dolphins many were ready to write off the young QBs 3rd season with the Jaguars as a waste and awaited the appointment of Chad Henne (who was 8 of 11 for 87 yards in the game against Miami) as the new starting QB. The Jaguars instead stuck by Gabbert and were rewarded with a performance that finally seemed fitting of a top 10 pick. I’ll say again that it was the preseason against a Jets team that does not figure to be great, and as such I’m not saying Gabbert is all of a sudden an elite QB, but he showed a glimmer of hope and should have secured the starting job for another week and with week 3 of the preseason typically featuring more playing time for starters it gives Gabbert another chance to prove himself as the clear cut starter at QB and erase any questions of a competition headed into the season…That may not seem like a huge accomplishment for a former 1st round pick, but given Gabbert’s rocky first two seasons in Jacksonville, it’s a good place to start.
