The future is now for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
After a four interception performance by Jaguars quarterback Luke McCown on Sunday against the New York Jets that got him pulled, it is time for the Jaguars to admit their mistake in choosing McCown over former quarterback David Garrard and turn the offense over to rookie Blaine Gabbert. At no point during yesterdays game did McCown look like he was capable of being an effective NFL quarterback.
All throughout the preseason Jaguars head coach Jack Del Rio had said that he was going to play the quarterback that gave him the best chance to win on Sundays, but on Sunday McCown gave the Jaguars no chance to win. Even though Gabbert played well after entering the game in the fourth quarter, Del Rio did not commit to a quarterback moving forward.
After looking at stat sheets through the first two weeks of the NFL season, it has become apparent to me that this a new league in which more importance is placed on having a quarterback that can throw the ball and put up lots of points. The Jaguars drafted Gabbert in the first round because they thought he could be the kind of quarterback that can put up big numbers in the passing game. Without that quarterback the Jaguars will not be able to compete with the best teams in the NFL as we saw yesterday.
The Jaguars can continue to say that Gabbert is not ready to play, but after yesterday it would be hard for them to continue to tell fans that he isn’t the quarterback that gives the team the best chance to win on Sunday. Sure it is not always going to be pretty with a rookie quarterback, but at least with Gabbert the Jaguars will be building towards their future. The experience Gabbert would gain from playing this year would be extremely valuable in his development as an NFL quarterback.
With all of that being said I still think Del Rio is going to ride his gamble on McCown to the end. The kind of stubbornness to admit mistakes that Del Rio has displayed in the past is going to ultimately show itself again.
Del Rio placed his future in the hands of McCown when he cut Garrard five days before the start of the season and as long as Del Rio is coach Jaguars fans are going to have to live with that decision.
Buy Jacksonville Jaguars Tickets | Buy Jacksonville Jaguars Apparel
