When the Jacksonville Jaguars traded up to draft Blaine Gabbert with the 10th overall pick in the NFL Draft, it obviously signaled the end for David Garrard. But we didn’t know that the end for Garrard could come so soon. Jaguars caoch Jack Del Rio and his staff reiterated that Gabbert would be the eventual franchise QB, but will backup Garrard for now.
Fast forward to the middle of August and with Garrard recovering from a back injury and Gabbert gaining fans in Jacksonville with his strong play and poise it looks like we have a quarterback controversy on our hands here. All of a sudden, it looks like Blaine Gabbert as the Week 1 starter against the Titans isn’t such a farfetched thought. Gabbert started the first preseason game against the Patriots and looked very comfortable in the Jags huddle despite playing in a spread offense in college.
According to Jacksonville beat writer Tania Ganguli @taniaganguli, Gabbert and Garrard are now in a full-fledged competition to be the Jaguars’ starting quarterback. That means that every snap in the preseason counts. There’s nothing like a rookie bubbling with potential to straighten up the incumbent veteran quarterback.
I have a feeling that the Week 1 starter will be David Garrard simply because he gives the team the best immediate chance to win. The Jaguars have a division matchup with their bitter rivals, the Titans, in the season opener. I doubt that Gabbert will be thrown to the wolves in such an important matchup. One thing’s for sure — it’s not fun and games anymore in Jacksonville.