Jags vs. Texans Reactions

[Keith-N-Jax]

Offense has got to get it together. Defense is there this year. Good showing though againts the Texans, we kept it competitive.

[ben says]

Unfortunately, don't see an end in sight for the offense. CBS put up an 'info graphic' early in the game. Pretty startling information. Gabbert had no offseason. He has no veteran QB to learn from. Always looks pretty scared to step up in the pocket. First time D. Koetter has worked with a rookie QB. New WR coach. Not much of an O line to help. Wide receivers can't get open. D's pack the box against MJD. There's just SO much going against this years O...

That being said, I think Gabbert is the Jag's QB of the future. I think Lewis (Even though he's stunk lately) and MJD are league stars. And as you pointed out--our D is amazing.

[iMarvin]

I didn't get to see the game since I was in Atlanta for the weekend but I was able to keep track with the score because of an app on my phone. I was happy to see that we made some touchdowns. I just really want us to win. Offense has got to get better. I hope they take advantage of this bye week and solve this offense problem.

[stephenc]

What drives me nuts more than anything is to think if we had an average, mediocre offense we prolly be 5-3 or 4-4. This last place offense is killing us. Imagine if we had just the 20th ranked offense how good our team would be bc of our defense. MAN!!!

[Steve]

Honestly, if we had a middle of the road offense, we seriously might be leading the division. The defense is that good. With an average offense, the defense would look even better, because they wouldn't be put in the horrible spots they have been.

[Dapperdan]

Gabbart appears to be getting worse. He is afraid of being hit, and you can't coach that out of him. Dalton, Newton, and Ponder all look wonderfull. I am sorry, but I really have to question us taking him, and Gene insisting he was the Best QB available after Newton. I hope I am wrong, but this looks bad. You can't say he is showing any signs of improvement. I don't care if we are  losing as long as he shows signs of improvement. The Panthers have the same record as us, but it is clear that Newton is improving with each game and putting up big numbers.

[Keith-N-Jax]

^^ DD if you played behind that O-line you'd be afraid also. The other QBs have a better supporting cast, BG has MJD who's facing 9 in the box week in and week out.  He has no help. How many TDs have been dropped in the endzone or catchable passes???

[duvaldude08]

Our O line is making the entire team look horriable. Gabbert, MJD and the defense have NO help. Our O-line is helpless. I love our d line this year! They make me proud. But even the guys covering the game made some valid points.

- Gabbert has no help on the Offensive line
- We have a new QB coach and new WR coach
- new QB
- No off season for any of the coaches, WB, or the team to work together
- They also critized Dirk's cocaching style and stated he has NEVER COACHED A ROOKIE QB

That ladies in gentlemen is a recipe for disaster. And in regard to Carolina, they have a better O-line than we do and they have some GREAT receivers. They have a good supporting cast. If Carolina had our defense they would be undefeated right now. Whatever the case, each team has their own issues that need to be addressed.

[duvaldude08]

Gabbart appears to be getting worse. He is afraid of being hit, and you can't coach that out of him. Dalton, Newton, and Ponder all look wonderfull. I am sorry, but I really have to question us taking him, and Gene insisting he was the Best QB available after Newton. I hope I am wrong, but this looks bad. You can't say he is showing any signs of improvement. I don't care if we are  losing as long as he shows signs of improvement. The Panthers have the same record as us, but it is clear that Newton is improving with each game and putting up big numbers.

Cam would have looked just like Gabbert if we drafted him. The QB spot was just ONE of the many issues on our O-line. We have no supporting cast for any QB. Del Rio has made this team one dimensional and its gonna take more than a draft or two to fix it.

[I-10east]

Our WR's are the weakest link on the team IMO. There were times yesterday when our O-Line were looking like a pro bowl line with Gabbert having plenty of time to throw the ball; Only one problem, our WR's suck, and they can't get open to save their lives. Gabbert was a lil' inaccurate at times, but he's a rookie, and that's to be expected with an inconsistent O Line. Lets check out the NFL's other rookie QB's WR's and compare to the Jags....

Does these rookie QB's have better WR's than Blaine Gabbert has to work with?

Christian Ponder. Yes.
Tim Tebow. Yes.
Andy Dalton. Considerably better WR's, and Gabbert still almost won vs. the Bengals.
Cam Newton. None of the Jags WR's can sniff S. Smith's jockstrap; Gabbert still had a chance to win vs. the Panthers.



   

[Non-RedNeck Westsider]

(Whenever you start off by typing, "I'm not trying to make any excuses here...."  you're really trying to make an excuse, so.....)

I'm not trying to make any excuses for our offense, but I'm noticing a lot of things that aren't directly related to Gabbert that really concern me.  One of the major things are inconsistency of the O-Line.  We might have a better chance if we lined up the D-Line (yeah, the 175lbs of drum-beating mayhem) to protect Gabbert - at least these guys have practiced together for the entire season. 

Injuries are really hurting us on the offense.  Our top draft picks are not even on the field and their replacements are moving in and out.  You do realize that the line makes a bunch of pre-snap adjustments, right?  Well, if the RG misses his, then there's going to be someone in the backfield  - and that's what I see happening.  Sometimes the guys just get beat, but more often than not, I see them beating themselves.  3 times I saw Whimper block the end inside intentionally.  Twice we ran a counter play right into the end and once was a 3-step drop that almost got Gabbet killed.  When you block your assignment INTO the play, I fall back on, "Look chief, you're not helpin' us.  And if you're not helpin' us, I guess you're hurtin' us.  We don't need anymore hurt!"  I won't even mention the times that our guards missed a man because they double-teamed a guy to the left or right.

Dropped passes are really starting to become a problem.  I get that Gabbert wasn't on point with all of his throws, but c'mon guys, if it hits you in the hands, you've gotta make the catch.  I was yelling at the screen early and often, and when I heard the announcers blast Gabbert for only being 2-7 early on, I had to point out to my audience, my son & 2 dogs, that he would have been 5-7 if the recievers could catch.  Marcedes Lewis - that was in your hands, wtf is your problem?  Mike Thomas, it was behind your head, but you had 2 hands on it - help your QB out.  MSW, way to NOT make a play on the ball.  If you had actually ran the hook route, you know, run fast, stop on a dime and cut back, instead of jog quickly, turn around awkwardly and let the DB come over your back to make a play on a ball that you should have caught. 

Our defense played well for 2 1/2 quarters, but....  I don't know if it was because it was a short week or if they were just tired from being on the field all day, but by the end of the game they were getting gashed by Foster.  Rashean Mathis can't run with Jacoby, although he handled Walter fairly well.  We were also helped out by 6-7 Schaub overthrows on plays where we were beaten.  I love the defensive rugby line we had on the fumble recovery.  The Axemen would have been proud.

All in all, it's about what I expected, but I really have to agree that Gabbert seems to be regressing - he still throws a good ball, but when things break down (and they're breaking down quickly) he needs to diagnose the scenario better.  I think the announces said that he needs to use his checkdowns more, but I haven't seen it.  IMO, we need to keep him under center and run more slants and outs.  He can make those throws, they're quick outs so he shouldn't get hit as much and mix in the playaction for the deep ball.  Let Thomas use his 4.4 speed and get down the sideline.

One more note:  What in the hell is wrong with Deji Karim?  I've mentioned this in other posts, but he is still tiptoeing, both on kickoffs and on running plays.  There is no explosiveness!  While you're watching replays, keep an eye on his feet - he's shuffling around in the backfield and not committing, and by then, he has hands on him so he just kind of falls down.  It's not the one-cut and go that we saw last year.

[downtownjag]

A big problem with the offense is that they are totally uninspired.  The defense, while a better unit, plays with passion.  There is none of that on the offensive side of the ball.  That falls on Koetter and Del Rio.  Yeah, the o-line has problems, but every team has their problems.

I'm sick of Koetter treating Gabbert like a baby, all the other rookies are being thrown into full playbooks, and they are being asked to perform.  I firmly believe Gabbert could do the same, but if you treat him like a child, don't get mad if he doesn't feel more pressure to step up.  It's the mentality of the coaches.  And I don't mean that Gabbert doesn't expect more of himself, but if he keeps getting this pass & treatment by the coaches, it's just natural to progress slower.

One of the announcers quoted Koetter in regards to having a rookie quarterback something to the effect of "its our job not to lose the game." The hell with that, throw that man out there and push him to succeed and catch up to the speed of the game faster.

Cam, Andy, & Christian are all doing it, and Blaine can too.

[duvaldude08]

A big problem with the offense is that they are totally uninspired.  The defense, while a better unit, plays with passion.  There is none of that on the offensive side of the ball.  That falls on Koetter and Del Rio.  Yeah, the o-line has problems, but every team has their problems.

I'm sick of Koetter treating Gabbert like a baby, all the other rookies are being thrown into full playbooks, and they are being asked to perform.  I firmly believe Gabbert could do the same, but if you treat him like a child, don't get mad if he doesn't feel more pressure to step up.  It's the mentality of the coaches.  And I don't mean that Gabbert doesn't expect more of himself, but if he keeps getting this pass & treatment by the coaches, it's just natural to progress slower.

One of the announcers quoted Koetter in regards to having a rookie quarterback something to the effect of "its our job not to lose the game." The hell with that, throw that man out there and push him to succeed and catch up to the speed of the game faster.

Cam, Andy, & Christian are all doing it, and Blaine can too.

I agree. Coaching is a huge issue. When they mentioned that Dirk has NEVER coached a Rookie QB, its obvious. They even stated he should have been on the sideline and NOT up in the booth. He should have been down there coaching Blaine and letting him know why he was calling certain plays, etc etc. Our coaching staff is horriable. And our poor defense was exhausted by the end of the game. I dont talk down on them at all because they are the only unit producing this season. If it wasnt for them, the score would have been 24-0. Del Rio has made this team one dimensional. Run run run run...and when it doesnt work, keep running. Our O-line was crappy before Gabbert got here, so I kinda wish people would lay off him. He was drafted into this hot mess.

[Non-RedNeck Westsider]

Guys, Dirk is the OC, not the QB coach.

If you want to place blame with the playcalling, the he's your guy.  If you want to blame someone for not coaching up Gabbert....

Mike Sheppard was named quarterbacks coach for the Jaguars on February 14, 2011. Sheppard has 36 years of coaching experience including 17 in the NFL and 19 at the collegiate level. His resume includes two head coaching positions in college (Long Beach State and New Mexico), as well as NFL offensive coordinator duties at San Diego (1997-98), Buffalo (2001) and New Orleans (2005).

Previously Sheppard served four seasons (2007-10) as wide receivers coach with the Cincinnati Bengals. In 2009 he oversaw the return to Pro Bowl form of Chad Ochocinco, the Bengals’ all-time receiving leader. Ochocinco led the team in receptions (72), receiving yards (1,047) and touchdowns (nine) and he made his sixth career appearance in the Pro Bowl.

Sheppard spent four seasons (2002-05) with the New Orleans Saints before joining the Bengals. As quarterbacks coach his first three years with the Saints, he worked to develop Aaron Brooks, who threw for 72 touchdowns and only 39 interceptions during those three seasons. Sheppard was promoted to offensive coordinator for 2005, the last season for head coach Jim Haslett.

After entering the NFL in 1993 as tight ends coach with the Cleveland Browns, Sheppard was Browns wide receivers coach in 1994-95. He spent the 1996 season as wide receivers coach with Baltimore where he had his first NFL experience as a play-caller, as he was given the duty by head coach Ted Marchibroda, and the Ravens offense finished third in the NFL in net yards as well as second in passing yards.

Sheppard has also spent time as offensive coordinator for San Diego (1997-98), quarterbacks coach for Seattle (1999-2000) and offensive coordinator for Buffalo (2001).

A native of Tulsa, Okla., Sheppard played wide receiver at Cal Lutheran (1969-72), and he began his coaching career at Cal Lutheran in 1974. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Cal Lutheran and a master’s degree from Brigham Young.

Sheppard was born Oct. 29, 1951. He and his wife, Cathie, have four children â€" Chrissi, Brian, Shelby and Macall â€" and two grandchildren, Christian and Samantha.

COACHING BACKGROUND

California Lutheran 1974-76, Brigham Young 1977-78, U.S. International 1979, Idaho State 1980-81, Long Beach State 1982, Kansas 1983, Long Beach State (head coach) 1984-86, New Mexico (head coach) 1987-91, California 1992, Cleveland Browns 1993-95, Baltimore Ravens 1996, San Diego Chargers 1997-98, Seattle Seahawks 1999-2000, Buffalo Bills 2001, New Orleans Saints 2002-05, Cincinnati Bengals 2007-10, Jacksonville Jaguars 2011.[/quote}

[I-10east]

Remember, the Vikes, and Panthers both have considerably better WR's than the Jags and all three team's records are just 2-6. So it's not like Gabbert is being left behind in the dust or something. Andy Dalton is the only winning rookie QB.