Time for Gabbert era in Jacksonville is now

Published: September 19th, 2011 | Tags: Blaine Gabbert, Around the League, Jacksonville Jaguars, Luke McCown, Mike Mayock

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Rookie Blaine Gabbert very well could be the quarterback of the future, as well as the present, for the Jaguars.

As Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio decides whether to pin his coaching future on starting the Gabbert era now or stick with Luke McCown after a forgettable performance against the Jets, NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock stands very clearly on one side of that fence.

“I’m a big believer that if a rookie quarterback is tough enough mentally and physically to take something of a beating, I think he learns a lot,” Mayock said on “Around the League” Monday. “I think Gabbert is a tough enough kid that you kind of suck it up, you give him an opportunity, the Jaguars aren’t going to win a lot of games anyway and let’s let this kid get an opportunity now. Then next year he comes back at a completely different level.”

The switch to Gabbert seems to be more a matter of when, not if. And if McCown does get another start and continues to underperform, that transition will only be accelerated. Either way, Gabbert should be taking his lumps at some point this season as he learns on the job.

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