Jacksonville Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew is doing something few in the NFL are doing -- sticking up for Blaine Gabbert.
Maurice Jones-Drew sticks up for Blaine Gabbert
Jacksonville Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew defended Blaine Gabbert, responding to an anonymous coach’s criticism of Jacksonville’s quarterback.
Mike Ehrmann
MJD responded to an anonymous former coach’s criticism of Gabbert, when the former coach referred to the former Missouri quarterback as “Blame Gabbert,” because of Gabbert’s unwillingness to hold himself accountable for poor play.
Jones-Drew would have liked if that coach told Gabbert to his face, rather than airing his dirty laundry anonymously, according to Jacksonville.com.
“For that coach to come out and say that, that’s not what a man should do,” Jones-Drew said. “You have a problem, tell it to his face. You don’t air somebody out after you’re gone. That happens too much in this league.
“It just [ticks] me off that people talk about the guy like that. I get upset about it because people think it’s easy to learn [a new playbook], let alone learn what everybody is doing around you.”
Gabbert has struggled mightily in his professional career. As a starting quarterback, Gabbert boasts an ugly 5-19 record. In his first two seasons, Gabbert completed 53.8-percent of his passes for 3,876 yards, averaging just 5.61 yards per attempt, while throwing 21 touchdowns and 17 interceptions.
Still just 23 years old, Gabbert has time on his side, as he attempts to become Jacksonville’s franchise quarterback. With Gus Bradley in place as Jacksonville’s head coach, Gabbert will have to impress his new coach sooner rather than later, since Bradley was not responsible for drafting Gabbert.
At the least, Gabbert has the support of Jacksonville’s running back, but he’ll have to show poise in the locker room and results on the football field in 2013 if he’s going to be Jacksonville’s long-term answer at quarterback.
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