We’ll be seeing a whole lot of this at 4:06 P.M.
Mandatory Credit: Phil Sears-US PRESSWIRE

The Jaguars stay home this week as they square off against the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals have gone through a youth movement like the Jags, which have spear headed their offense, namely their passing attack. Second year quarterback, Andy Dalton, has done a great job coming in for Carson Palmer, with fellow draftee AJ Green. This year, he’s seeing continued with receivers Armon Binns and Andrew Hawkins, who were signed by the Jaguars and claimed off waivers respectively. The Bengals lead one of the best offenses in the game, but there defense has struggled.

The Jaguars currently have the 28th overall defense, this in part is due to injury to all levels of the defense. The Bengals currently have the 29th ranked defense due in part to injuries located mostly in their secondary. According to NFL.com The Jags are only ranked significantly better in points allowed (17th) while the Bengals rank 31st. While Andy Dalton currently has almost double the amount of yards passing as Blaine Gabbert, it seems the odds favor Gabbert to throw for more yards this Sunday.

The Bengals have been hurting all (Pre) regular season with injuries to the secondary. Defensive backs Dre Kirkpatrick, Leon Hall, Brandon Ghee, Shaun Prater, and Jason Allen have all been injured and missed time. While the Jaguars have had their share of injuries, yet they have returned. Most of these players are either on I.R. or out indefintely. Couple this information with the Bengals being 31st against the run, Maurice Jones -Drew should have a fun day at the office.

Plays like this make the NFL what it is today
Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-US PRESSWIRE

Blaine Gaberrt has been improved this season, having completed 50.6 percent of his passes for 468 yards, four touchdowns and zero interceptions. However, living off half of your passes being completed is not a way to live in the NFL. If he can draw closer to 60%, everything else should fall into place. Another slight knock on Gabbert is his yardage, but watching both his first and third games this season, (he left early game 2 against Houston because of injury). Gabbert has gone to Cecil Short III in the clutch to make the play and increase his yards total. While I would like the receivers to catch more balls, for Gabbert to be more accurate and for the offensive line to hold their blocks; it is still encouraging that the team has a player to get the go-ahead touchdown to win the game in a big way.

Last week the Jaguars ran more than they passed and it wasn’t hard to see why they wouldn’t with Jones-Drew tearing up the Colts on the group. This week I believe the Jaguars should play a classic style ball game and have Gabbert use Jones-Drew to set up the pass. Drew is the best player they have and having him draw defenders into the box will help Gabbert find more open receivers as they look to defend the run. While the Bengals nurse their injuries, Gabbert should be able take full advantage of a struggling defense.

1. Justin Blackmon sat out of the final day of the May 4-6 minicamp with a sore foot.  Coach Mike Mularkey said it wasn’t a big deal and that the team had “[seen] what we needed to see” so taking him out for the day to prevent further aggravation was fine by him.  Blackmon displayed his superb hands the first three practices by making plays on poorly thrown balls.  There haven’t been any circus catches and he is learning the playbook, but Mularkey fully expects that “He’ll get faster in everything he does.”
2. Michael Floyd has some sources exited about his play.  Some are even saying that he is expected to be the most productive receiver. Floyd would like to cut down his weight to increase his endurance and stamina in the Arizona offense.  After the mini-camp, Floyd knows he needs to get faster and quicker in order to be competitive in the NFL.
3. Kendall Wright as you all well know, is not a favorite of mine.  But despite my opposition, the Titans thought he was worthy of a first round pick.  The Titans gave Wright his first ever playbook.  Yes, you read that right.  Over the mini-camp weekend, it was revealed that Wright has never studied a playbook and instead has memorized every play through high school and college.  It may appear that this receivers brainpower is superb to go with hands that have the Titans buzzing.  After his solid mini-camp the Titans are impressed that he is learning everything about the offense.  This may be a receiver that succeeds with his brain – quite the scary thought for the Titans’ opposition.
4. Brian Quick has reportedly turned heads at the St. Louis mini-camp.  He reportedly didn’t drop a ball all day, which is really something.  The Rams think they have found the explosive player they need to pair with Sam Bradford.  Based on what I’ve been hearing out of St. Louis, I think they’re probably right.

5. 

   Stephen Hill wowed scouts at the combine with his unbelievable speed.  The Jets, of course, bit.  Hill already has his contract signed and had nothing to distract him in camp from his play.  Hill impressed the team, especially head coach Rex Ryan, with his speed and big 6’4″ frame.  Hill dropped one pass in drills – a deep ball that bounced off his finger tips.  Ryan is excited over Hill’s performance and says he will be starting this season.

6. Alshon Jeffery has ex-Vikings head coach Mike Tice pretty happy.  He beat the cornerbacks, plucking the ball above their heads during the Chicago Bears’ mini-camp.  While Jeffery left Friday with cramping, he came back to participate all through Saturday.  Some say he didn’t look entirely comfortable, though his hands still have the Bears excited.  He looks like he will be a good addition behind newly acquired WR Brandon Marshall.
7. Rueben Randle has already begun impressing the Giants with his polished play. While he had a few drops during the mini-camp he displayed great athleticism and should serve as a very good replacement for Mario Manningham (San Francisco) in the coming season.  Expect his hands to improve with time but the athleticism to remain (and cause fits for defensive coordinators).

8. 

   Mohamed Sanu didn’t separate himself from the pack during the rookie mini-camp.  He made some plays against 1st round selection, CB Dre Kirkpatrick, but hasn’t established himself as a top receiver for the Bengals…yet.  I fully expect Sanu to make the Bengals roster and prove well worth the third round pick spent on him.  Head Coach Marvin Lewis expects Sanu to come in and contribute right away.  He is everything the Bengals expected from him.  I bargain they’ll receive much more in the long run.

Keeping tabs on the top receivers in the 2012 class is crucial as we grow to (hopefully) love and appreciate Justin Blackmon.  Much like the comparisons between Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco, the receivers from 2012 will always be pegged to each other.  So far it is appearing that the players will make impacts, but who will make the most impact on their respective rosters is what matters.  It sounds like Michael Floyd will provide exactly what John Skelton/Kevin Kolb need in Arizona, currently he appears to be the measure against which all others will be weighed.

Of course, that’s if you believe everything the coaches told the press following the mini-camps…

- Luke N. Sims

Photo: Bob Rosato/SI

Well Jag fans, it looks to be an almost certainty that the Jaguars are out of the playoff race and unless Gabbert just begins to get it after the bye, they are definitely out. However, don’t look at this as a bad thing. We all knew that as soon as Garrard was cut, McCown bombed and Gabbert took the reins, that the season was in jeopardy. We knew a rookie QB was more then likely going to struggle, but little did we know how much. Now, it isn’t all his fault and I’m not the only one to think this (see: Country, Big Cat), but its obvious Gabbert and the offense need some help. So let’s stay upbeat and take a look ahead at the schedule and potential matches for the Jaguars in next years draft.  (more…)