Aug 10, 2012; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Justin Blackmon (14) before the start of the preseason game against the New York Giants at EverBank Field. Mandatory Credit: Melina Vastola-US PRESSWIRE

This Friday, the Jaguars have a few story lines worth watching for as they travel to New Orleans. Stories include players like Justin Blackmon as well as Blaine Gabbert, as they will both take the field together for the first time. There is also the currently developing story of how the offensive line will compensate, now that Eugene Monroe has sustained a head injury.

Justin Blackmon will take the field for about half the game. Blackmon was the 5th overall pick in the 2012 draft, who the Jaguars moved up for in order to give quarterback Blaine Gabbert a chance to succeed. Blackmon was the highest rated receiver in the draft and hard not to see why with his level of play and production in college. Since joining with the team after a ten day holdout, the team has experienced a significant upgrade at wide receiver, with DAY 15 the best for the passing attack. Blackmon has the ability to make Gabbert look great, so look for him to make some great snags as well as being the target on a few deep balls.

Gabbert was playing at a higher level in his first preseason game. While Laurent Robinson, Mike Thomas, and Cecil Shorts III can be productive, throwing to Blackmon is what the Jaguars are expecting for the many seasons to come. Last week he showed promise and this week should be better for a variety of factors. While I do believe not all players are playing at high high level to minimize injury, the Giants still bolster one of the best defenses in the league because of their pass rush and secondary. The Saints have a competitive defense, but the Giants they are not. Blackmon will also start lining up across for Robinson, which will showcase what kind of talent Gabbert truly is.

Dec 11, 2011; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars offensive tackle Eugene Monroe (75) during a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at EverBank Field. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-US PRESSWIRE

That is if the Offensive line can hold it together. On Wednesday, Eugene Monroe sustained a head injury and is uncertain to play against the Saints. That leaves only guards Eben Britton and Uche Nwaneri as the only two who haven’t missed time. Although Britton did leave camp early Tuesday due to “cramps”. Center Brad Meester is being held out of some practices to prevent injury due to his age. Right tackle was Guy Whimper’s spot last year, but was Cameron Bradfield’s spot until Monroe’s injury as he may now move to the left. Also injured are backup center John Estes, and backup guards Will Rackley and Jason Spitz. There are however new linemen in the locker room this year including UDFA Mike Brewster, Drew Nowak and Daniel Baldridge who will get more playing time due to these injuries. It will be interesting to see how the line is constructed, but more interesting to see if both Blaine Gabbert and Chad Henne can work with these loses.

- Antonio Furgiuele

Mandatory Credit: Phil Sears-US PRESSWIRE

I’ve been keeping a close eye on the Jaguars’ 2012 training camp like I never have before. All of us here at B&T have been watching this team like a hawk in recent days. Most of the stories coming out of camp are about our quarterback. The local writers mostly refer to what the coaches say about Blaine. He’s been noted as, “the most improved player on offense.” The national writers with the big time jobs…let’s just say they don’t agree.

I was reading a recent post by Mr. Sims. It’s titled Talking About an Improved Blaine Gabbert. It’s a great read and you should definitely check it out. In the article, Mr. Sims raised a good point…what is exactly going on with everyone else? I’ve done some research since, gathering information here and there and this is my point of view.

Whether it’s fair or not, the quarterback is ultimately responsible for the success of an NFL offense. Certain things, however, have to happen for a quarterback to do his job. Playing the part of Captain Obvious I will now state that in order for a quarterback to be successful he must have both reliable targets and reliable protection. Besides wouldn’t you like to read an article that’s not centered completely around Blaine Gabbert?

Alfie Crow from Big Cat Country believes that Justin Blackmon should start out in the slot. I can see his logic, but didn’t we draft him to be a “X” or “Z” receiver? I’m all about easing someone into a new offense, giving him time to learn and whatnot. Blackmon will not play this Friday, and maybe when we play the Saints in our second preseason game let him see some time in the slot…just to get him on the field.

Anything after that would seem a bit too conservative. Doing any kind of job, ANY job, don’t you need to perform the task you were hired to do? I certainly hope we didn’t trade this high up for a #3 receiver. Overall, I don’t believe Blackmon’s skill set fits the needs of a slot receiver.

There’s a lot of guarded skepticism regarding Blackmon. Many fans and some of the coaching staff seem to believe that he is going to struggle early, and that’s certainly a possibility. Eventually you have to give the man a chance to play and that’s just how it is. You can’t not play someone because you’re afraid they aren’t going to be very good. You won’t know until he sets foot on the field.

Is anyone familiar with Laurent Robinson? He was a 2007 3rd round draft choice for the Atlanta Falcons who didn’t pan out. He did some time on the Rams active roster, where he was buried underneath…well no one really. He just wasn’t very good. He went into training camp last year with the Chargers and was cut only to be picked up by the Cowboys where he had his only credible NFL season playing alongside the likes of Miles Austin, Dez Bryant, Jason Witten and Tony Romo.

Cecil Shorts has once again become a training camp hero. He was taken in the 4th round of the same draft in which Gabbert was taken. He had a strong camp last year, but once the regular season started he ended his rookie campaign with two catches for 30 yards and a touchdown. Now Mr. Alfie Crow believes we should start Shorts over a highly touted pick such as Blackmon. I understand it especially takes wide receivers time to learn the NFL game, and I hope that Shorts continues his progress. I’d just feel better about drafting a slot guy in the 4th round rather than the first.

Mike Thomas has become the training camp scapegoat. Everyone is really mad at Mike Thomas and I can understand. But Thomas is one of the only receivers in which we really know what we have. Would I ever trust starting Thomas again? No. But as a 4th receiver and punt returner? Yes.

The biggest story regarding this year’s wide outs are the drops. How can the passing game improve if your targets are consistently dropping the ball? These receivers must HOLD ON TO THE BALL unless we’re trying to make ESPN’s Not Top 10.

It’s time for the fruition of the 2009 bookend tackles, Eugene Monroe and Eben Britton. As soon  as we get ready to see 2009′s 1st and 2nd round picks lock down pass rushers, it seems one of them gets hurt and we’re forced to throw in Guy Whimper. But injuries are a part of the game and I wonder just how Cameron Bradfield is doing because judging by past seasons, he will be called into action at some point. Either way, all of our tackles better be ready and prepared. Facing a defense like the Texans twice a year will be difficult and we have to be able to protect our quarterback.

What about the interior of the line? Brad Meester is a staple along the offensive line. He’s old faithful. Another player along the line who doesn’t get enough credit in my opinion though is OG Uche Nwaneri. The 2007 5th round draft pick hasn’t been spectacular, but he’s definitely been solid. With Rackley and Spitz out, look for back up center to man the other guard position for now.

How much of MJD’s success can be attributed to the offensive line? How much of it is because of MJD? Running backs have been successful before without stellar line play. Quarterbacks, however, have not.

Regarding the O-Line, injuries have been the biggest story. The depth will be tested early, and we can only hope that the big guys have been getting stronger and conditioning and that our back ups stay ready. I will be keeping a close eye at how our second and third team linemen perform this Friday. They could be called in to play at any given moment in 2012.

In the end the success of the offense will come down to Gabbert in one way or another and that’s just how it is. That’s part of what it is to be an NFL quarterback. Just don’t forget that there are other factors at play.

-David R. Johns

So, I’m going to break down the offensive line situation as best I can.  There have been a multitude of new veterans, undrafted free agents, and drafted rookies coming into Jacksonville lately but will any of them make the team?  More importantly: will any of them make the team better?

Our Fullback is a little less underrated than others. Source: Jake Roth-US PRESSWIRE

The offensive line operates like a team all by themselves.  They must gel together to be effective.  They must trust one another, they must trust the movements of the quarterback and running back, and they must do all of this trusting while being forced out of position by opponents coming off the line and coming in from the second layer of the defense.  Just the sheer amount of work that each offensive lineman must handle is impressive.  They are easily the unsung heroes of the NFL (except maybe the fullback).

I’ve long thought the offensive line to be the key to success for NFL teams – especially the Jacksonville Jaguars.  When your offense is based on the run, it is difficult to get things done without a good offensive line.  Yes, even with the brilliance that is Maurice Jones-Drew.  The Jaguars offensive line has been labeled suspect as of late (40 sacks to Blaine Gabbert will do that), especially by Bleacherreport.  Football outsiders similarly reported concerns about the Jags offensive line.

No matter how much Blaine Gabbert grows, he won’t be able to out-grow poor blocking.

Gabbert must progress further than his final year at Missouri. The Team needs to help him develop. Source: Mark J. Rebilas-US PRESSWIRE

While some of our writers (myself included) have been criticized for our assessments of the offensive line, a lot of what we see tends to be true.  Uche Nwaneri was predicted to be a started back in 2010, Mike Brewster could (and will) make a push for the center spot when he gets a chance, and Cameron Bradfield may just make it on the roster behind Eben Britton rather than Guy Whimper (who as we know played worse than most high schoolers in 2011).

Let’s take it position by position.

• Left Tackle is pretty well shored up with Eugene Monroe starting.  He doesn’t have an injury history to worry us and has been consistent in his performance at a high level.  While I find the lack of depth a tad concerning, I know that Monroe probably isn’t going anywhere.
• Left Guard is, in my humble opinion, our weakest O-Line position.  I know and expect Will Rackley to be improving, but not having anybody of proven starting caliber is concerning to me.  He allowed a 16% of the 40 sacks on Gabbert despite being between Eugene Monroe in excellent form and a resurgent Brad Meester at center. I am excited that he’ll be back however and think he will perform far greater this coming year.  Jason Spitz could always step in if his play drops.
• Center will be intriguing either the next year or the year after.  Brad Meester lost his elite edge a few years ago and was in danger of losing his job before he jumped back into high gear.  I like him for 2012, but doubt he will be able to last much longer as the starter.  Dave likes Mike Brewster beating out perennial back up John Estes for the backup job, but I see both being carried and one cross-trained at guard before being allowed to duke it out next year.
• Right Guard is in solid hands with Uche Nwaneri starting.  I love Jason Spitz as the backup and think he could easily start if needed and do quite well in either right or left guard.  It will be curious to see if Spitz competes against Rackley for the other starting spot – the coaches may just allow it.
• Right Tackle appears to be the major problem for many people this offseason.  Eben Britton has frequently been injured and hasn’t played at the same form he was when he was drafted three years ago.  Guy Whimper played poorly last season and proved unable to properly pave the way for Maurice Jones-Drew or protect Gabbert from the defender barreling down on him.  The team appears to like Whimper and he should be back for 2012, though I’d rather have Cameron Bradfield starting if Britton gets hurt again.  Watching Whimper was too tough through 2011.

Of course, I’ve fallen into the trap of some generalities.  I think that the Jags’ line has improved since the end of the season despite not getting a lot of new blood (read: none) added.  Maybe an UDFA will sneak his way onto the squad, but I’m not certain it will be necessary.

Rackley and Mularkey aren't connected at all. He must prove that he can be trusted to start and can be trusted by the coaching staff as well as Gabbert and the line. Source: Kim Klement-US PRESSWIRE

Head Coach Mike Mularkey is not as connected to General Manager Gene Smith as ex-HC Jack Del Rio was.  Mularkey will be sure to name whichever starter he wants on game days.  I expect him to allow less room for error from Rackley and he won’t settle for poor performance at center either.  If I were Meester and Rackley, I’d redouble my efforts to make sure that I’m able to impress each day rather than relying on “potential” as a third round pick last year and the “wily vet” clout that Meester seemed to have over the past couple seasons.

The offensive line is more than just a group of guys who are bigger than most everyone.  They protect the signal caller, they protect the running back, and they make sure that they take their man out.  Watching the fights in the trenches is almost as good as any full game.  The work done in the matchups is almost immeasurable – it’s so much more than just being bigger and stronger than the other guy.

Fortunately, the Jaguars seem to have a group of guys that they like.  I’m not certain that the group will be the same as it was last year, but it will certainly be more cohesive.  And with cohesion comes success.  With everyone on the same page, the running and passing can only improve.

It’s all about trust.

- Luke N. Sims