Step away from the ledge.

Training camp begins next week.

The 2012 edition of the “Dead Zone” has been brutal on everyone, but with training camp on the horizon we can all actually start looking forward to football.

The national media has been a hot topic lately (especially on the O-Zone), so as a reminder to our readers, I wanted to highlight some of my favorite musings from several “experts” in the sports media world. Jaguar fans can keep all these fools in check when the team starts winning some games.

Mike Mularkey's reaction to the following quotes.

Mike Mularkey’s reaction to the following quotes.

“…The Jacksonville Jaguars. They actually don’t know who their quarterback is going to be…”

-          Andrew Siciliano, NFL Network

“Blaine Gabbert will lose his starting quarterback job to Chad Henne by Week 3 (of the preseason).”

-          Don Banks, Sports Illustrated

“[Chad Henne has a] big arm, but [is] erratic and prone to bad turnovers. And still, he could keep Gabbert on the bench.”

-          Jason Smith, NFL.com

I wanted to start off by highlighting a topic that seemingly no one has told Mike Mularkey and the Jaguars about – there’s apparently a quarterback competition in Jacksonville.

Despite explicitly coming out and saying that Blaine Gabbert is the starting quarterback, the expectation in the national media is that Mularkey will eventually bench Gabbert for Henne. Apparently Gabbert has no room to improve after a terrible rookie season. Come on, we all know every player plays their entire career at the level they played their rookie season, right?

…

“That’s it. I’m mocking the Jaguars first until further notice. Believe me when I say that the entire front office is in complete disarray. Many members of the Jaguars’ organization believe that Blaine Gabbert is a lemon.”

-          Walterfootball.com, 2013 Mock Draft (Jaguars #1 Overall Pick)

I don’t even know how to respond to this. As someone who scours the web everyday for Jaguars news/rumors, this is a surprise to me. Walter must have a pretty great source, because nobody else is reporting that there’s some schism in Jacksonville’s front office over Blaine Gabbert. He also apparently has no problem looking silly by mocking Jacksonville with the number one pick.

“The Jaguars are the definition of an unhealthy franchise.”

-          Elyssa Gutbrod

I thoroughly lambasted this article about a month ago for its numerous inaccuracies, but I felt this quote summed up the overall perception of the Jaguars in the national media. The Jaguars are an easy target. They’re going to remain an easy target until they win games.

The long road to national validation begins next week. Luckily, the Jaguars are ready – just look at all those badass “All In” promos.

Daryl Smith is a bad man. Jaguars.com

Daryl Smith is a bad man.

-Daniel Lago

Although the Jaguars only won five games last season, the argument can be made that the Jags should have won more. In close games, there is usually a turning point that swings the momentum and clinches the game for one of the teams. With that in mind, let’s delve into some of the critical moments in the Jags’ 2011 season and how they might have turned out with the 2012 team.

Week 3 – Jacksonville at Carolina

Then: Jaguars mismanage the clock at the end of the game.

Despite limiting Cam Newton to 158 yards and 53 percent passing, the Jaguars somehow relinquished their lead to the Panthers late in the game. The Jaguars still had a chance to drive down the field with a little over one minute left in the game, but the Jaguars weren’t ready to run a play quickly after the officials reviewed a short pass to Marcedes Lewis with 16 seconds left.  The Jaguars only ran one more play – an incomplete pass to Jason Hill.

Now: Jaguars give themselves a chance by intelligently handling the clock situation.

Blame for the clock gaffe can be passed around to Blaine Gabbert, Brad Meester, and especially Jack Del Rio. Blaine was in his first NFL start and Meester didn’t have much practice time to get comfortable with him. Jack Del Rio was never known for being a great game manager (“Gamblin’ Jack” isn’t the most flattering nickname).

Despite that lush head of hair, Del Rio too often looked helpless on the sideline. Matthew Emmons-US PRESSWIRE

Despite that lush head of hair, Del Rio too often looked helpless on the sideline.

Fortunately, the Jaguars now have a coaching staff with a much higher attention to detail. Mike Mularkey and company have already established a culture of effort and preparation, something that will lend itself to minimizing mistakes on gameday. Couple that with Gabbert having experience in an offense he’s more comfortable with and you can expect the Jaguars to get more than just one play off with 16 seconds left in a game in 2012.

Week 5: Cincinnati at Jacksonville

Then: Matt Turk punts the ball 22 yards to set up Cincinnati’s game-winning touchdown

The Jaguars found several ways to lose this game, but the most glaring mishap was Matt Turk punting the ball 22 yards. This came after several other terrible punts, which prompted the crowd to boo. In a very classy act, Turk proceeded to goad the crowd after being booed. The Jaguars were hanging on by a thread in that game and after going three-and-out, Turk needed to put the defense in a good position to maintain the lead. He instead gave the Bengals a short field and Andy Dalton capitalized with a touchdown pass to AJ Green.

Screw you. Fernando Medina-US PRESSWIRE

Screw you.

Now: Bryan Anger punts the ball at least 45 yards and puts the defense in a position to close the game.

If Bryan Anger ever punts the ball 22 yards it will be because he punted it with a broken leg. By all accounts, Anger has a monster leg and is consistently booming punts 50+ yards with a 5 second hangtime in practice. I don’t think we’ll be worrying about a poor, game-killing punt for a very long time in Jacksonville.

Week 11: Jacksonville at Cleveland

Then:  Jaguars can’t score with two plays at the one yard line at the end of the game.

With eight seconds left and down 14 to 10, the Jaguars had two plays to try and win the game. On the first play, Jason Hill dropped a catchable pass (Joe Haden was playing good defense on him as well). On the second play, there seemed to be a miscommunication between Mike Thomas and Gabbert as Blaine threw the ball well behind Thomas to end the game.

Let's take this moment to personally thank Jason Hill for ruining what could have been one of the greatest moments in Jaguars history. Eric P. Mull-US PRESSWIRE

Let’s take this moment to personally thank Jason Hill for ruining what could have been one of the

greatest moments in Jaguars history.

Now: A Jacksonville receiver catches the game winning touchdown.

Close inspection of Jason Hill’s drop shows that he opted to let the ball into his body instead of snatching the ball out of the air with his hands. This allowed Joe Haden to make a play and break up the completion. On the second play, it appeared that Mike Thomas didn’t know which way to go after he turned around on his route to face the QB. He was indecisive, forcing Blaine to throw it one way while Thomas went the other.

The hope is that the Jaguars revamped receiving corps will eliminate these crippling plays in 2012. Justin Blackmon is known for his strong hands and his ability to make a play on the ball. Additionally, the tutelage of new receivers coach Jerry Sullivan will hopefully prepare his position group to know what to do on every play.

In every game there are plays you can point out that significantly affected the outcome. The three I chose to highlight are specific situations from last year that the team will perform better in because of significant upgrades to personnel and coaching. If these three turning points went the other way, the Jaguars potentially end up at a respectable 8-8 and possibly better with some consistent play at the quarterback position.

-Daniel Lago

Most likely to be the funniest damn man on the planet. Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE

Most likely to be the funniest damn man on the planet.

With that said what better time to make some offseason predictions (and pay homage to a true American hero – Frank the Tank) under the veil of impromptu superlatives than the approaching post-OTAs lull. Let’s begin with a topic that has gained steam in the last few days…

Starter Most Likely to Be Cut Before the Beginning of the Season

Mike Thomas, WR

The Jack Del Rio era had two prominent pre-season roster cuts: Byron Leftwich and David Garrard. Mike Thomas isn’t the starting quarterback, but his dismissal from the roster would be rather shocking considering the extension he signed during the season in 2011. I’m also counting the slot receiver as a starter because the new offensive scheme will likely feature a lot of three-receiver sets.

There’s been some grumblings lately that Thomas has been underwhelming in OTAs and he could conceivably be buried in the depth chart behind Lee Evans and Cecil Shorts III. Additionally, if I were giving out the award for “Most Disappointing Performance in 2011,” Mike Thomas would also take home that crown. Although he was miscast as the number one receiver last year, he consistently appeared to run sloppy routes and flat-out give up on some plays. The team also turned to him later in the season to give the return game a spark and he failed to deliver. I hope I’m wrong, but there’s a good chance Thomas won’t be on the roster if he doesn’t pick up his game in training camp.

Most Likely to Make the All-Pro Team

Eugene Monroe, OT

The Jaguars had one representative on the 2011 AP All Pro team – Maurice Jones-Drew. Personally, I’m hoping Rashad Jennings can come back strong this year and spell Maurice Jones-Drew more often so both players can stay fresh for the final push in December. So who else on the Jaguars’ roster can make the leap into the national spotlight? How about Gene Smith’s first pick as GM – Eugene Monroe.

A quick perusal of the 2011 All-Pro team reveals the two tackles were Joe Thomas and Jason Peters. Thomas has been a mainstay on the team since being drafted, but Peters recently re-injured his Achilles’ tendon and likely won’t be available, let alone at full-strength this season. This opens up a spot for Monroe, who played at a Pro-Bowl level for much of 2011 after struggling during the pre-season because of his curious choice to lose too much weight in the offseason. If Monroe can take advantage of the new strength and conditioning program, he should start the 2012 season stronger than ever and turn in an All-Pro performance.

Look for this big man to have a big year. Fernando Medina-US PRESSWIRE

Look for this big man to have a big year.

Most Likely to Receive a Contract Extension Mid-Season

Derek Cox, CB

The Jaguars are scheduled to have a handful of key players reach free-agency after the 2012 season: Eben Britton, Derek Cox, Rashad Jennings, Greg Jones, Terrance Knighton, Daryl Smith, and Rashean Mathis. This award came down to Knighton, Smith, and Cox. While I think all three players will end up resigning with Jaguars, I think the team wants secure the little bit of young talent they have at the cornerback position before Cox gets a chance to test free-agency.

When he was healthy last year, Cox showed he can be a reliable shut-down corner. If Cox can begin the season with some consistency and continue to perform at a high level, I wouldn’t be surprised if Gene and company tried to negotiate an extension before the end of the season. If Knighton can begin the season at full-strength, he could also be a strong candidate for a mid-season extension.

Most Likely to Prove Everybody Wrong

Blaine Gabbert, QB

The Jaguars are being counted out by the national media and sports “experts” everywhere. Vegas thinks the Jaguars have the worst odds of winning the super bowl (100 to 1) and they recently listed the Jags’ over/under as 5.5 games, with some people already taking the under. Jacksonville is consistently ranked near the bottom 5 of most pre-season power rankings and talk of the Jaguars as a playoff team is considered a joke. With a top 6 defense and the league-leading rusher, why are the Jaguars being dismissed so unanimously? The answer is simple: Blaine Gabbert.

In a quarterback-driven league, if nobody trusts your quarterback, nobody thinks you can succeed. To this effect, people like Don Banks are already predicting that Gabbert won’t even make it out of the pre-season with the starting job.

In reality, it’s downright absurd for anyone who has been paying attention to the Jaguars’ offseason to think Blaine won’t improve to some extent. Gene Smith overhauled the coaching staff and provided expertise and wisdom geared towards improving Blaine. Gene signed two free-agent wide receivers and drafted the top receiver in the draft to improve Blaine Gabbert. What’s been the theme of the offseason? Improve Blaine Gabbert. Gabbert is an intelligent, hard-working kid who is going to learn and grow this offseason. He may not put up pro-bowl numbers, but he’s going to show a drastic improvement – enough I think to solidify his stake as the franchise quarterback.

I’ll revisit this topic after the season to see how smart or incompetent I look. Let me know if you think of anymore superlatives in the comments below.

-Daniel Lago

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