Gabbert & Shorts Proving To Be Clutch Combo
By Luke Sims
A win is a win, no matter how ugly. The wins in football are one of the things that make it so exciting; at any given point the offense or defense can score. The scores in football can be one yard leaps over the pile or they can be 80 yard scampers down the field between a few feet of defensive players. As good as Maurice Jones-Drew is, the Jags were forced to use the latter on Sunday.
Once again, Cecil Shorts III was the go-to man for Blaine Gabbert in the most crucial moments of the game. While the Jags didn’t win against Minnesota in week one, the pass to shorts was a “game-winning” pass that showed the clutch nature of the play for the Jags offense. They may not score a lot of points on the whole, but when it matters they get it out. Shorts and Gabbert have some kind of big-play buildup that must only affect how they play at the end (Tim Tebow anyone?). Shorts is a good receiver and Gabbert is a decent quarterback, but late in the game it is becoming obvious that something special builds up inside them.
The throw from Gabbert to Shorts in the Minnesota loss was not the thing of beauty that will make highlight reels for the next half millennia. It was, however, a throw that put the ball in a spot for only his receiver to get it and it ultimately resulted in a touchdown – which was the goal. A lot of credit should be given to Shorts for making the play on the ball.
Similarly, Shorts deserves a lot of credit for winning the game against Indianapolis. He caught a very well thrown ball over the middle and ran faster than the Flash to get into the endzone. On that play Shorts showed that when the Jags put the ball in his hands, good things can happen. It as Shorts’ only catch of the game in week three.
While Gabbert has floundered in the second and third weeks of the season, it is important to know that when the game is close we can rely on some coolness from our quarterback. He may not be Matty Ice, but the kid has game and can bring it in a big way. If there’s some faith in the players building up because of the late-game play of Shorts and Gabbert, it’s because they’ve earned it.
– Luke N. Sims
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