Report: Gabbert not showing signs of improvement

Posted by Evan Silva on August 1, 2012, 9:24 AM EDT

AP

The Jacksonville Jaguars are reeling, and increasingly injured. And the new head coach has never even met the best player on the team. To be kind, the Jaguars’ season is off to a dysfunctional start.

There is a quick fix for all of this, though, and we’ve alluded to it before. And conveniently, the guy who can do it is already on the roster. Quarterback Blaine Gabbert can elevate the Jaguars’ 2012 performance if he takes a big leap in year two of his NFL career. Gabbert is the key to Jacksonville’s season.

According to ESPN.com AFC South blogger Paul Kuharsky, however, Gabbert’s practice-field performance suggests he is not ready for that sophomore leap.

Kuharsky was in attendance for Tuesday’s practice, and wrote that Gabbert “didn’t look like a guy who’s made the big jump.” While Kuharsky guessed that Gabbert’s footwork has improved, the quarterback’s lingering accuracy woes were more noticeable.

“You watch it and don’t understand how it still happens,” Kuharsky wrote. “… I didn’t come away from this morning session feeling like he was much more effective than the last time I saw him.”

Accuracy and an utter lack of pocket composure were Gabbert’s primary downfalls during one of the worst rookie seasons by a quarterback in league history. It doesn’t sound like he’s corrected the accuracy flaw. We’ll know in Week One whether he’s overcome the pocket fear.

The Jaguars face Jared Allen’s Vikings in the season opener.

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