Jim Kelly says Bills fans should take it easy on EJ Manuel

It's not easy being a rookie quarterback in the NFL. Especially when you're a high draft pick and have so many expectations placed upon you by fans that are hungry to see a struggling franchise have some success.

Buffalo Bills fans are probably spoiled by the run of success the team had in the early 90's when Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly commandeered the Bills' high octane offense and led them to four straight Super Bowls. Bills fans have been longing for the glory years for quite a while now.

When the Bills took quarterback EJ Manuel with the 16th pick in the 2013 NFL Draft, there were whispers about Buffalo taking a risk by making Manuel the draft's first quarterback to come off the board. At 6-4 and 237 pounds and possessing a strong arm with mobility, the Bills figured Manuel was too good to pass up.

Bills coach Doug Marrone named Manuel his starter and hitched the Bills future to his first round quarterback. A few fluky knee injuries has taken Manuel away from the field and now Bills fans are already growing impatient with the rookie. Manuel has shown flashes of being the man to lead the Bills but he does  make a few head scratching mistakes.

In a phone interview, Kelly said that bills fans shouldn't rush to judgement on Manuel and that injuries have hurt his development.

 "There are so many things a young quarterback has to learn, and there's only one way to do it -- by being out there," Kelly said. "You can't learn by standing on the sidelines and just staring."

“You know what? Training camp for a rookie quarterback is so, so essential,” Kelly said. “It’s where they learn. It’s where they can make their mistakes. It’s where they really get to know their receivers, their running backs, and their system. He missed half of that.


“The mental approach at quarterback is so key. And for a young guy coming in trying to master a playbook that’s five times thicker than a college playbook, and the defences with all the ways they disguise — it’s a tough transition even if he never gets hurt.”

Manuel missed the last half of training camp in August after suffering an injury to his left knee which was revealed to be a meniscus tear. Manuel had corrective surgery on the knee.

Manuel later sprained the lateral collateral ligament in his right knee. He missed four games. The Bills were 2-2 at that point in the season. This past Sunday he sprained his knee in a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars but completed the game.

“I definitely think EJ is doing a good job,” Kelly said. “There are times, yeah, where you think, ‘What’s he doing?’ or ‘That mistake shouldn’t happen.’ But I think he’ll get better, and when he gets another year under his belt, he’ll be all right.”

Manuel didn't have the luxury of sitting behind an established veteran and learning the system like an Aaron Rodgers or Philip Rivers. He was brought in to be a savior.

"The quarterback gets too much of the blame and too much of the praise. I know that's an old cliche, but that's just the way it is now -- moreso even than it was 20 years ago."

Whether Manuel likes it or not, the fans want him to perform and will call for his head when he doesn't. it may not be fair, but that's the nature of the business.

Jaguars, Jones-Drew marriage could go on after this season

One would have to think that Jacksonville Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew, would be on the first plane out of Jacksonville when his contract expires after this season and sign with a contender.

A lot of us would be wrong on thinking Jones-Drew wants out. It's quite the contrary. There is talk that the Jaguars are willing to give Jones-Drew another contract. At the right price.

General manager David Caldwell would like him to come back and head coach Gus Bradley would also like him in the locker room. Jones-Drew, who many thought would be cool to the idea, actually buys in to the direction of the franchise.

"I want to be here," Jones-Drew said. "It's a fun environment. It's different than I've ever been a part of. It works. It takes time to build anything. It's starting to turn around for us, and we're starting to play well. That's exciting."  

"Seeing what I've seen and been through the business part of it, you want to work that thing out as best as possible," Jones-Drew said. "But sometimes it doesn't do that. We've seen it. Look at Peyton Manning. Who would have thought he wouldn't be playing for the Colts right now.


"It happens. Hopefully, things work out well. And if they do, we'll be back."

There is talk of the team offering Jones-Drew an incentive laden two year deal worth $10 million.

Bradley gives a lot of credit to Jones-Drew for being a professional, when he could have been a headache. Being an elite running back having to share carries with the likes of Jordan Todman, playing through injuries, and being in a rebuilding situation can make one a malcontent. Not so says Bradley.

''He's been great, he really has been,'' Bradley said. ''When you're an elite running back - he had like 1,600 yards - those guys want the ball all the time. It's a different mindset now. When you say, 'Let's try this,' he could bow up. He could say, 'What's going on?'

''And if he did do that, I would understand. He fought it a little bit, then he said 'OK.' I'm sure he's not waving pompoms and is ecstatic over it. But the truth of the matter is he's doing better.''   

I guess Jones- Drew likes where he is and that's a good thing. He understands the nature of the business and wants to be part of the change in Jacksonville.

Jaguars list Denard Robinson as an 'offensive weapon'

Denard Robinson left the University of Michigan being known as one of the most electrifying players to play college football.

For all the memorable plays he made at Michigan, everyone knew he wouldn't be playing quarterback on Sundays. The question was always what position would he be the best fit?

The Jacksonville Jaguars drafted Robinson in the fifth round of last April's NFL draft and haven't tried figuring out a defined position for Robinson. The Jaguars have listed the EA Sports coverboy as an 'OW' on their website. For those who didn't know, that stands for 'offensive weapon'.

Robinson has done a little bit of everything since during off-season workouts and is expected to get training camp work at running back, receiver, quarterback and kick returner.

Even though it will be a lot for Robinson to digest,  I think with his demeanor and work ethic he can be a success at anywhere other than quarterback.

Petition wants President Obama to force Jaguars to sign Tim Tebow

Out of all the things a President has to worry about I'm sure making a NFL team sign a particular player is at the top of the list.

Jacksonville Jaguars general manager David Caldwell has no interest in signing New York Jets castoff Tim Tebow.  Since Caldwell won't sign him a Jaguars fan has taken matters into his/her own hands by petitioning President Barack Obama to force the Jaguars to sign Tebow.


As of April 30, there's an official petition on the White House's 'We the People' website asking President Obama to call Caldwell and tell him to sign Tebow.

Here's the full petition:

Jacksonville Jaguars fans want the team to sign recently released QB Tim Tebow. However, rookie general manager for the Jacksonville Jaguars David Caldwell is blocking this from happening. If the Jaguars sign & START Tebow, home games will be sold out, sales will spike, the team will win and the fans will be happy.Mr. Caldwell is ignoring lots of facts about the misunderstood Tim Tebow while in Denver: Passer rating of 125.6 is highest ever in Broncos postseason history. Most yards per completion (31.6) in NFL playoff history.100.5 QB rating is best ever for a Broncos QB in his first start.Third most passing yards in a game by a Bronco rookie QB. (308, in his 2nd start), First 15+ point comeback in the final 3 minutes of an NFL game since the merger,7 game winning drives in just 16 games!

The prez has more important matters on his plate than forcing the Jags to sign Tebow. I'm sure this petition will not get enough signatures.

Maurice Jones-Drew doesn't like the criticism of Blaine Gabbert

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blaine Gabbert hasn't had too much success at the NFL level. You can say he's had too many coordinators (three since he's came in the league) or he just doesn't have it. The new coaching staff doesn't seem too hot on him either as head coach Gus Bradley has declared it an open competition.

Recently a report surfaced saying that a former Jaguars assistant had some rather unkind words about Gabbert. The unnamed assistant said that Gabbert "thinks nothing is ever his fault" and they referred to him as "Blame Gabbert".

Fair or unfair, Gabbert's backfield mate Maurice Jones-Drew took umbrage with what the former assistant had to say about Gabbert.


“For that coach to come out and say that, that’s not what a man should do,” Jones-Drew said. “You have a problem, tell it to his face. You don’t air somebody out after you’re gone. That happens too much in this league.

“It just [ticks] me off that people talk about the guy like that. I get upset about it because people think it’s easy to learn [a new playbook], let alone learn what everybody is doing around you."

What the former assistant said might be true, he should've put his name to it. There are always unnamed sources putting their problems out there for all to know. Jones-Drew is correct, say it to his face if you have a problem. At least say it when you're going out the door.

“I’m not making excuses for Blaine — he’s made mistakes of his own that for us to go places, he has to correct,” he said. “But we all make mistakes, and I feel like we haven’t supported him enough.”

“How do you expect a guy to play?” Jones-Drew said. “I don’t understand how a guy can perform at a consistent level when there’s no consistency in his [professional] life.”

Once again I believe Jones-Drew is dead on. You can't develop any consistency when you keep changing the playbook and changing coaches. Gabbert hasn't had the best success but he hasn't been put in a position to succeed. Gabbert hasn't done well on the field but the Jags haven't done any favors for Gabbert.

NFL easing up on blackouts

Good news for Jacksonville Jaguars fans that can't watch the games on television since they had a hard time selling out.

According to a report at USAToday.com, the NFL will be relaxing the blackout rules. The league will no longer require that home games are sold out to be televised on local television. I don't care what the suits say, this idea makes perfect sense.

This season, games can be televised locally even when just 85% of tickets are sold. The Wall Street Journal reports that teams will be able to set their own "seat-sales benchmark" -- as long as its at least 85% of total capacity -- and when that benchmark is met games can be televised. "To discourage teams from setting easy benchmarks," says WSJ, "teams will be forced to share more of the (ticket) revenue when they exceed it."   

The relaxed blackout rules also make it easier for fans to view the games at home since a majority of hardcore NFL fans can't afford the tickets to go to a game in today's economy.

Justin Blackmon arrested on aggravated DUI charge

Jacksonville Jaguars rookie and former Oklahoma State standout, Justin Blackmon, was arrested on a complaint of aggravated DUI early Sunday in Stillwater, according to the Payne County Jail.

Blackmon was booked into jail about 10 a.m. The details are scarce right now.

According to Oklahoma law, an aggravated DUI is when one's blood alcohol content is .15 or greater. This is Blackmon's second alcohol related arrest in three years. He was nailed in Carrollton,Texas after attending a Monday night game in Dallas in October 2010.

Blackmon has yet to sign a contract with the Jaguars as negotiations have started two weeks ago.

That explains why he was hanging out in Stillwater.  

David Garrard has interest in the Detroit Lions

Last season was pretty rough for former Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback David Garrard. Garrard was released from Jacksonville to make room for then rookie Blaine Gabbert close to the end of training camp. After that Garrard elected to have back surgery. Garrard still had teams making offers for his services including the Oakland Raiders, even though he elected to take the season off.

After a year off Garrard has put the surgery behind him and his agent says that he has been medically cleared to play. Garrard has planned to visit some NFL teams and with the way quarterbacking is these days he shouldn't have a hard time finding a job. One of the teams he has interest in is the Detroit Lions.

"If the Lions are interested in David's services, we will listen," said Al Irby, Garrard's agent. "Because of the chain reaction Peyton (Manning) will cause, teams that inquired about David before, may change their mind when certain quarterbacks become available. It is my opinion that David is the next-best quarterback now on the market. Once Peyton makes a decision, based on recent activity, David will be a hot quarterback.


"David informed me not to turn down any team's inquiry. He wants to examine every situation. He is open to compete for a starting job, assume the starting job, or backup the current starter. He believes that the best player will ultimately play. He is very confident in his ability to do any job for the right team. All he wants is a chance to win." 


With the Lions potentially losing backups Shaun Hill and Drew Stanton in free agency, the Lions could be an intriguing option, for the right price.

Garrard has 76 career starts in 86 games since 2002. He led Jacksonville to the playoffs in 2007 and was a Pro Bowl selection in 2010. 


Garrard should be one of the top backup options in free agency. If he's willing to sign for the right price he could be worth a flier. If the Lions lose Hill and Stanton to free agency quarterback would become another priority for the team in the draft and free agency.

Fred Taylor Gives Jack Del Rio A Bus Job

Talk about kicking a person when they're down. Jack Del Rio was fired by the Jacksonville Jaguars and it didn't take long for people to start piling on. Former Jaguar running back Fred Taylor threw Del Rio under the bus and put it in reverse for good measure.

In an interview with Eric Adelson, Taylor explained the differences between playing for Super Bowl winning coaches Tom Coughlin and Bill Belichick and playing for Del Rio. In the end, Taylor says Del Rio simply wasn't a good coach.

"With Coughlin, if you came in, if you overstep, you're screwed," says Taylor, who played for Coughlin in Jacksonville from his rookie year in 1998 until the coach was let go in 2002. "With Jack, you never knew what you were getting. You don’t know if you’ll get a hard-ass one day, a buddy-buddy one day. You never really knew."


Everyone knows about Coughlin's hardcore ways and he was dead on with that assessment. I don't know much about Del Rio but Taylor was there and played for both so he should be an authority abot the differences between the two.

Asked if he felt Del Rio played favorites, Taylor doesn't hesitate.



"[Expletive] yeah. Hell yeah," he says. "Why do you think I'm not there? There wasn't any falloff in my production. I expressed my willingness to take a paycut. I just wanted to be there and be a part of the community. I wanted to finish my career there. Just because we had this new running back. All we had to do was switch roles. 'Fred, Maurice [Jones-Drew] is going to be the starter.' Fine, no problem. I wasn't a virus in the locker room. I worked my ass off -- everything."

Sounds exactly like the way he handled his quarterback situations. From the releases of Byron Leftwich and David Garrard and the current handling of rookie Blaine Gabbert. Ironically, Taylor has some words about that also.

"Pulling that trigger was a bit premature," Taylor says. "If you make that decision, make it a month out. Quite honestly, that kind of thing can ruin careers." When talking about Garrard's release. I also think if he was going to cut Garrard, do it at the start of training camp, not right before the season.

The handling of Gabbert was also a topic. Gabbert was pulled from a game in favor of Luke McCown.

"You're 3-8," says Taylor. "Take him out and that is going to establish the season?"

All in all Taylor wasn't pleased with Del Rio's shortcomings on the offensive side of the ball. Trust me, most of the time the offense was offensive.

"At the end of the day, [Del Rio]'s not a head coach," Taylor says. "He's a great defensive coach. But he's not a head coach."

Well Del Rio's not a head coach, because he's unemployed. Personally he overacheived some of the time, but when the Jags had expectations they came up short. Way to kick a man when he's out the door Fred.




   




   

Jones-Drew Won't Apologize To Jay Cutler

When Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler missed the second half of the NFC championship game due to a fringe knee injury, Jacksonville Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew led the brigade of NFL players ripping on Cutler and calling him soft, a jake, anything that you can say that can insult a player.

Today Jones-Drew says he's not backing down from anything he said about Cutler. Jones-Drew took to Twitter when he learned that Cutler was sitting out the second half with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line. I'll say this about Jones-Drew, at least he hasn't went back and said his account was hacked or he reflected upon it after x amount of time and felt he should make amends about the situation. In an interview with the NFL Network, Jones-Drew said he has no regrets.

“I don’t regret anything I do,” Jones-Drew said. “You think about everything you put out there. I’m not going to be one of those guys to say, ‘I shouldn’t have done it.’ Because I did it. I knew what I was doing when I tweeted it. I just didn’t know that many people were following me at the time.”


Asked if he had apologized to Cutler, Jones-Drew said he hasn’t seen Cutler but sees no reason that he would need to reach out.



“I haven’t gotten a chance to, but I wouldn’t apologize because I didn’t do anything wrong, I don’t think,” Jones-Drew said. “I didn’t commit a crime. I didn’t kill anyone or rape anyone or anything like that. I mean, I stated my opinion, and it seems like you get more backlash for that than committing a real crime in some sense. I feel like I didn’t do anything wrong, I just said what everybody else was thinking.”

Jones-Drew didn't do anything wrong. If he hadn't said it maybe someone else would've. I'm just glad he didn't go back on what he said and claimed it was a mistake made by someone else. Clubber Lang would be proud for being a real man in this case. The only thing I might would be disappointed with is when he said that he didn't know that many people were following him.

You're a celebrity/entertainer/athlete, you have more followers than the average person.