Jacksonville Jaguars QB Blaine Gabbert played 2011 with toe injury, admits no excuse for poor form
Jacksonville Jaguars’ quarterback, Blaine Gabbert, confirmed that he played through the 2011-12 National Football League (NFL) regular season with a toe injury, but insisted that he is not using the injury as an excuse over his poor form, admitting that
he needs to come out with a clear improvement this season.
The injury disclosure might be a surprise for many as so far none of the team officials have thrown light on it.
Gabbert himself has not pointed out the problem ever before, especially when he was receiving all the criticism over his consistent failings on the starting line.
Even his most supportive former coach, Del Rio, did not bring the issue into the knowledge of the media or football community while the player and the coach himself had been taking battering from commentators and fans.
However, such a disclosure now does not serve any good to the player’s future cause. All the eyes are set upon him and his performance during the coming NFL season.
The player is aware of the expectations out of the second year of his professional career at Jacksonville and the new coach has already made his point clear to the player in this regard.
Gabbert said:
"My expectations are definitely higher this year. I have a full offseason ahead of me and a great coaching staff. The pieces of the puzzle are coming together."
He knows of the situation that everything at Jaguars had quite changed over the past year and a brand new team is coming out into the 2012 NFL season.
An encouraging sign for the young QB is that all of top bosses, the owner, GM and head coach has openly posed their faith and confidence into him. They called him their present and future QB, and the ball is now in his court.
Gabbert admits:
"I trust Gene Smith and Mike Mularkey's word that if they say I'm the starting quarterback, then I'm the starting quarterback. That's good enough for me. That doesn't mean that I don't have to go out there and work hard and compete every day. This business
is competitive. You have to perform on a daily basis. That's how it should be and that's how it will be.”
He must prove himself as a better player or else think of alternative options, as he has been told by the head coach during his very first meeting with the player.
Meanwhile, irrespective to the disclosure of the toe injury, which he suffered last year, the QB is said to be hundred percent in his health and fitness. He aims to remain fully fit until the end of the season, and it will be crucial to his form and output.
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