Blaine Gabbert A 'Better Passer' Than Chad Henne, Says Jeff Lageman

Former defensive end, Jeff Lageman, played nine seasons in the NFL with his final four with the Jacksonville Jaguars before a torn muscle in his arm ultimately ended his career during the 1998 season. Shortly after his retirement from football, Lageman became the color analyst on the Jaguars Radio Network and an analyst for shows including "Jaguars This Week."

Recently Lageman attended many of the spring workouts of the Jaguars and watched the supposed "quarterback battle" between Blaine Gabbert and Chad Henne in person. A battle he says isn't very close at all:

Talkin w/Jeff Lageman-he says Blaine Gabbert is clearly a better passer than Chad Henne after the spring workouts

— Pat Kirwan (@PatKirwanCBS) July 10, 2012

The Jaguars have made it very clear since signing Chad Henne, that his role with the team is as a backup. With a top 10 draft pick invested in Gabbert, the only way the team would give up on the young quarterback after just one season, in which he was the youngest ever to start 14 games or more in, is if he was absolutely blown away by Henne in training camp.

If Lageman is to be believed, that seems to be an increasingly unlikely scenario for Henne.

For more on the Jacksonville Jaguars visit SB Nation's Jaguars blog Big Cat Country.

Blaine Gabbert Already Showing Improvement

The biggest question surrounding Jaguars fans this offseason is whether or not Blaine Gabbert can be the quarterback of the future for Jacksonville. While his rookie year was far from successful, its usually the second year where quarterbacks can be legitimately judged for what they can or cannot do.

New Jaguars head coach Mike Mularkey is already talking about how much Gabbert has improved during this offseason according to a post by ESPN's Paul Kuharsky while he was talking with Jacksonville offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski.

What we've tried to do is get him to slow his feet down just a little bit, take shorter steps and stand taller in the pocket. Those are some things we identified when we first looked at him, and he's improving on those things out there right now. You can see him carrying it into the actual plays we're running in team situations.

Footwork is something that a pocket quarterback like Gabbert can ill-afford to not improve going into the second year of his career.

For more on the Jacksonville Jaguars visit SB Nation's Jaguars blog Big Cat Country.

Mike Mularkey Says Give Blaine Gabbert A Chance

Lets call a spade a spade, Jacksonville Jaguars' quarterback Blaine Gabbert did not have a good rookie season. But in all seriousness, after original starting quarterback David Garrard was released in September and former head coach Jack Del Rio was fired in November, were comparisons to fellow rookie quarterbacks Cam Newton of the Carolina Panthers and Andy Dalton of the Cincinnati Bengals fair?

All that Jacksonville's new head coach Mike Mularkey is asking for is for fans and the media to give Gabbert a chance to show that he can play well in the NFL. During his defense of Gabbert, he stressed how important the number of repetitions a quarterback would get in camp would be.

I really don't want to talk about players on other teams. The repetitions in camp are important, every one of them is important that you get. And I don't know the amount that Blaine got compared to anyone else in this camp last year, but I'm sure it wasn't the amount he would have liked ... or the coaches would have liked.

Gabbert needs to be given a fair opportunity to show that he can play well in the NFL and this may be the first season that he can officially show that.

For more on the Jacksonville Jaguars visit SB Nation's Jaguars blog Big Cat Country.

Jaguars QB Controversy: Blaine Gabbert Not Treating It Like He's The Starter

The Jaguars spent a top-ten pick on Blaine Gabbert in the 2011 NFL Draft, and while he didn't play like that this past year, it is widely assumed that he will be the starter heading into this Season. But according to Vito Stellino of the Florida Times-Union, Gabbert is approaching this offseason as if he hasn't already been given the job. He is still going out and trying to earn his spot.

"I compete every practice," he said. "I know perfect isn’t really ever achievable, but I like to think it is. I’m plenty competitive and I get really mad at myself, just like anybody would if you expect it to be perfect. When you miss a throw, miss something easy that you know you can make, the biggest thing is you just have to bounce back."

Gabbert could be competing with Chad Henne who the Jaguars brought in as a free agent, but he wasn't that impressive when given his starting shot in Miami over the past couple of years.

Blaine Gabbert Thinks He Can Throw A Football Over Mountains

Blaine Gabbert Has To Be The Jaguars Starter

While there are some who think Chad Henne will win the Jaguars starting job, second-year quarterback Blaine Gabbert has to be the Jaguars starting quarterback to begin the 2012 NFL season.

SI's Don Banks: Blaine Gabbert Will Lose Starting Gig By Week Three Of The Preseason

Though the Jacksonville Jaguars have yet to begin training camp, the quarterback controversy has already begun. Sports Illustrated's Don Banks wrote today that former Miami Dolphins signal caller Chad Henne will take over for the Jaguars under center by week three of the preseason -- as part of his "7 strong hunches for the 2012 season." That would leave projected starter Blaine Gabbert, the team's 10th overall selection from the 2011 NFL draft, holding a clipboard.

Remember when the Jaguars were trying to decide how much they wanted to go after Tim Tebow in trade earlier this offseason, a competition they ultimately lost to the New York Jets? There were those inside the Jacksonville organization who were ambivalent about the move, believing that even with Tebow on board, Henne, the ex-Dolphins starter, would beat out both players by late August. Let's just say that sentiment hasn't changed with Henne now competing only against Gabbert.

Jacksonville head coach Mike Mularkey has, however, insisted throughout OTAs that there is no quarterback competition. Moreover, CBS Sports' football writer Pete Prisco responded via Twitter that he hasn't "heard that from anybody inside that building."

Stay tuned.

For more on the Jacksonville Jaguars visit SB Nation's Jaguars blog Big Cat Country.

Jaguars Head Coach Mike Mularkey Says There's Not A QB Competition

There was much made from the Jacksonville Jaguars signing veteran quarterback Chad Henne in the offseason, in terms of potentially challenging second-year quarterback Blaine Gabbert for his starting job. Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Mike Mularkey says there's not a competition for the starting job, however.

"No, it's not (a competition). Blaine's our starting quarterback," Mularkey told NFL Network's Albert Breer over the phone. "We feel good about him."

Mularkey also went into detail a little bit about what they're working on with Gabbert to make him a better player than he was in his rookie season. In essence, Mularkey says that the Jaguars are deconstructing Gabbert and teaching his fundamentals over again.

"I've seen improvement over the short time I've been with him, and (in the spring) you get coaching and teaching in a less stressful environment," Mularkey said. "We're working on some of the fundamentals in his drops now. Not saying that he was taught it wrong, but every coach has their beliefs. None of them are wrong, but we need to be on the same page on some of those things, and we already started working on that in April. Primarily, it's his drops and balance in the pocket."

While Mularkey says he's not saying Gabbert was taught wrong, he's essentially saying he was taught wrong as nicely as possible. It's also worth noting that drops and balance was something that Jaguars offensive coordinator Bob Bratkowski worked on with now Oakland Raiders quarterback Carson Palmer when he was a rookie with the Cincinnati Bengals.

For more on the Jacksonville Jaguars visit SB Nation's Jaguars blog Big Cat Country.