Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Justin Blackmon signed his rookie contract only just recently. On Friday night he will make his NFL debut against the New Orleans Saints. The current plan is to have Blackmon play about a half of the game against the Saints.
The only thing that could derail the plans of him playing a full half is if he tires. Since he did show up late to Jaguars training camp, the possibility is there that his conditioning is not up to snuff for playing at full power for an entire half. Head coach Mike Mularkey acknowledged that his conditioning could be a problem right now.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, the topic turned to Blackmon's conditioning, with Mularkey saying although the rookie had clearly worked and studied during his holdout, like any player who missed part of training camp he was a bit behind in that area.
Regardless of this, Jaguars fans and quarterback Blaine Gabbert have to be happy to have Blackmon on the roster at last. His presence should help the team improve from having the worst pass offense in the NFL last season.
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