One day left until the 2012 season kicks off, starting with the Jaguars first day of training camp.

FINALLY. There’s excitement in the air for NFL fans, as they know it’s only a matter of time before they can stop the pain & suffering they’ve felt since February. At this point I’m just excited that football season has finally returned.

With that being said, here are the Top 10 Things I’m Most Excited about for the 2012 season. (Please note these are in no particular order.)

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1. Blaine Gabbert

Oh poor Blaine Gabbert. It’s no secret at this point, to ANYONE, that Gabbert’s rookie season wasn’t ideal. When drafted he was under the assumption that he would have a year to learn & grow as a backup to David Garrard. However, he should know that in life nothing goes according to plan & the NFL will be no different.

The franchise made a bold decision to go with Gabbert as the starter for the 2011 season. In his debut season he threw for 2,214 yards with 12 TDs & … wait for it 11 INTs. Ouch. That left him with a 50.8% passer rating & the 32nd QB in the league.

Alright, that’s a rough way to start out your NFL career. Luckily for Gabbert, he has a year under his belt & is ready for round 2.

One of the most important factors that critics forget about Gabbert is that it wasn’t ENTIRELY his fault the first season went poorly. What do you expect? He is a ROOKIE.

That’s the point in the argument that someone jumps in & points out how well other rookie QBs did last season. Cue: “What about Cam Newton & Andy Dalton?”

What about them? So they had a successful & unbelievable rookie season. Not to mention I don’t remember seeing Steve Smith or AJ Greene running down the field in a teal uniform. There was not a single WR on the field that even compared to the WR support that Newton & Dalton had on their turf.

Let’s remember that Gabbert was dealing with Mike Sims-Walker & Jason Hill as his WRs. Which brings me to point #2.

» Continue reading “Roaring Black & Teal’s Top 10 For The 2012 Season”

After a nice long bye week, I’m just counting down the days until the Jaguars take the field again. With tough 8 games to start the season, the Jaguars will travel to Indianapolis in hopes of being just like the first 9 teams that destroyed the Colts. With Peyton Manning out due to his neck injury, the Colts are finally struggling this year and it’s the perfect time for the Jaguars to dominate a team that is usually  a tough opponent. Here are the top news stories circulating the Jags Nation.

News stories from Tania Ganguli of the Florida Times Union:

- “Drive to beat the Colts is in Jaguars LB Clint Session” – Session returns to the organization that drafted him during his rookie season.

-  Jaguars Notebook - Gene Smith discusses his picks for MVPs during the first half of the season.

- “Blaine Gabbert subpar so far among rookie QBs” – This season seems to be filled with rookie QBs taking over the starting role. How does Gabbert matchup versus the other rookie QBs this season.

- “WR Brian Robiskie eager for a chance with Jaguars” – Robiskie joined the Jaguars just before the bye week & is ready to go with the Jags on Sunday.

Sport Chat Place‘s review of Sunday’s matchup –  ”Indianapolis Colts Vs. Jacksonville Jaguars 11/13/11”

First Coast News – “Rumor of a Sale are not True” – Rumors continue to circulate that owner Wayne Weaver is selling a portion of the team. As usual, the rumors are denied.

A few posts from Bleacher Report:

- “10 Reasons the Team May Play Better in the Second Half” – Things need to change in the second half of the season for the 2-6 Jaguars.

- “GM Gene Smith Is Example of True Leadership” – After turning down a contract extension mid season, it is clear that Smith intends to stay with Jaguars & is also a great leader.

 - “5 Players to Watch in Second Half of 2011” – If things are going to turn around in Jacksonville, these are the top 5 players we need to see step it up & make an impact.

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For more news stories about the Jaguars follow me on Twitter or Facebook.

The Jaguars are officially on bye week and the players are not due back until Monday. After a rough 8 weeks this bye week could not have come at a better time. Hopefully the players will use this week to reflect, relax & prepare for the next 8 games. The players wasted no time getting out of the Jaguars facility yesterday; TE Marcedes Lewis was reported to be the first to leave as he had a cross country flight back to LA to catch. All the players seem to be utilizing their break wrTE Zach Potter tweeted a picture to Blaine Gabbert of the St. Louis arch. Even with the players gone for a mandated 4 day break, EverBank is still buzzing with news.

After 2 short weeks in Jacksonville, Mike Sims Walker has been placed on IR. This left Jaguars fans very confused since he played on Sunday & there was no indication he had been injured. MSW spent last week battling the flu & even missed practice to get a tooth pulled but still managed to play versus the Texans.  It’s still unclear exactly why he was placed on IR, but the Jags wasted no time in replacing him. In the same fashion MSW was acquired, the Jaguars managed to pick up recently cut Browns WR, Brian Robiskie. He was waived from the Browns on Tuesday & was signed by the Jaguars on Wednesday.

This was not the only news to shock the Jags Nation this week. I’m not sure what was more shocking actually; the fact that Wayne Weaver offered Gene Smith a mid season contract extension or the face that Gene Smith turned it down.

“I did not think I deserved an extension based on the conditions. Our scouts and other employees weren’t being extended. I didn’t think I deserved it,” stated General Manager Gene Smith. “However, I do appreciate that Wayne offered me one.”

Well Smith does make a good point. With the way things are going this season, Weaver shouldn’t be offering any mid season contract extensions. No one should be taking their job for granted, especially with Jack Del Rio being the only one whose contract continues after the end of the season. While it is clear there needs to be change in the Jaguars organization, it shouldn’t start with Smith. He is the one person trying to turn this team around, which is probably why Weaver extended the offer so early in the season. So does that mean Smith is holding out or possibly leaving? Absolutely not!

“I’d like to be here long-term, I’d like to finish what we started,” Smith stated during the interview. “I feel like I work for one of the best organizations. I’ve invested a good part of my life here, but I also realize transition is a way of life in the NFL.”

The Jaguars will return to the field in Week 10 when they travel to Indianapolis to face their division rivals. With the Colts currently winless, it could be just the game the Jags needed to turn around the second half of this season.