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.)

*  * *

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”

Sunday’s match up versus the Buccaneers started off just like any other Jaguars game this season, with the team trailing 14-0. However that all changed in the second quarter. That is when it became clear that the Jaguars had one goal in mind…. Winning! Now where was that team all season?

Even with a defense struggling due to injuries, the Jaguars managed to put up 2 defensive touchdowns. The first fumble recovery returned for a touchdown helped the Jaguars to tighten in on the Bucs lead, bringing the score to 14-7.

From that play on the Jaguars dominated the field, putting up 28 points in the second quarter! Yes, you read that correctly; a team that couldn’t score more than 20 points all season, found a way to score 28 points in one quarter! You can thank the defense & of course MOJO for that!

MJD had two touchdowns in the second quarter. The second touchdown of the day by Maurice Jones Drew brought his career touchdown total to 70; that was just the number he needed to break the current franchise record set by his mentor Fred Taylor.

The crowd was just going crazy at this point in the game, “DDDRRRREEEEWWWW” could be heard throughout the stadium by fans to congratulate their star running back on his accomplishment.

Maurice Jones Drew finished the game with 27 carries for 85 yards and 6 receptions for 51 yards accompanied by four touchdowns. This brings MJD career touchdown total to 73.

Maurice Jones Drew was not the only player in it for the win on Sunday. Rookie QB Blaine Gabbert had the best game of his careers versus the Bucs. He completed 57.6% of his passes for 217 yards with 2 touchdowns. Unfortunately, he is still Blaine Gabbert & managed to throw 2 interceptions. No shocker there.

WR Jarrett Dillard proved he should see more action on the field by catching 5 passes for 45 yards. While the veteran TE Marcedes Lewis showed us a glimpse of why he received his new contract at the beginning of the season, he caught 2 passes for 77 yards.

Interim head coach, Mel Tucker deserved this win on Sunday. Many speculate if Jack Del Rio was in fact the problem after the Jaguars lost to the Chargers on MNF. However, if Sunday proved anything it was that this is a new era in Jacksonville football & Mel Tucker should be proud.

Leading a 3-9 team that fired their head coach mid-season can’t be easy, but clearly Tucker is up for the challenge.

Even with the cooler temperatures & light rain on Sunday, the true fans stayed to watch their team earn their 4th victory of the season.

All in all, Sunday was exactly the kind of game the Jaguars nation needed. It’s been a tough season but a huge victory like that is the motivation the team AND fan base were looking for.

The Jaguars continue this tough stretch of the schedule on Thursday in Atlanta versus the Falcons. This will be the third game the Jaguars have played in 11 days.