Quote:You know, he's going to continue saying the same thing week after week until this season is done.  He's not going to throw his QB under the bus, so I'm not sure what people are expecting here. 

 

There were a couple of throws, including the first interception and the first pass he threw yesterday that were big time plays.  One went well, and the other took the entire passing game off the tracks when Shorts didn't catch the pass. 

 

The first completion he had was thrown into a super tight window, and he showed absolutely no hesitation in making the play.  The pass that Shorts handed to the Colts was another well delivered pass that was in tight coverage, and it ended up being picked off.  I think that rattled him when his most reliable target proved to be anything but yesterday.  If you're a QB, and your best option at receiver isn't making the plays, it's human nature to be reluctant to lose some trust in that guy.  Good QBs let it go and keep feeding the ball to that receiver knowing whatever it is will get worked out eventually. Gabbert's not a good QB.  We used to see Garrard and even Mark Brunell do the same things. They'd throw it to a receiver, and if he screwed up, that was it for the day.  Back to Jimmy and Keenan.  Right now, Gabbert doesn't have a Jimmy or a Keenan.  Hopefully with Blackmon back on the field, it will help him to gain some confidence.  But, at this point in his career, that seems completely unlikely. 

 

The real problem with Gabbert isn't mechanics, or even his smarts.  It's what happens to him once he's been rattled.  He doesn't recover.  You start to see him feeling pressure that isn't quite there yet, so instead of stepping up in the pocket, he's forcing a throw or running from this pressure he senses.  To be fair, Fisch should be designing more plays to allow him to roll out and throw the ball because he's actually not bad on the run if he can find an open target.  The problem is, nobody is getting open.  When he is forced to roll out, none of his receivers are recognizing this and trying to break off their routes to help their QB.

 

No matter how you look at it, Gabbert is dead man walking.  You'd think he'd recognize this and say to heck with it, and cut loose out there.  Right now, he's auditioning for his next team.  Forget about worrying about making mistakes, and just fling it around.   It really can't get much worse than what we've seen to date.