Oh that sweet, sweet, hair...

He looks great, right? Like a real NFL QB. As my lovely fiance pointed out, he could be straight out of Friday Night Lights (and let's be honest, the Jags are definitely the East Dillon Lions of the NFL. All the way from the big cat mascot to their status of neglected runt of the NFL). I was pretty eager after last season for Gabbert to cut his hair. Despite his claims to the contrary (get to that in a moment), I thought a new, fresher look would be confidence inspiring. I have no idea how his teammates responded but I was pretty much giddy as I forced my friends to check out the new Gabba-Gabba cut.

Now, I don't expect Blaine to come right out and say he's cutting his hair cause people called him wimpy and having beautiful, golden locks only reinforces the perception he lacks toughness (For the record, in my opinion, hair length not correlated to toughness. See Clay Matthews). It wouldn't be smart to be so plain in your reasoning. That said, this quote could've used just a bit of work (via the times-union):

“I’ve had long hair for two years now; it’s comfortable...It’s just freshening up a little bit. Look a little cleaner, look well-kept. That’s about it. I’m the same Blaine. … You are who you are regardless if you have a full beard, which I can’t grow, or you have long hair."

It starts off so strong. Confident. Self-assured. And then...just an acknowledgement that you can't grow a beard, a universal sign of manliness and testosterone. Sigh. So close, Blaine, so close.

Not yet. Apprently.

The deal has hit a hang up and the Jags are back in the mix. The PFT article says the Rams are still interested but an ESPN article released a few minutes ago corrects that earlier report. It appears (just from reading the coverage) the Jaguars may be the only remaining team vying for Tebow's services. We shall see.

It wouldn't really be Tebow if there wasn't a dramatic finish.

-Q

Tebow to the Jets.

First, I was wrong (always like to lead with that). Tebow isn't coming to the Jags, at least not for a while. We also know now that the Jaguars do not think Tebow was worth the price of a fourth round draft pick and converting a 6th to a 7th. I do think it should be noted Tebow is probably in a better situation. The general speculation is that the Jets want him to run a specific "Wildcat" package. Granted, Mularkey could have put together a package similar to how he used Kordell Stewart when he was in Pittsburgh but there's no denying the primary reason for the Jaguar's interest was business-related. For the Jets, he just a football player. No franchise resting on his broad shoulders.

Best wishes to Tebow. I honestly think this will be better for his career. That said, something tells me we'll hear from him again.
-Q

Might as well get ahead of it...

I posted yesterday on the developing Tim Tebow saga and have been consuming rapid amounts of media ever since. I'll post a round up below but figured I might as well go ahead and make a prediction as well. I think the Jaguars are going to do this (trade a pick for Tebow) and honestly part of me feels they have to. Not because it's a good idea (see yesterday's post), but much in the same way John Elway threw Tebow out there hoping to end all the hoopla (Whoops), this may need to happen. I do want to make a few points...

We need to talk about Tim.

I did not foresee the downside of Peyton Manning's release. I was all "the Wicked Forehead is Dead."

If you haven't heard, Peyton Manning is preparing to sign with the Denver Broncos. Consequently, the Denver Broncos are either going to trade or release Tim Tebow. Thus, a very real downside has emerged for Jaguars fans who prefer their football team make decisions based on watching football, rather than marketing/bullshit. There's a couple lost seasons and the specter of a Gene Smith resignation looming in the air so let's work through this a bit...