Blaine Gabbert Struggling To Make Transition To NFL Level For Jacksonville Jaguars

We've been keeping watch on a pair of former Missouri stars all season long -- Aldon Smith and Blaine Gabbert. Interestingly enough, the two could not have had more disparate stories if they wanted to.

For Smith, he's riding a wave toward Defensive Rookie of the Year consideration with his pass rushing skills for a team with the second best record in the NFL with the San Francisco 49ers. For Gabbert, the transition to the NFL has proved a difficult one and week after week, it seems the former Mizzou star QB is not making the leap necessary.

Consider this week against the Cleveland Browns on the road. Gabbert had a very winnable game here with a chance to win the game at the end after driving the length of the field. Yet given plenty of chances, he couldn't capitalize.

"Plain and simple, I have to make a play," Gabbert said after the game. "We are on the 2 yard line and I have to find a way for us to score. That’s on me. I have to learn from that and get better."

For the year, Gabbert's numbers don't look very good and are indicative of the sort of season that Jacksonville has endured. The sum total is 93 of 194 for a 47.9 completion percentage and 1,025 passing yards. He also has six touchdowns and five interceptions. While the good news is that he's limiting his mistakes, it's also unfortunate that he's nowhere nearly as accurate as he needs to be -- closer to Tim Tebow than Tom Brady.

Still the Jags clearly believe in their man and will continue to give him every chance to succeed as an NFL starter -- this year and well into the future.