Every article about the Jaguars and their starting offensive line these days seems to find a way to rip rookie offensive tackle Eugene Monroe. From the jaguars.com message board to the Bleacher Report the hating seems to have no end. Monroe may have had his struggles in his first two games as a Jaguar but we all must realize that he has gone up against very good opponents. This is more than I can say for last year's first overall pick and pro bowl selection, Jake Long.

Let's all take a step back for a second and revist the rookie season of Jake Long. Drafted first overall after the Dolphins' horrendous 1-15 season the previous year, the Dolphins had high hopes for Long. Their hopes were answered with results as the rookie cruised to allowing only 2.5 sacks and was elected to his first pro bowl. However, it was no secret that the Dolphins and Long had a favorable schedule in 2008, as a matter of fact, the only respectable pass rusher that Long faced all year was Mario Williams of the Houston Texans. In the game against Houston, Long was dominated by Super Mario and allowed 2.0 sacks (he would only let up 0.5 sacks to the other sub-par defensive ends he faced that season). But, at the end of the day people didn't hesitate to immediately write him off as one of the most dominant offensive tackles in the game as most people did not notice that he was not so dominant when he was faced with a challenge. The Dolphin's first game of the 2009 NFL Season was against the Atlanta Falcons and sack machine John Abraham. Chad Pennington went into the game expecting his blind side would be in good hands (as it had been most of 2009). However, to many peoples' surprise, Abraham completely dominated, as Long allowed 2.0 sacks (just like he did against Mario Williams in 2008). My point is that the rough competition and the early struggles of our own Eugene Monroe may in fact be a blessing in disguise. By going up against top of the line defensive ends in his first three games (Dwight Freeney, Darnell Dockett, and Mario Williams) Monroe will gain the experience needed to one day be a dominant offensive tackle in this league. People need to realize that his struggles will benefit him in the long run where as going up against poor competition may hurt him (as it did Jake Long). Get off his back Jaguars' fans, one day he will be great, for now we must just give him time.