Something that kind of struck me earlier was a comment Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Jack Del Rio made about rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert. He said that in a "perfect world" he wouldn't have Blaine Gabbert play in 2011.
"In a perfect world, I'd like to see him not have to play this year in terms of having time to develop," Del Rio told Dan Pompei of the National Football Post. "That doesn't mean I would keep him on the bench if I thought he was the best option to win. Ideally he's able to get that time to develop and really learn the game at this level. I'd love to see Garrard have a nice season, lead us into a playoff position, and then see if we can get hot.
"Things don't always happen the way you have them planned though."
Here's where my knack for swatting the bees nest comes in handy: Does this mean Jack Del Rio's job for 2012 isn't in doubt?
Think about it. While, logically it makes sense for Del Rio to roll with the veteran David Garrard if he wants to make the playoffs in 2011 and "save his job"... why would he want to let a rookie sit and develop for a new head coach to jump on in 2012?
I've explained before that Del Rio could easily get a "free pass" from playing Blaine Gabbert for part of the season in 2011, but wanting to sit him for the entire 2011 season would seem like Del Rio already knows he'll be back in 2012. Earlier in the year Jaguars owner Wayne Weaver made the comment that if the Jaguars weren't in the playoffs in 2011 there would be coach changes, but that was after he was peppered with questions from reporters after a press conference in which he announced Del Rio would be back for 2011. A few months later, Weaver backed off those comments stating he'd simply like to be "competing for the playoffs".
To me, it sounds like Jack Del Rio will not be fired after the 2011 season, barring a complete utter collapse of a season... and even then it's possible it would be because you're playing a rookie quarterback.