Jack Del Rio Fired: Why Blaine Gabbert Played Large Role in Coach's Departure

For a head coach that has been on the hot seat seemingly for the majority of his career, it might have taken a failing young quarterback to finally eliminate Jack Del Rio as the Jacksonville Jaguars head coach.

First-round pick Blaine Gabbert, who the Jaguars traded up to select with the 10th overall pick last April, has struggled mightily since taking over as Jacksonville's starting quarterback nine games ago. The numbers on the season—1,371 yards, 48.5 completion percentage, six TDs, six INTs and a 62.2 passer rating—are down right awful.

It's gotten so bad with Gabbert under center that there are some in the media who think the Jaguars might even be in the market for another young quarterback next April.

While that's an argument that the new brass will have to weigh in Jacksonville, there's no more debating Del Rio's future with the Jaguars. He's done.

But couldn't that be tied directly into the failures of Gabbert this season?

The Jacksonville Jaguars are 3-8 this season. That's a comparable record to Leslie Frazier in Minnesota and Ron Rivera in Carolina. The difference between Del Rio and those two, besides the obvious length of tenure at each job? 

The play of each team's respective rookie quarterback. 

Frazier drafted Christian Ponder two picks after the Jags took Gabbert last April, and Ponder has shown some flashes of being the franchise guy in Minnesota over the long haul. Ponder is smart, can bootleg out of the pocket and has shown the ability to fit the ball in tight pockets. 

Rivera got his hands on Auburn quarterback Cam Newton with the first overall pick, and we all know how that's turned out. Newton has already turned into a star in the NFL with his big arm and out-of-this-world athleticism.

Despite the emergence of both quarterbacks, the Vikings and Panthers have combined for all of five wins this season. The simple fact remains that coaches in the NFL are given chances to roll with young quarterbacks. 

Del Rio wasn't given that same chance partly because he's already been in Jacksonville for nine years, but also because his young signal caller wasn't showing the same promise or potential that both Ponder and Newton have shown in 2011.

Maybe if Gabbert had shown more as a rookie this season, Del Rio would have been given a longer leash. But after all the uncertainty that surrounds the Jaguars quarterback position moving forward, it was time to let go of the guy that gave the green light to drafting Gabbert in the first place.