For now, rookie Blaine Gabbert remains the starting quarterback for the Jacksonville Jaguars. But that doesn't mean he has a long leash.
Gabbert, the 10th overall pick in April's draft, was pulled for the second time this season during the fourth quarter of Sunday's 20-13 loss to the Houston Texans. He led the struggling Jaguars' offense to only one scoring drive -- a 21-yard field goal by Josh Scobee -- before he was benched in favor of Luke McCown.
"Blaine is our starting quarterback until I tell you otherwise," Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio told reporters after the game.
Gabbert completed 13 of 29 passes for 136 yards with an interception and was sacked six times, and Del Rio had seen enough. Gabbert was also benched during a Week 8 loss to the Texans.
"I know my position on this football team," said Gabbert. "I know what I have to do to win games, plain and simple, and I'm not doing that right now."
McCown, who was named the starter five days before the season opener and then benched after two games, played the final two series. He was 7-of-11 passing for 62 yards, leading the team to another late field goal by Scobee before his fourth-down pass with about a minute remaining fell incomplete on the team's final series.
"He showed me something that said as a veteran, he's preparing like a guy who is one play away," Del Rio said of McCown's relief appearance. "When called up, he came in and gave us a spark."
Veteran running back Maurice Jones-Drew isn't about to pin the blame on Gabbert after another lackluster offensive performance.
"A quarterback is only as good as the players around him," Jones-Drew said. "When they pull your quarterback, they are saying something about you. It's not the quarterback. We have to continue to work to get better with whoever is going to be the starter next week."
The Jaguars, at 3-7, don't have many reasons not to continue to give Gabbert experience. But that doesn't mean Del Rio has to be happy about it.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
