JACKSONVILLE — The Jaguars have re-signed quarterback Todd Bouman and announced that rookie Blaine Gabbert will start in place of injured starter David Garrard in New England for the preseason opener.
Garrard is still nursing a sore back, and should be ready to go for game two next week.
This is Bouman’s fourth or fifth seventh (Thanks KMD!)stint with the team. Last year, the Jaguars signed him off his tractor in Minnesota when Garrard went down and backup Luke McCown was injured. He was released, then re-signed several times throughout the season. It’s unlikely he’ll stick around longer than a week this time, considering that would leave the Jaguars with four quarterbacks on the roster (they kept two at most times last year).
Gabbert will be looking to improve on his scrimmage performance, in which he showed flashes of brilliance as well as penchant for rookie mistakes.
Expect to see Gabbert for at least the first quarter — possibly longer, as the club tries to get him up to speed with the offense.
Bouman played well (considering) in his single start last year, going 18 for 34 with 222 yards and two touchdowns (along with two interceptions) in a loss against Kansas City.
Maurice Jones-Drew and Aaron Kampman will not dress for Thursday’s game.
Why don’t the Jags just keep him on the roster? It would be cheaper than flying him back and forth every couple of months.
They could make him a QB coach…it’s not like Shula is doing that well.
Duh, brain fart. I forgot they brought in Mike Sheppard in the offseason.
I’m not sure if Bouman would go for that. He’d lose his tractor time.
It’s actually Bouman’s seventh time with the Jags. He joined the Jags to back Quinn Gray in October 2007 when Garrard went down. He was cut when Garrard came back. After a stint with the Rams, he was signed in the offseason in 2008 before camp but was one of the final preseason cuts (despite outperforming Cleo Lemon in practice). He then headed over to the Ravens only to be resigned by the Jags a third time in May 2009. Again, he was cut before the regular season. He shows up a fourth time in Jacksonville in September 2010 when Luke McCown goes out for the year. When the Jags picked up Trent Edwards on waivers from the Bills, they cut Bouman in early October 2010. Edwards and Garrard both go down later in the month and the Jags sign Bouman for the fifth time. Bouman actually plays a regular season game for the Jags against the Chiefs. When Edwards and Garrard both get healthy, they cut Bouman yet again. Garrard has a bad finger in December 2010 and so they go back to Bouman–for the sixth time. He and Edwards are both cut after the labor deal is reached–and now he is back for the seventh time.
It’s easy to make fun of Bouman–he is the ultimate journeyman QB after all. But there is a reason that the Jags have his number on speed dial and that he keeps getting tryout attempts from other teams (apparently the Ravens had an eye on Bouman when Marc Bulger retired). He is a team player and he is a very intelligent QB who knows the playbook and picks things up greatly. He is not a good QB by any means–but on six days notice (like the Jags gave him before he started against the Chiefs) there are many much worse options out there.
Well said. Personally, I think Bouman did a heck of a job in the Chiefs game last season.