Nix among the onlookers as Gabbert shows his stuff

[dasdb888]

COLUMBIA, Mo. — Former Missouri quarterback Blaine Gabbert would not reveal the local restaurant where he dined with Buffalo Bills representatives Wednesday night, but he gave the meal his approval. “I had the filet,” he said. “It was a good steak.”On Thursday, he washed it down with an impressive showing at his Pro Day workout inside MU’s Devine Pavilion, a carefully scripted 30-minute throwing session designed to showcase Gabbert’s ability to take snaps from under center, drop back and deliver a variety of throws. Gabbert, who elected not to throw at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, worked almost exclusively out of spread shotgun formations at Missouri, where he threw for 6,779 yards and 40 touchdowns in 26 games the last two seasons. Buffalo Bills Jerseys On Thursday, though, he dropped back from under center on 60 of his 63 throws and seemed to handle the transition without a hitch. Unofficially, he completed 58 passes, though three were catchable balls dropped by his receivers. Among his few incomplete passes was a 65-yard heave that sailed over his receiver’s head. Otherwise, Gabbert was all but perfect.
“They wanted to see him under center, and they wanted to see his footwork, his arm strength, his accuracy, his deep ball,” Gabbert’s agent, Jim Steiner said. “I think he accomplished everything you can accomplish in a 60-throw workout.”All 32 NFL teams were represented among the 125 league personnel in attendance at the indoor facility, including Bills General Manager Buddy Nix, Gabbert’s dinner company Wednesday night, and team scout Matt Hand. The Bills have the third pick in next month’s draft.Six head coaches attended the workout, including four whose teams select among the first eight picks: Denver’s John Fox, Cincinnati’s Marvin Lewis, San Francisco’s Jim Harbaugh and Tennessee’s Mike Munchak. Also on hand were Minnesota’s Leslie Frazier and the New York Jets’ Rex Ryan, who was there to scout Missouri defensive end/outside linebacker Aldon Smith, another projected first-round selection.Joining the Broncos’ group was new Executive Vice President John Elway, the former quarterback, whom some have compared to Gabbert in terms of size, mobility and arm strength. NFL Jerseys Gabbert measured just under 6-foot-5 and weighed 233 pounds on Thursday.
The St. Louis native was scheduled to have dinner with the Vikings’ contingent Thursday night and a film session with the club’s reps on Friday. In the next week, he also has private workouts scheduled with two teams that could target a quarterback early in the first round,Cheap NFL Cincinnati Bengals Jerseys, Carolina (No. 1) and Arizona.“Being the No. 1 draft pick, you have to do everything perfectly,” said Gabbert, who left Missouri after his junior season, “because teams are investing the franchise in you, not only from a financial standpoint but from a wins and losses standpoint.”Gabbert said he hasn’t decided if he’ll attend the draft in New York if the league and players haven’t settled their labor issues. The NFLPA reportedly asked several of the draft’s top prospects to boycott the draft ceremony as long as the labor dispute remains unsettled. Until then, Gabbert will keep up a busy schedule of meetings with teams with hopes of maintaining his status as the draft’s most complete quarterback, which is how his agent described him Thursday.