Jacksonville Jaguars: How short of a leash is Blake Bortles on?
The Jacksonville Jaguars will have to come to a decision the moment Blake Bottles has another ‘Blake Bortles moment’. You know the one I’m talking about. Hell, he just had one Saturday in practice. Bortles threw five interceptions and yet, the Jags are still hell-bent on him opening the season as their No. 1 Quarterback. The truth of the matter is– what other options do they have? Bortles is not great, he’s average to some and below average to others. What threw a monkey wrench in the way people view him was his 2015 season where he threw for 4428 yards and 35 touchdowns.
A season like that plus the fact that the Jaguars improved two games from their prior season had everyone, not only in Jacksonville believing that the Jags and Bortles were turning the corner for the better.
Bortles took off his cape and tights and turned back into Clark Kent for the 2016 season. This was to be the year where the Jags made their return to the playoffs. Instead, Bortles ruined their chances with another subpar season with totals of 3905 yards passing, 23 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. What’s perplexing is that the Jags have two of the most dynamic receivers in the NFL with Allen Hurns and Allen Robinson but if their QB cannot hit his targets then what’s the point?
There will come a time when the Jags front office will be forced to make a decision on Bortles. This decision will not come down to cutting their QB but more along the lines of benching him first. There is no way the Jags can expect to contend in the wide-open AFC South if their QB continues to throw multiple picks a game. There is really no excuses for that. Hurns and Robinson are both capable receivers who should be able to get some separation from defenders. The running game should be improved with Leonard Fournette but it still comes to down Bortles and his 59 percent completion percentage?
He just has to do better. But what if he can’t? How long does he stay in the huddle?
The Jags open the season against the Texans, Titans, Ravens, and Jets. The Texans are coming off a playoff appearance. The Titans are well improved. The Jets are in a league by themselves talent wise and the Ravens are a hard-hitting veteran bunch. But if Bortles should struggle out the gate against the Texans– how long? How long until Doug Marrone says “enough is enough”.
Mark has been covering Sports and Entertainment for the past six years. His work has been featured on Bleacher Report, ESPN, Fox Sports, Teen Vogue, and many other websites.
