Player Spotlight: Blake Bortles

Photo: Imagn Images

Anytime a QB has 11 touchdowns and 17 interceptions in a season you would think that it was a letdown year and one that might have turned into a disaster. For Bortles those were his numbers in his rookie season through 14 games but not all was lost as he gained a lot of experience and developed some chemistry with his young receiver core. Bortles also passed for 2,907 yards and rushed for another 419 which was a surprising number for the young QB. With a young WR core to work with, Bortles is sure to have some growing pains but now with one season under his belt it will be time for him to start making some progression and moving that TD to INT rate the other way. Bortles looked to have some chemistry with Allen Robinson in their rookie seasons last year and also had a connection with Allen Hurns. With Marqise Lee, Rashad Greene and newly added FA signing Julius Thomas in town, Bortles should have plenty to work with in the passing offense and has potential to end the season as a top 20 QB.

One of the big negatives for the Jaguars in 2014 was their lack of a running game. At the start of the season they sounded like they were confident and all in with Toby Gerhart but that quickly went downhill as Gerhart did very little with the opportunity he was given. This lack of a running game really hurt Bortles as opponents could solely zone in on stopping just the passing plays and Bortles was forced into tougher disicions down the field. With the Jaguars investing an early 2nd round pick (36th Overall) on T.J. Yeldon, they showed that they want to establish a legitimate run game to help complimate Bortles in his second season in the league. In 2014 Toby Gerhart only averaged 3.2 yards per carry (102 rushing attempts) and Denard Robinson was a little bit better with 4.3 yard per carry (135 attempts) but T.J. Yeldon has the potential to produce at an even higher yards per carry and that would force other teams to have to commit to stopping the run as well as the pass.

POSITIVES

• The Jaguars offense took a turn for the better this offseason with the free agent signing of Julius Thomas and the early draft selection of T.J. Yeldon.
• The offense should be more balanced in 2015 and the Jaguars have a better shot at establishing a run game with T.J. Yeldon which will help things open up in the passing game.
• Bortles now has 14 games of NFL experience to help build on and can hopefully get over the rookie wall and start leading the young Jaguars offense.
• Allen Robinson looks to be an emerging talent at the WR position and the combo of Bortles and Robinson will likely flurish together as they both look to gain chemistry leading into their second years in the league.
• Bortles has a big frame at 6-5 and 232 lbs and can run the ball effectively when needed as he showed that as a rookie with 56 attempts for 419 rushing yards (7.48 yards per carry).
• ADP for Bortles is very low as he is usually in the 22-28 QB range.
• No more Chad Henne looking over his shoulder this is now Bortles team and he is ready to take charge of the offense.

NEGATIVES

• Jacksonville has had a history of poor offensive production over the years and the barrier has not been broken for some time now.
• He is still very young with only 14 games played in the NFL.
• Bortles has a lack of upside in putting up big fantasy numbers. The Jaguars are likely going to keep things fairly simple to start out again in year two and with that comes a watered down offensive playbook and opportunities to score some big points.
• Coming off a rookie season where he had a TD:INT rate of 11:17 must be improved upon.
• Bortles only averaged 207 passing yards per game in 2014 and had 6 games where he threw for under 194 total yards.

FINAL THOUGHTS

For Blake Bortles to be successful this year he is going to have to learn how to take some of the pressure and heat off of himself. As a rookie last season he was almost forced into action with very little talent around him on offense and that lead him to take more chances than you would like to see from your rookie Quarterback. With Allen Robinson, Allen Hurns, Marqise Lee, Rashad Greene and newly added FA signee Julius Thomas in town, Bortles should have a nice arsenal of talent to work with in the passing game and won't be required to force the ball to one particular player. Allen Robinson looks primed to break out in year two as he has showed some big game ability as a rookie posting a 48/548/2 line in just 10 games as a rookie last season. Robinson was a favorite of Bortles last year with 8 targets averaged a game and his big measurables of 6'2", 220 lbs he makes for a great target no matter where he is on the field. Add in a new found running game with rookie T.J. Yeldon and the Jaguars passing offense will see another boost as defenses will have to give some time and attention to hopefully stopping the run as well as the pass. Although the Jaguars team as a whole is in a bit of rebuilding process, they have the make up of a team going in the right direction with a strong coach, improved defense, and rebuilt offense which is focused around Blake Bortles. 

PROJECTIONS

OTHER VIEWPOINTS

Hays Carlyon at The Florida Times Union says Blake Bortles took command of Jaguars offense during first offseason as starter.

Toughness is important, but one of many aspects to leadership.

“As a quarterback, [leadership is] part of the job title,” Bortles said. “I think continuing to grow with the guys and create relationships this offseason was big for me. Develop a system on how to do certain things, how to take care of your body, continue to watch film, how to learn and do all of that. The more time you spend with guys, the better a leader you’re going to become.”

Charlie Bernstein over at Scout says Less Bortles is More Bortles.

As a rookie in 2014, Jacksonville Jaguars then rookie quarterback Blake Bortles was asked to do entirely too much. 

During the start of Ben Roethlisberger’s brilliant career, he was little more than a game manager who showed up big when the game was on the line. Big Ben is the player that Blake Bortles is most often compared to.  

Instead of taking pressure off Bortles last season, he was basically asked to be an Aaron Rodgers type of playmaker without even mediocre weapons around him.  

Last year is in the past, and it’s now time to look at the present and there is time for a “do-over” for Blake Bortles rookie season.

Bleacher Report, NFL Analyst Rivers McCown says Blake Bortles Faces Immediate Pressure to Develop into a Franchise Quarterback.

Blake Bortles has spent his offseason tinkering with everything. His mechanics. His weight. His process. Resting his overused his arm. Pretty much anything you can think of that could lead to a different result than being, empirically, the worst quarterback in the NFL. 

For Jacksonville? They're in the same spot they were in the last time this happened, where the team was hoping Blaine Gabbert could turn it around after an abysmal rookie season. When you invest so much draft capital in a player, it's hard to admit he's not the future after just one season.

At the same time, this is a head coaching regime that desperately needs results. It's not going to be easy to sell another 4-12 record to ownership with the tagline, "Well, Bortles flopped, but we still have some interesting young players."