Quote:Are you denying that a no blitz, vanilla ran defense going against a simplified offense wouldn't make any QB with an inkling of talent look good?
So if the Lions ran a complex defense and blitzed Bortles in that preseason game 3, he'd look like the same guy we saw against Houston in Week 17?
Quote:So if the Lions ran a complex defense and blitzed Bortles in that preseason game 3, he'd look like the same guy we saw against Houston in Week 17?
Maybe or maybe not. Why are you arguing hypotheticals?
Quote:I'm not really concerned about the pounding. He's a big guy, a mobile one at that who likes to extend plays. Everyone loved the fact that Blake is big/strong and can run...comparing him to Ben R. while knocking Bridgewater's slight frame. I mentioned it then, and I'll mention it again...guys like Ben R. and Blake take a pounding. You have to live with the bad (sacks, big hits) and the good (mobility and extending plays).
Blake was sacked 55 times last season. Higher if he played the entire 16 games. But that's with him as a green rookie and a bunch of young guys around him. With experience (of himself and those around him), it should come down. But as comparison, here's Ben R's sack stats over the years: 30, 23, 46, 47, 46, 50, 32 (12 games), 40, 30 (13 games), 42, 33.
That's probably going to be pretty similar to Blake's over the course of his career. It just comes with the territory.
When mentioning the pounding, the concern on this end would be much more along the lines of how it might affect Blake Bortles from a decision making and mechanical standpoint than from a physical standpoint. I certainly agree with your opinion/ analysis of Blake Bortles being able to hold up physically more so than most QB's. Bortles passes the eye ball test immediately when you look at him, much like Ben Roethlisberger does. Yet, Roethlisberger had one substantial advantage over Bortles as a rookie: he was surrounded by a very good team.
As much as I respect Greg Olson as an Offensive Coordinator/ play caller and as a former QB Coach, Olson has his work cut out in the short term with Bortles. While Bortles seems to have a very good work ethic and intelligence level, he went through one of the most difficult situations a rookie QB has faced in a long time. It's a credit to Bortles that he finished the season.