Despite all the bellyaching and whining about him, lost in some of his struggles is the perspective on what he's doing this year in comparison to some of the other young QBs in the league. Through 8 games Bortles leads all rookie QBs with 1921 passing yards even though Carr had a two game jump on him, leads all rookie QBs in passing percentage with 63%, leads all rookie QBs in yards per attempt with 6.9, leads all rookie QBs in rushing yards with 204 and 6 yards per rushing attempt. He's having a better season statistically than Cam Newton. Even though he's struggling adjusting to the speed of NFL DBs and his footwork needs work, he's still being very productive and moving the ball with the youngest offense in the league around him. Yes, he's a work in progress and he's not perfect but give him some credit.
Once he has a better O-Line in front of him, a reliable tight end, experienced receivers, and a more consistent running game on top of him getting used to the NFL he will be very good, maybe top 10 one day. All the calls to bench him and replace him next year are ridiculous. Anyone thinking Jameis or Mariota would be doing much better than Bortles is right now on this team just don't know what they're talking about. Bortles is doing about as good as you can ask of a rookie quarterback who was supposed to sit his rookie season on a bad team. Hell, if Bortles had stayed in school he'd probably be the first QB taken in this year's draft, ahead of those two. So stop being prisoners of the moment all the time and look at the whole picture.
I agree. A lot of people are saying we need to focus on LB FS and an edge rusher but I strongly believe o line needs to be a top priority. Is it just me or does bowanko regardless of being productive seem undersized? I hope he really bulks up in the off season.
yeah he's somewhat undersized but his technique is good and he's super athletic. Once he gets a little stronger he'll be a great center. I wouldn't invest a super high pick on an offensive lineman this year but i would definitely sign a mid-tier lineman in free agency and draft one in the middle rounds for depth. I tend to agree we should go D-Lineman in the first round and MLB in the second round, and try to get Demaryius Thomas in free agency. I want to wait for Gerod Holliman to come out next year for a FS, he will be a beast and I like him more than any other safety in the upcoming draft.
Quote:yeah he's somewhat undersized but his technique is good and he's super athletic. Once he gets a little stronger he'll be a great center. I wouldn't invest a super high pick on an offensive lineman this year but i would definitely sign a mid-tier lineman in free agency and draft one in the middle rounds for depth. I tend to agree we should go D-Lineman in the first round and MLB in the second round, and try to get Demaryius Thomas in free agency. I want to wait for Gerod Holliman to come out next year for a FS, he will be a beast and I like him more than any other safety in the upcoming draft.
I'd rather have Julius Thomas but I wouldn't complain if either came
oops, i meant Julius Thomas lol. I think he's the more likely one to hit free agency anyway. WR >TE when it comes to signings.
Bowanko is 6-6, 300 pounds and athletic as hell. Not exactly undersized.
Good thread. That's some really good perspective. Especially when you consider that he is comparing favorably to Bridgewater, aka a once in a generation QB who was just as good a prospect pro as Elway, Luck and Manning.
Quote:Good thread. That's some really good perspective. Especially when you consider that he is comparing favorably to Bridgewater, aka a once in a generation QB who was just as good a prospect pro as Elway, Luck and Manning.
Teddy=GOAT, the only ones that felt that way about Teddy were BR Matt Miller and a few posters on this board. The same people on here that felt that way about Teddy said Geno Smith was also gonna be one of the greats :facepalm
Quote:oops, i meant Julius Thomas lol. I think he's the more likely one to hit free agency anyway. WR >TE when it comes to signings.
Then you'd rather have demaryius
I thought Bortles was ruined.
<span style="font-family:calibri;">***I created an account only to make this one reply to this one thread***
</span>
<span style="font-family:calibri;">I was born in Massachusetts and I am a DIEHARD Patriots fan, with all due respect, sometimes I forget you guys are a real NFL team. My family moved down to Orlando when I was in my early teens after my parents lined up a better job opportunity. We moved over to the East side of Orange County near Dean Road, right on the line of Seminole County and Oviedo.
</span>
<span style="font-family:calibri;">Now I am a little older then Blake and I have never met him personally, heck I thought Kyle Israel was going to be the best thing UCF ever had. Well we all know how that played out. Then enter the Jeff Godfrey NC State game. I was there at that game; I remember talking smack to an NC State fan at the Hess on Rouse Rd and University Bv on my way in to the game. Jeff Godfrey enters the game and almost leads us to a comeback win. That same year, Jeff leads us to our first ever bowl win vs Georgia. It was game over, in my mind I declared Jeff the best thing at UCF since Kevin Smith. Well enter ole Blake Bortles.
</span>
<span style="font-family:calibri;">I was a Jeff Godfrey loyalist, a George O’Leary hater and a Blake Bortles skeptic. Yet every single home game that I went to, I watched how this kid from Oviedo just got better and better. From one year to the next this kid just makes leaps. This kid Blake, he may look a bit overwhelmed now, he may make some really really stupid mistakes but I guarantee you, this kid is going to work his tail off. Despite my rivalry with their Wrestling team, I respect Oviedo as a working class town. Blake will get better every single year and in one year, much to my dismay, will bring a super bowl win to the city of Jacksonville.
</span>
<span style="font-family:calibri;">This kid has all my faith, if I didn’t have Tom; I would take Blake any day….. because he will be something special.
</span>
<span style="font-family:calibri;">
</span>
<span style="font-family:calibri;">***please forgive my spelling and grammar mistakes***
</span>
If he can put the INT's behind him, our O-line can protect well, he stops staring down his receivers, and our WR's start to know the routes, we'll see a much different Bortles next year.
INT's won't be hard. It'll come with time, and not staring down his receivers. Which are the major things he has to work on. It's easy to revert to bad habits though when your O-line isn't so great, and you haven't learned to trust your receivers yet.
Quote:Then you'd rather have demaryius
no, for this team i'd rather have Julius. We're set at wide receiver.
What worries me is how blake is looking worse through the last 4 weeks not in a oh god he is a bust way just a are we restricting him way
i think the steelers game really hit him hard (where he said im.killing us) he is very obviously a team player and to be making mistakes which are costing games would have affected him
i hope they can get linder healthy over the bye week so we can get the running game going again and that we dont repeat last year and let everyone have time off
I think a training camp style week of fundamentals would help blake and the defense and reinforce that dallas game wasnt good enough
Quote:<span style="font-family:calibri;">***I created an account only to make this one reply to this one thread***
</span>
<span style="font-family:calibri;">I was born in Massachusetts and I am a DIEHARD Patriots fan, with all due respect, sometimes I forget you guys are a real NFL team. My family moved down to Orlando when I was in my early teens after my parents lined up a better job opportunity. We moved over to the East side of Orange County near Dean Road, right on the line of Seminole County and Oviedo.
</span>
<span style="font-family:calibri;">Now I am a little older then Blake and I have never met him personally, heck I thought Kyle Israel was going to be the best thing UCF ever had. Well we all know how that played out. Then enter the Jeff Godfrey NC State game. I was there at that game; I remember talking smack to an NC State fan at the Hess on Rouse Rd and University Bv on my way in to the game. Jeff Godfrey enters the game and almost leads us to a comeback win. That same year, Jeff leads us to our first ever bowl win vs Georgia. It was game over, in my mind I declared Jeff the best thing at UCF since Kevin Smith. Well enter ole Blake Bortles.
</span>
<span style="font-family:calibri;">I was a Jeff Godfrey loyalist, a George O’Leary hater and a Blake Bortles skeptic. Yet every single home game that I went to, I watched how this kid from Oviedo just got better and better. From one year to the next this kid just makes leaps. This kid Blake, he may look a bit overwhelmed now, he may make some really really stupid mistakes but I guarantee you, this kid is going to work his tail off. Despite my rivalry with their Wrestling team, I respect Oviedo as a working class town. Blake will get better every single year and in one year, much to my dismay, will bring a super bowl win to the city of Jacksonville.
</span>
<span style="font-family:calibri;">This kid has all my faith, if I didn’t have Tom; I would take Blake any day….. because he will be something special.
</span>
<span style="font-family:calibri;">
</span>
<span style="font-family:calibri;">***please forgive my spelling and grammar mistakes***
</span>
Couldn't agree more. I will say that Blake got away with throwing a lot of passes into tight windows in college and is still learning the speed of NFL secondary's. But once it clicks I truly believe he will lead us to the promise land.
Quote:What worries me is how blake is looking worse through the last 4 weeks not in a oh god he is a bust way just a are we restricting him way
i think the steelers game really hit him hard (where he said im.killing us) he is very obviously a team player and to be making mistakes which are costing games would have affected him
i hope they can get linder healthy over the bye week so we can get the running game going again and that we dont repeat last year and let everyone have time off
I think a training camp style week of fundamentals would help blake and the defense and reinforce that dallas game wasnt good enough
He is not looking worse. The play call has changed and denard is playing better
Quote:He is not looking worse. The play call has changed and denard is playing better
^^ This
The "stare down" the receivers myth needs to stop. All QBs lock in at various points of the game. And honestly with the game plan to eliminate his INTs, they have removed audibles and give him one read routes as they "simplify" the plan.
Quote:^^ This
The "stare down" the receivers myth needs to stop. All QBs lock in at various points of the game. And honestly with the game plan to eliminate his INTs, they have removed audibles and give him one read routes as they "simplify" the plan.
Agreed completely. He does occasionally show a bit much to the opposing defense but this isn't uncommon for a rook. He has performed very well in most facets of the game but because he's made too many mistakes, you have people calling him a bust. That's crazy when you consider what he's been able to do with a very inexperienced offense supporting him and just learning the pro-game himself. Caldwell said when he drafted Bortles and he wasn't the most "NFL-ready" QB available and the coaching staff was ready to let him sit the whole year if necessary. I think there's a perception among a lot of fans that he's become a bit more tentative recently. That's not because he's regressing but because he and the staff are trying to reduce the turn overs (as you mentioned). Very soon, we'll all be laughing at that folks that thought he might be a bust.
Quote:^^ This
The "stare down" the receivers myth needs to stop. All QBs lock in at various points of the game. And honestly with the game plan to eliminate his INTs, they have removed audibles and give him one read routes as they "simplify" the plan.
'locking' in on receivers also makes safeties move and bite. that helps QBs look off defenders, especially when the game slows down for the young pros.
Quote:'locking' in on receivers also makes safeties move and bite. that helps QBs look off defenders, especially when the game slows down for the young pros.
Thanks for further comment on this. You are absolutely correct and this is how half time adjustments are suppose to take advantage of the safety and linebacker play. The coaching staff show see stuff on the overhead and then exploit the heck out of it after "adjustments".
When you have a young and inexperienced group of players.. you don't really progress to these adjustments. Really the whole check with me system and audibles are suppose to allow a QB to make sight reads with the receiver. We just aren't there yet with the pool of rookies and 2nd year players.
We really need our team to execute on darn special teams at a minimum at this point. When that part of the game is costing you, you see what we have.