I'm trying to sell myself on this guy but I just cannot understand why we took him so early. I hope they can develop him but I see so many issues and very little possitives.
2015. Keep that in mind. Did you see any issues that can't be fixed with extra time/practice with skill coaches? I didn't.
I too have concerns on some of the flaws I've noticed however he does have some attributes that outweigh them I hope. Based on how confident Dave is on the pick and how great the rest of the draft was, I'm giving Bortles the benefit of the doubt until he plays at least a full season as starter.
He definitely has flaws, but he has the good flaws...the flaws that can be coached and fairly easily fixed like footwork, throwing off the back foot, and inconsistency. What he has a whole lot of is the traits you can't coach: size, athleticism, pocket movement, eye level, leadership. That's a pretty good recipe for success.
I don't know that he'll develop into the Big Ben/Andrew Luck hybrid monster that he is often compared to, but his bust potential is also pretty low as far as QBs are concerned. At worst he'll be pretty good I think.
I don't get how you can watch his game tape and me disappointed and not see positives. His pocket awareness is amazing. He climbs the pocket very well. His eyes are always down field. There's multiple plays where you can see him go through progressions. There countless times where a guy is coming at him unblocked and he stands in there takes a shot and still delivers and completes a pass. Are you really watching game tape and not seeing all this? Yes he has footwork problems and his decision making is questionable at points but like KY said they are coachable mistakes. I just don't understand how some of you guys can say you've watched his tape and don't see any of those positives.
I'm not saying hes a sure thing cuz honestly you can't say that about anyone but it's all right in the game footage. And no I'm not a homer. I've loved Bortles since before the draft. Was my favorite as soon as he decided to be the only QB to throw at the combine (Out of the top qb's anyway)
I too was watching more tape on him. Watching the Penn state game in particular, you can clearly see what made him a top 5 pick. He throws REALLY well on the move, but when he stays in the pocket and is rushed, he will stand in there and take a hit while climbing the pocket. Watching a few other videos, like the one with Mariucci and the game with Louisville, you get a sense of his football iq and intangibles. With a whole year on the bench, he's going to be ready. All the flaws you see on tape are easily fixable with coaching.
I got pretty excited for the future.
Also : Jordan palmer has been training him for the draft process, and is Bortles first real QB coach. Guessing UCF didn't have a QB coach?
Quote:Also : Jordan palmer has been training him for the draft process, and is Bortles first real QB coach. Guessing UCF didn't have a QB coach?
You sir are right. Bortles did not have a true coach at QB. Charlie Taaffe is listed as UCFs - Offensive Coordinator/QBs coach on the teams website.
Good find.
Just glad to see someone create an opinion based upon watching. The All 22 coaches tape. So much more informative.
Surely that's what the OP is saying when he refers to "tape."
I know when the bowl season was going on I sat down and watched all the film i could find on bridgewater, carr, manzeil and bortles and after having watched all of them Bortles was the one that impressed me the most. I just wish people formulated opinions like that then posted first
His biggest flaws are inconsistent ball velocity and accuracy. Could be fixed with his footwork being coached up. He does the uncoachable things well, like having pocket awareness, stepping up in the pocket, etc.
Bortles is very good when he has proper footwork. Thats a correctable issue. Like other people have mentioned he does many things well that you cant coach.
I was also surprised to see he has similar numbers to Teddy when facing pressure or blitzed. Im slowly warming up to the pick.
The only thing I've seen that I would consider a negative about Bortles is his tendency to throw off his back foot when standing in the pocket. His ability to extend the play outside the pocket and his accuracy on the run are very impressive. He is much more effective outside the pocket than in it, IMO, but his issues can be fixed pretty easily.
Suggestion, go watch Big Ben at Miami of Ohio. Same person with better character. I think he had the best ball of any QB.
It's history now. I hated the Leftwich pick and lived with it for all those years. Love this direction at QB.
What sets Bortles apart he's a winner. UCF just went 13-1 with a Fiesta Bowl win.
He didn't get the ball back down 28-25 to South Carolina who finished ranked 3rd overall. He just gets it done. Something you can't measure.
If the guy doesn't curl into the fetal position when he sees a grown man coming his way, that is a good enough start for me.
He's money on 3rd downs for the most part
I disagree. The first time I watched him play last year I thought he was as good of a prospect as Bridgewater just slightly less refined. He has more upside though as I think he's a better leader and has the build you want for a QB.
You can pick any QB prospect apart especially if you're comparing him to Luck, one of the best prospects ever(not saying you are). Fact is though he has a lot of things you want and his flaws can be coached.
The Gabbert comparisons are ridiculously lazy. They are polar opposites.
Quote:The Gabbert comparisons are ridiculously lazy. They are polar opposites.
But they are both 6'5" white QBs who came out early and unpolished. Not like there have been a million before those two, they must be similar, right?
In all seriousness though Bortles is head and shoulders above Blaine when he was drafted. Bortles is a lot more clutch in big games, has a knack for making plays on third down/in fourth qtr, and his pocket awareness and escapability are wayyyyyy better. Bortles performs better under pressure than any other QB in this class, analytics support that.
As others have said, he's the anti Blaine. Whether he becomes a Franchise guy or not is a totally different story, but I have a good amount of faith he will be productive for the Jags.
