(11-07-2017, 12:14 AM)MariGOATa Wrote: Hey guys. New to the board. By the way I am a Titans fan and just wanted to come here and talk some rival ball. Not here to troll either. I want to know something about Bortles;

In 2015, staticially he was one of the best, but why was the regress so bad the following year? Was 2015 a fluke? Or was it garbage possessions? Ive seen all the games in 2015 and it doesnt seem as you guys were down by a whole lot to suggest that Bortles benefitted from garbage time stats? I just want more an insight on this matter.

Welcome. 

2015 is long gone and Bortles has seemingly improved various aspects of his game since then, but I can offer a little clarity on your questions. 

There wasn't technically much actual garbage time. I counted 397 yards and 5 TDs of garbage time production. Subtracting those stats would still make him 11th in the league in both categories that year.  Not bad.

However - his stats were inflated because the team was playing from behind on the scoreboard early in many contests and they abandoned the run game. 607 pass attempts on the year for a team that claimed it wanted to "run first" is really high. 

In 2015 Blake wasn't really as good as his stats may suggest, but he did well (production-wise) with what he had to offer as a QB.  He did get quite a bit of help from his receivers at times, and his percentage would certainly have been lower without Hurns, Robinson and Lee making some tough catches on inaccurate balls as often as they did. 

His technique in 2015 was far from perfect, but he was able to find just enough consistency within his awkward footwork and motion to get to those lofty numbers on the stat sheet. Important to note that prior to the 2015 season he went out west to work with throwing coach/guru- Tom House and his camp of coaches. Prior to 2016 he did not make that trip and his technique regressed noticeably. 

In 2016 the regression in technique combined with some bad coaching and bad decision making to create a perfect storm of suckage.  In the final weeks of that season we saw glimpses of improvement under a new OC and interim head coach - with one of his west coast throwing coaches flown in for good measure. 

Bottom line - he's an imperfect thrower of the football technically that needs the right pieces around him, coaches that scheme to his strengths/away from his weaknesses, and some pressure off of his shoulders to "carry the team." 

In that environment - he continues to be inconsistent - but has shown the ability to play within himself and win.

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