I've been in football scouting for several years now.  I was with Ball State during the 2012 season.  During that year we went to a bowl game in St. Petersburg and played against UCF, and Blake Bortles.  

It was during his junior year.  In prep for the game I studied every snap during that season and produced a lengthy report.  I believed he would kill us.   I saw a QB who was frequently under pressure and managed to avoid a lot of top rushers and make the best of what he had.  He had some talented receivers to work with, too.  Our defensive coordinator disagreed and didn't think he could do much damage.  

He had a field day against us; our defense was terrible throughout the season, but he completely dominated.  AFter the game, I stood next to Blake and so did our coordinator, who ate a slice of humble pie.  He told Blake "I underestimated you" and wished him well.  Here is a cutup of all his throws against us: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bp930aTlYaQ

Anyway, it's been a long time since I looked at NFL with detail because it's hard to do when you have to evaluate hundreds of high school players from 4 states (including FL) every month.  I did watch the Pittsburgh and New England games, and I thought Blake performed better than expected during both.  He didn't put team in jeopardy, didn't throw any picks, and remained pretty calm on third down.  He IS a little rough around the edges; the ball needs to be placed ahead of receivers on under routes and crossers when throwing over the middle of the field.  That would have made a big difference.  

Real issue in my opinion was the playcalling (there's a lot of issues with that not jsut with the Jaguars but with almost every team; it's like their butt muscles tighten inside the 20).  First down runs weren't going anywhere.  The Jags had a lot of success with swing passes to RBs / Fournette / Yeldon in 1st half.  They kind of stuck with it too much in the 2nd half and it got very predictable; the Patriots adjusted extremely well.  I wouldn't give up on your QB yet because the days of once-in-a-lifetime quarterbacks like Peyton and Brady are coming to a close; you have a great defense (Jack, Campbell, the cornerback whose name I'm forgetting at the moment), a great young RB, and a solid offensive line.  It's obvious that Coughlin has added a spark.  Throw in Polian, and David Caldwell form here in Indy, and you have a great front office.  Future looks bright!  

Take care, B
Twitter - @Bryan_Ault

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