I like Blake. I would really like to see him succeed (it's definitely preferable to trying to find "the guy"). However, I don't think it's useful to make excuses for him at this point in his career.  He has good days and bad days (as I'm sure most QBs do), but he doesn't have the tools to offset his inaccuracy. When he's having an accurate day, he can beat the defense, even if they are reading him. I love it when we get this Blake. When he's off, he's prone to turnovers and batted balls. I hate that Blake. It's that simple. 

He is obviously not the worst QB in the league, but his flaws are severe enough to hinder the offense when it falls on his shoulders. He has two technical issues that really impair his game: his long wind up and tendency to stare down his receiver. When he has a strong enough running game, these aren't as big a deal because the linebackers and safeties need to "stay home" for a second, which gives the WRs a chance to create separation quickly. When teams don't fear the run, they watch Blake and jump routes and bat balls at the line of scrimmage. This is made worse by the coaching staff's insistence on turning him into a game manager (more on that later).  

When you combine his mechanics with an average ability to read defenses, you end up with a QB that will lose you games.

My personal gripe with him (and the reason I might consider benching him) is how he mentally handicaps himself due to his technical deficiencies. He tends to wait until a play is fully developed before making a decision rather than recognizing coverage and making the adjustments pre-snap. He also struggles to recognize the mismatches immediately after the ball is snapped. If the line holds up for him, he does just fine. However, if he has to rush his throws, he isn't sure where the defenders will be, which leads to a lot of errant passes and throw-aways. He almost never makes a defense pay for a blitz by making the adjustments pre-snap or abuses the mismatch on the field. He relies on his athleticism, not his brain.    

If Kessler could do these things better, I would seriously consider starting him. Even if he has a weaker arm, it would go a long way towards speeding up the offense. Now, I have no confidence that Kessler can do this, as I didn't watch him in Cleveland and only saw him play against 2's in the preseason. That said, if I'm the coach and even think he might be better at reading the defense, I am giving him a shot. A true game manager may not have the physical tools, but they have the mental tools to limit mistakes, make presnap adjustments, and make the right reads post snap. Blake has none of these qualities.  

Quick aside: Blake should be a gunslinger, but they are trying to turn him into a game manager. If I'm Marrone, I get Bortles out of the pocket, call QB draws, and tell Blake to play like there's no tomorrow. I think our offense would be better for it. Even though there'd be a lot more turnovers, there'd be a lot less pick 6's. Getting the ball down field would limit a defense's ability to return it for a TD. In addition, it would force defenses to play the whole field. These quick outs and screens shrink the field. It allows the defense to creep up, which helps them against the run and short passes while virtually giving them TDs when Blake makes a mistake. 

I wouldn't treat the D like an old school defense that plays for field position for four quarters. Their job would be to hold offenses to threes when Blake inevitably turns it over. Imo, this is a better set and would work better with the power run game.

Anyways, that's my take.

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