Quote:We don't have either QB on this roster.  Bortles isn't either one of these guys today.  Not even remotely close. 

 

You're determined to pin the blame on the QB in this situation, and it's simply a weak minded approach.  It's the equivalent of water taking the path of least resistance.  There are multiple areas of concern with this team, one of which is the QB.  It doesn't start with him.  It starts with the line that's been incapable of opening lanes for the running game, or protecting the QB adequately to give him even a marginal opportunity at being effective.  It includes poor decision making on the part of the QB, whether that means holding on to the ball for too long, forcing passes into spots where he shouldn't, or not checking out of a play to something more appropriate for the situation developing.  It also comes down to poor recognition by rookie receivers to pick up the blitz and adjust their routes accordingly.  It includes lack of awareness by DBs in recognizing where they should be on specific plays.  It's about blown assignments by the defense that release contain and allow plays that shouldn't be big plays to become so. 

 

The list of reasons why this team is struggling is a long one, of which the QB is certainly a factor, but not the only one.  You want to pin everything on him as if replacing that one component is somehow going to elevate the play of everyone else on both sides of the ball.  That's nonsense.  Plugging in a rookie QB doesn't make your rookie receivers any more aware.  It doesn't make your inexperienced line any better at creating running lanes or protecting the QB.  It doesn't fix missed tackles or blown assignments.  It doesn't prevent boneheaded mistakes that wind up costing the team yards on penalties. 

 

Henne is not a good QB, but he's the right guy to put out there while the issues are worked through, especially with the line, the receivers, and the running game.  Given a couple of games to develop some sort of chemistry, I think the line will be up to the task of doing their job by the bye week at the latest, and I fully expect to see Bortles installed as the starter when they feel confident enough that he can be effective out there.  As the offensive coordinator made very clear today, they're not going to set Bortles up to fail.