Quote:I seem to recall that the point of athletic competition is to win. The goal is to win. Do the jags have a better opportunity to win with Bortles or with Henne? The head coach has said that the better player should be the one to play. Who is that better player, Bortles or Henne? Henne has more experience but it isn't clear that he is able to bring what should be an advantage to him to bear on the field. Bortles has never played a regular season NFL game; in that regard, he is an unknown quantity. He is obviously bigger, faster, stronger, more agile, and has a quicker release than Henne has demonstrated though. We don't know how well he knows the playbook. We do know that our offensive line is struggling and that our receiver corps is diminished by injuries, disqualifications, and inexperience. These issues exists for either quarterback who starts. Henne has not been able to overcome the shortcomings of the o-line which has led to record setting failures to convert third downs. I'm not aware of any miracles that have taken place that would lead me to think that Henne will do better against an 0-2 Colts team that needs a win. I do know that with Henne behind center many fans are losing hope that the team will do any better this season than it did last season. It's not all Henne's fault mind you; he is a serviceable backup quarterback, a real professional. However, he doesn't have the requisite abilities to overcome the adversities facing the offense this season. What we need is a breath of 'fresh air' behind center... someone who at least has the core abilities to make things happen. What some refer to as the 'it' factor. Blake Bortles seemed to show in the preseason that he might be that guy. Repeat...'might' be that guy. We know from Henne's record in the NFL that he isn't that guy.

*Might we lose if we start Bortles? Yes!... but we're already losing with Henne (and badly...), so what does than matter?

*Might Bortles get hurt? Possibly... but he faces that chance whenever he starts, so what difference does that make?

*Could the pressure Bortles would face 'get in his head' the way it did Gabbert because we don't have a decent offensive line? Anything is possible, but I'm under the impression that Bortles and Gabbert are two quite different animals. Bortles seems tough... not just physically, but mentally. Gabbert never did give the impression of 'mental toughness'. In this sense, Bortles does remind me of Ben Rothlesburger. He played behind a line that wasn't too good either but he scrambled and made plays. Of course Ben had some pretty good veteran receivers to help him. Bortles does not...

*if Bortles is put on the field now, is he just being set up to fail? a tough question. That's a question that ultimately can only be answered by no one except Bortles himself. He will determine if he is elite or not. An elite quarterback will elevate everyone else's game. A backup isn't able to do that...