Quote:^^^ Was actually thinking the exact same. Byron was tough as nails and never flinched. David had the athleticism but maybe lacked the ability of reading defenses. Blake seems to have a bit of both. Good call.

As much as I just struggled to like Garrard, the one thing I always said was that if you could put Byron's head on David's body, you'd have a force.  Garrard was built like an anvil, and had the ability to make the throws.  The one thing he lacked was the football IQ.  He was always a tick slow to make decisions.  Leftwich was a guy who made quick decisions, and he had to because that windup required speedy progressions so that he could get the ball out on time.  He'd stand in the pocket knowing that his fragile body was going to take a beating, and at the end of the day he just couldn't hold up to the beating.

 

Gabbert was a guy who didn't have the football IQ/confidence needed to play the position, and while he was athletic, he was not nearly as much so as Garrard.  To me, he was fools gold because he practiced like an all pro and played like a bum. 

 

Bortles combines most of the good things from Leftwich and Garrard, while lacking the arrogance of Byron with the willingness to get better at his craft.  Leftwich always insisted his mechanics didn't need changing.  Bortles came into the league saying he was a piece of clay that needed to be molded.  It may not always be pretty, but the progression is clearly there.  He'll still make his mistakes, but as he matures, those will be limited.  I think we're on the verge of having a very good QB who can stand up to the best in the league.  This week will be a great test for him.

---