Quote:So, you're saying that receivers catching the ball isn't part of the process of throwing passes? Doesn't matter if it's a perfect pass if noone is catching it. Still looks the same in the stats that you're looking at.

 

Literally just take away the drops from last year and Bortles has the same completion percentage as A-Rod (~65%). How are you even trying to say that someone dropping a ball that hits them in the hands doesn't affect the QB?

 

This is a poor argument for a number of reasons:

 

1) Drops are for the most part a subjective stat; there is no reliable way to consistently quantify them. A poorly thrown ball might still hit a receiver in the hands but is it a 'drop' or a bad pass (e.g, thrown too hard or with poor timing)? I'm curious to see your source for the drops and the league numbers as a whole.

 

2) Every QB deals with drops, its a part of the game. If you correct for Bortles dropped passes then you must account for every other QB's dropped passes as well, raising their completion rates as well. Meaning the relative change in his 'accuracy' isn't as significant as you would think.

 

3) You're ignoring the drops by the defense. Accounting for drops, Bortles would have had at least one INT against the Dolphins and many more over the course of his 16 career games played (and he already had 19 INTs).

 

4) A couple of drops per game does not significantly change the overall evaluation and trajectory of the player. The Colt's receivers lead the league in dropped passes last year, but Luck was still consistently one of the most promising QB prospects of the past decade. Bortles, on the other hand, has been one of the most underwhelming.

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