Quote:While I didn't really see anything I liked about Mariota in this game, I disagree about touch. He uses it when he needs to and threads the needle when he needs to.

 

My take on the Bortles vs Mariota thing going on here: I was pretty high on Bortles coming out, but I think he has been massively disappointing. He did have a great game, in my opinion, against the Dolphins who stand a decent chance at fielding a top 5 defense this year. It's a great game worth talking about to be sure and if I were a Jaguars' fan, I would hope this is a sign that things are turning around. It is just one game, however, and it doesn't erase a consistent track record of disappointment. He plays like that consistently, however, and all those other games will be forgotten.

 

I wasn't very high on Mariota coming out but I believe in giving him a chance. That said, I saw a lot of things about his game yesterday that I didn't like. He also played against a stout defense that I think will definitely be top 10. The things I saw Mariota do that I didn't like were mostly how he reacted to pressure. He stared down blitzes. I even saw him do the good ole Jake Locker duck and pivot. His pocket presence was lacking. They pretty much never broke the huddle fast enough to make any pre-play changes. He played uninspired football and even had the appearance of giving up at times. He had lucky break after lucky break to get back in the game, but didn't truly take command. And again, it was just one game. I still look forward to what he will do next week because one bad game will not erase what he has accomplished or take away from the opportunity to prove himself.

 

Those are my opinions anyway.

I can't disagree with anything you said. In Bortles defense, I would simply point out what I stated earlier: he wasn't supposed to play last year. He was too raw, and his mechanics needed to be fixed, and it obviously showed.  I may be in the minority, but I think he would have been better served spending last season at the same camp he went to this summer to work on his mechanics.

---