Quote:While it certainly helped him, I think most people (primarily other fans and the media) forgets he wasn't even supposed to play as a rookie...

 

True. He was poorly coached, poorly prepared by the team, and poorly surrounded for most of the season. People that watch him last year and Mariota this year strictly for what they actually did on the field on their own compared to what their team managed to accomplish around them and weren't shown TD/INT stats and the like would come away thinking Bortles is the better player. However, people that didn't watch Bortles last year or Mariota this year come away thinking Mariota had the better rookie season even though if you actually watch them play you can see that Bortles was a guy that needed coaching up but has all of the things that allow a QB to be elite while Mariota is kind of the opposite, rarely throws a risky pass, doesn't try to make many real plays, and lacks the traits that will allow a QB to be a real elite guy. I expect Mariota to be closer to 15 TDs 15 INTs in 2016 than 35 TDs 18INTs like Bortles was in his second year.

---