I guess I should be astounded that some of us are still worrying about Chad as a backup; perhaps I should be, but I'm not. We all know he isn't flashy. He is pretty much just a game manager with the ball. Could a younger guy step in and seem more 'dynamic' from the get-go? Of course; but that same young guy could also be a ball turn over machine as a result of rookie mistakes.

 

There are all kinds of things we could wish our backups (at any position) to be; fast, smart, dynamic, reliable.. and the list goes on. But the one most fundamental requirment of a backup quarterback is that he be capable of at least being a 'game manager'. That's a virtue that we don't know that all rooky quarterbacks in the NFL have; they are, in that respect, largely unkown intities. How many of us would want to put a game on the line while we find out if a rookie quarterback can handle the load when we have an experienced quarterback (who is admittedly not going to win any contest for flashy play) ready to go in?

 

If Bortles goes out of a game for some reason, I would favor an experienced backup, someone in whom we know what to expect, rather than rolling the dice on a rookie backup who could as easily prove to be either a goat or a hero. We don't need to worry about developing Bortles replacement right now; our money is on Bortles to carry us. The backup should just be that; a reliable backup that we can count on to come in and hand the ball off or make easy pass plays to manage a game. We have that in Chad. He isn't a 'stud', but he is fundamentally sound and what is needed from a backup quarterback.

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