Before I answer, I would like to alert Glock and the other readers that I am rearranging the order of his paragraphs because his statements and my responses will make more sense this way.  I will post the rearranged paragraphs verbatim, and my answers are, in no way, intended to take Glock's arguments out of context or in any way distort the plain meaning of his words.

 

 

Quote:Ugh were really gonna do this again.


Blakes best season was inefficient stat padding. He wasnt accurate, he didnt make good decisions, he was overrated by all of us. And for a second lets assume he gets back to 2015 for. 2015 blake is not winning playoff games against good teams. He still has to take an enormous leap forward as a QB to even be considered good enough to hang in the playoffs.

 

Referencing TC's press conference, PFT offers a summary of TC's thoughts thusly:

 

Quote: 

That would be improvement from quarterback <a class="" href='http://www.rotoworld.com/player/nfl/9320/blake-bortles'>Blake Bortles</a>. During a Friday press conference, Coughlin said that there’s plenty for Bortles (and everyone else on the team) to improve in their own games, but said that any big jump will require better work on the offensive line.

“I think to improve the quarterback we have to improve the protection,” Coughlin said. 

Coughlin also said that he doesn’t think the team is helping Bortles “at all” if they can’t run the ball and noted that the team needs more than they got from the <a class="" href='http://www.rotoworld.com/player/nfl/10311/tj-yeldon'>T.J. Yeldon</a>/<a class="" href='http://www.rotoworld.com/player/nfl/6168/chris-ivory'>Chris Ivory</a> backfield combo last year. He said there have been discussions about adding a fullback to the offensive mix, something that fit with his general theme of building a tougher Jaguars team in his first season back in Jacksonville.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/201...rotection/

 

If this accurately represents TC's thoughts on the offense generally and QB play in particular, what are we to make of his comments within the context of Bortles' development?

 

 

Quote: 

Dante Fowler isnt an edge rusher. Its the reason he moved all around at florida. Its the reason we keep talking about putting him at linebacker. Theres zero reason to believe his ceiling as an edge rusher isnt very low.


Anyone who labeled clowney a bust after his second season let alone his first is a reactionary moron. He was dealing with a lot of injuries on top of being a rookie.


Vic was ACTUALLY an edge rusher in college. He can actually bend, hes actually athletic. Fowler isnt any of that.


 

(Emphasis added)

 

The idea that moving a player around is a sign of inability to rush the passer is troubling in that NFL history is replete with accomplished pass rushers  that moved around.  Lawrence Taylor was once a college NT and ILB.  In the NFL, he occasionally lined up at ROLB, ILB over the A gap, and LOLB.  Somehow I don't think it was because Bill Parcells and Bill Belicheck thought he wasn't able to rush the passer.  Howie Long made the Pro Bowl at RDE, LDE and DT over the course of his career.  I'm sure opposing linemen found it shocking to learn it was because he couldn't rush the passer. Charles Haley was obviously another non pass rushing stiff, since at various points in his NFL career, he has rushed from ROLB, RDE, and LDE. Were Buddy Ryan alive today I'm almost positive he would blink dumbly at the thought occasionally rushing Reggie White from DT, in addition to his usual LDE was to compensate for his inability to rush the passer.  Jevon Kearse, a predecessor of Fowler's at the University of Florida, played at least two positions between Florida and the NFL-LB and DE.  Sound familiar?  I'm sure he was also a deficient pass rusher.  For that matter, Jadeveon Clowney was moved from college DE to NFL ROLB and then back to RDE.  I'm sure these decisions were made-after they decided to draft him with the #1 pick in the draft-because they felt he couldn't rush the passer.  Vic Beasley, the guy you tout as having the athleticism to bend, etc., played with his hand on the ground at Clemson.  In Atlanta, he led the league in sacks this year, despite the fact his coaches felt he couldn't rush the passer, as evidenced by them playing him at LB and with his hand in the dirt.

 

Speaking of Clowney, you label those prematurely labeling him a bust as "morons" because he dealt with injuries.  I guess the injury explanation doesn't apply to Fowler and his torn ACL in his rookie season, the first of his two NFL seasons.

 

Quote: 

And for one final time can we not compare him to JJ/Clowney/Beasley.

JJ is a 3-4 end, him just having 5 sacks his first year isn't indicative of failure I have no idea who told you that. Him exploding for the numbers he currently does doesnt change the fact that 5 sacks for a rookie 3-4 end is objectively good.

I did not offer a J.J.Watt comparison to suggest that 5 sacks for a 3-4 DE is per se bad, but to illustrate that Watt's career shows that a 3rd year player can be much better than the player he was the first year.

 

 

Quote: 

Draft and develop is cool, its a tried and sometimes true formula thats been in place for ever but I wanna say this and I think its really important


*NOT EVERYONE HAS UNLIMITED UPSIDE*


Sometimes guys dont get better. Sometimes guys dont become what theyre supposed to be. Sometimes all the coaching in the world cant make a guy better than what he is. Its not that serious. Its not that big of a deal. Blake isnt good at football. Fowler isnt going to be some 15 sack a year von miller guy. Were bad at drafting. Its just the reality of our situation.

 

No, not everyone has unlimited upside.  I have no problem with that statement.

 

My question is how do you determine the ceiling of a player without giving him the coaching and time to develop?  The consensus when Fowler was drafted was that he was a top ten, if not top 5 pick.  What did you see in the one year post ACL, Gus coached season he had for you to know definitively any more time spent on Fowler is wasted?

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