I actually think every single one of those players could have done what Fowler did if you surround him with 3-4 pro bowlers on the dline to garner attention and drape them with the best secondary in the game. I think his meager and far more predictive pressure total points to that. He wasn't creating much of the havoc, but if someone else on the dline could cause a ruckus or if the secondary could give him 4+ seconds to fight through it then he could clean up. That was most of his sack total, and I think any of the guys you mentioned would have done the same or better in the same situation.

Fournette faced 8 men in the box more than anyone else because we ran 9 men in the box more than anyone else first. It wasn't because teams were scared of Fournette, it's because we mathematically forced them to. When we ran 11 personnel there weren't 8 in the box. Magic, I know. If you want more evidence, Chris Ivory faced 8 in the box on a higher percentage than Fournette. It sure as hell wasn't because teams were just mortified of Ivory. Mike Gillislee led the entire NFL in 8+D%. Were teams so terrified that Gillislee was going to punish them that they left their secondary exposed to some scrub named Tom Brady? Of course not, it's just math.

Bortles, well, I've posted his rate stats many times because they are infinitely better than quoting that he had 35 TDs 3 years ago. He was barely above or barely below average in all of Y/A, ANY/A, TD%, INT%, and passer rating...and then significantly below average in comp% and significantly above average in sack%. Any number of other average QBs, like say Josh McCown, could have done that last year.

Seriously, you replace those 3 with Josh McCown, Kevin Dodd, and Christian McCaffrey and our team does just as well last year. No doubt in my mind.

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