The most likely outcome is Blake is starting week one. I don't care what Caldwell says. QBs drafted in the 1st round do not sit anymore. Just doesn't happen.

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I see Bortles starting a game this season under three scenarios, and much of it depends on the first two quarters of the season.

 

1.  If Chad Henne struggles during the first half of the season, then perhaps after the bye week.  Looking at the first 8 games of the season, there are not any "definite wins" or "should wins" , but there are a number of "could wins" there.  One that is important and stands out is week 3 against the Colts.  Opening home game for us and the Colts will be without their best pass rusher.  This gives us a small advantage that moves that game into the "could win" category.  If we are less than .500 at that point, then it might be time to consider starting him maybe after the bye.  .500 or better, especially if we win the two divisional games in the first half of the season, keep him on the bench.  One thing to note is week 6 which is when we play the Titans and the Texans play the Colts.  That week could very well shape the division which is important in my scenario 2.

 

2.  If by the bye week or the end of the third quarter of the season the playoffs are out of reach.  A lot will depend on division standing as well as how the rest of the AFC looks.  What is interesting is 3 out of the 4 games in the fourth quarter of the season are divisional games for us.  Divisional standings are going to be more of a key to a playoff run for us than maybe a wild card spot.  If we are in the top two spots of the division, and have at least a .500 record at that point, I would keep him on the bench.

 

3.  The final scenario, and one that I don't want to see is if Henne gets injured.

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There are 10 kinds of people in this world.  Those who understand binary and those who don't.

The most likely outcome is Blake is starting week one. I don't care what Caldwell says. QBs drafted in the 1st round do not sit anymore. Just doesn't happen.

 

You are comparing apples to oranges. What one team does has no effect on what other teams do. Each team that started a rookie quarterback on Day 1 made that decision based on their own needs and what happened during training camps. David Caldwell repeatedly said before the draft he is only thinking about the long term, not in a win-now mode, so he is OK with Chad Henne this season if it is necessary to keep his franchise quarterback on the bench for one year. If you want to compare us to other teams, look at the Bengals and Carson Palmer.

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Unlike gabbert I don't think bortles is scared in the pocket  so putting him in early will not effect him unless our line cannot protect at all. No one wants him in if he is getting slammed to the ground 5-10 times per game. If our o-line is ok he should be just fine after the offseason and training camp.

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"If this team gets lessons from losing they should all be Einsteins by now."---Jaguarmvp

 

"Football is not played on paper, its played inside Televisions"---Random Poster BCC

Unlike Gabbert I don't think Bortles is scared in the pocket  so putting him in early will not affect him unless our line cannot protect at all. No one wants him in if he is getting slammed to the ground 5-10 times per game. If our o-line is ok he should be just fine after the offseason and training camp.

 

Bortles said his biggest problem is footwork. That tells me he needs a better offensive line than Gabbert had if he starts this year especially with the Texans picking Clowney. Only time will tell if having a new center and two new guards will help while Bortles fixes his bad habits (although I think Zane Beadles was a good pickup). One thing we do know is Bortles does not fear contact in the pocket.

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2009.  Think they were still alive for a playoff spot going into the last week of the season.  The team won 7 games both years he started there.  Not saying he is Tom Brady but again, if all the pieces fall into place around him I think we'll be in the middle of the playoff chase late in the season.... unless its some fluke year where youve got two 12 win wild card teams.

 

Has Henne ever made the playoffs in his career??  I can't find it anywhere that he has.

 

Also, does anyone know what Henne's career record is up to this point?? I know it's a career losing record, but I just want to know how bad it really is.

 

I know it's not all on the QB, but at some point as a starting NFL QB, you must be able to lead your team and make the other players around you believe that you can get it done. If you can't do that, then you are just an average to below average QB floundering around out there. There are plenty of those on NFL rosters.

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I survived the Gus Bradley Error.

I think Henne has a little Brett Favre in him. Not nearly Favre's talent but the dude is not afraid to throw the ball around, Unlike Gabbert who loved to check down. Henne also loves to throw the ball to the other team lol

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I think Henne has a little Brett Favre in him. Not nearly Favre's talent but the dude is not afraid to throw the ball around, Unlike Gabbert who loved to check down. Henne also loves to throw the ball to the other team lol

 

My biggest complaint about Chad Henne is holding the ball too long. He has no idea defensive linemen are chasing him while looking for an open receiver and gets sacked.

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They also had the best run game in the league that year with Bettis, Staley and that great O-line pounding on everyone they played.

Agreed they had an excellent running game to take the pressure off of him.

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Worst to 1st.  Curse Reversed!

The most likely outcome is Blake is starting week one. I don't care what Caldwell says. QBs drafted in the 1st round do not sit anymore. Just doesn't happen.

Yeah, Caldwell is notorious for lying.


He repeated his assertion this past week that they are not going to rush Bortles into starting. They don't need to. He's been pretty clear about that. The only way I can see him starting this year is really if Henne gets hurt.


Once the season starts, it'll be difficult for him to get the necessary reps to win the starting gig. It all hinges in those extra reps and one on one time he will get after practice with the coaches, and I tend to think that will be pretty limited once the season begins. Even if Henne is downright horrific, I'm thinking they'll still wait.


Again, what's the rush? There are zero expectations for this team this year, so I doubt Bortles sees the field in anything but mop up duty. He'll get some playing time. Starts? Doubtful if you take Caldwell and Bradley at their word, and I haven't seen a reason not to.

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Never argue with idiots. They drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.

Yeah, Caldwell is notorious for lying.

He repeated his assertion this past week that they are not going to rush Bortles into starting. They don't need to. He's been pretty clear about that. The only way I can see him starting this year is really if Henne gets hurt.

Once the season starts, it'll be difficult for him to get the necessary reps to win the starting gig. It all hinges in those extra reps and one on one time he will get after practice with the coaches, and I tend to think that will be pretty limited once the season begins. Even if Henne is downright horrific, I'm thinking they'll still wait.

Again, what's the rush? There are zero expectations for this team this year, so I doubt Bortles sees the field in anything but mop up duty. He'll get some playing time. Starts? Doubtful if you take Caldwell and Bradley at their word, and I haven't seen a reason not to.

I don't consider it a lie at all because "ready" is a subjective term. In fact, they would never say it's Bortles' job right from the start no matter what. They don't want to pressure him, and don't want to feel pressured themselves, but I bet deep down they both expect Bortles to win the job. They both speak highly of competition. So just how you wouldn't just hand Bortles the job, you also shouldn't just hand Henne the job. As far as what's the rush, maybe there is none, but I personally think he learns more on the field than on the bench and him playing early as possible is the ideal situation.

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You are comparing apples to oranges. What one team does has no effect on what other teams do. Each team that started a rookie quarterback on Day 1 made that decision based on their own needs and what happened during training camps. David Caldwell repeatedly said before the draft he is only thinking about the long term, not in a win-now mode, so he is OK with Chad Henne this season if it is necessary to keep his franchise quarterback on the bench for one year. If you want to compare us to other teams, look at the Bengals and Carson Palmer.

Training camp hasn't even happened yet. And I don't see them just handing Henne the job unconditionally. I don't believe that's what they said. If Bortles sits, fine, I'll just believe that's what was best. But I think its very unlikely, just from a historical standpoint. Our situation isn't that much different from the other teams that started their guy.

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My guess is Bortles will come in in the 2nd half against the Steelers, then start the rest of the year.  Caldwell and Bradley play the game expertly, lying while they tell the truth.

 

There was just too much disarray last year on both sides of the ball to throw him in there right away.  And with so many new players learning the scheme, the potential for further confusion is almost inevitable.   They'll find the rhythm of the team in the first few games, then insert the new pilot when the time seems right.

 

No question that expectations are low for this year, but a hot run is always possible.  Win the first two and who knows what could happen.  

 

A young group of well-coached players can generate considerable inertia if Bradley can get the ball rolling.  And it's already rolling methinks...

 

I'm sure Gus Bradley really wants a win in Philly on opening day against Chip Kelly.  It would be a statement to the whole league, and a feather in his cap.  A win up here could really light the burners and drive the improvement curve steeply upwards.  We have a real team now.  We can win this year - with Henne.  

 

Maybe (probably) things won't go our way, but this is the most optimistic I've been in many years.  Del Rio could find ways to lose.  Mularkey was a worse coach than Rich Kotite.  Gabbert never had it, despite his army of apologists.  

 

This year the enthusiasm will be visible on the field.  I am expecting improvement across the board, in nearly every category.

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I don't consider it a lie at all because "ready" is a subjective term. In fact, they would never say it's Bortles' job right from the start no matter what. They don't want to pressure him, and don't want to feel pressured themselves, but I bet deep down they both expect Bortles to win the job. They both speak highly of competition. So just how you wouldn't just hand Bortles the job, you also shouldn't just hand Henne the job. As far as what's the rush, maybe there is none, but I personally think he learns more on the field than on the bench and him playing early as possible is the ideal situation.

The point here is that where the QB position is concerned, they're not preaching competition. They've already made it clear Henne is the starter. They've also made it clear they won't rush Bortles into the starting role.


Obviously, he's the future of this franchise, but I get zero sense of urgency from Bradley or Caldwell to get him on the field as quickly as possible. Bortles is their QB for the next decade if he pans out. When that starts is irrelevant, especially if the expectation for 2014 is to show continued and sustainable improvement with an eye on taking a major step in 2015.


If he starts at all, and it's not due to injury, I would imagine it'll be late in the season, after the bye.

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Never argue with idiots. They drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.

I actually think we could threaten for a playoff spot with Henne if all the other pieces around him fall into place.  Its fashionable on here to hate on Henne but he isnt a terrible player. He almost led the Dolphins into the playoffs.  He could easily do the same for us.  

 

No reason to rush Bortles before we have to.  Our Oline on paper looks solid but it could be awful next year if Brewster chokes and Pasztor gets exposed.  The WRs on paper look good but rookies rarely stand out and Shorts is one bad hit to the head from retiring.  The RBs on paper look solid but they stunk last year without MJD.  If the offense around the QB is lousy next year we dont need to be putting Bortles back there.

Playoffs?!  Playoffs?  LOL.  Have you looked at the schedule?  We probably won't get our first win until week 7 when we play the Browns and Johnny Football at home, especially if they don't have Josh Gordon.  Game 7 is the first game I think Bortles starts, by the way.  Rookie camp and practice is a whole lot different than a live game situation.  He won't start the season with this O-line we have.

 

I can't see this team doing any better than 5-11 this year.  Still very young, with Henne or a rookie QB, and still a lot of holes (real DE, Center, OG, RT?, etc, etc). 

 

Next year is when I think they make the jump.

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The schedule doesn't look that hard to me.

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Another thing: It's stating the obvious, but he's a football player. I don't see how removing a player from a season's worth of in-game action is beneficial to his development. He was seen as an ascending player starting at the college level. Isn't it just as reasonable to believe that him NOT playing will stifle his progress? Why do people seem to think that practice is the only way he will learn/improve.

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Caldwell and Bradley play the game expertly, lying while they tell the truth.

 

Have we become so jaded and/or cynical that we can't realize there's no gaming going on?  That they are actually being honest?

 

What they don't have is a crystal ball, to tell them when guys are going to be injured or how well/poorly they will play.

 

All we have is their word.

 

They trust in Henne and expect him to play as he did the second half of the season.  With that expectation, Blake would "redshirt" the season, which the overwhelming opinion from observers agrees with.  Across the league Dave is getting kudos for both the pick and the approach from his peers and other observers.

 

You can rush your meal out of the kitchen all you want, but no amount of wishful thinking will make it ready to be served.

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"You do your own thing in your own time. You should be proud."

Have we become so jaded and/or cynical that we can't realize there's no gaming going on?  That they are actually being honest?

 

What they don't have is a crystal ball, to tell them when guys are going to be injured or how well/poorly they will play.

 

All we have is their word.

 

They trust in Henne and expect him to play as he did the second half of the season.  With that expectation, Blake would "redshirt" the season, which the overwhelming opinion from observers agrees with.  Across the league Dave is getting kudos for both the pick and the approach from his peers and other observers.

 

You can rush your meal out of the kitchen all you want, but no amount of wishful thinking will make it ready to be served.

 

Exactly.

 

Though I am eager to see Bortles lead this team to many, many, many victories in the coming years, there's no point in rushing him.

 

Aside from the fact he may not be ready to assume control of the offense right out of the box, the O-Line may not be ready to protect him right out of the box. 

 

Let's face it.  Even assuming our top 4 picks are everything we hope for, this still is not likely to be a playoff team this year.

 

Bradley and Caldwell appear to have a sound plan.  Don't rush him.

 

If he comes out and he's ready to play sooner than expected...that's a bonus. 

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Worst to 1st.  Curse Reversed!

I think it comes down to those preseason games. If he goes into them lighting it up they're not gonna sit him. People are saying it's no expectations this year are blind because over 8,000 people don't come out to a rookie mini camp if it weren't any. If you were a veteran on this team like Chris Clemons or another player I bet they have high expectations to win this year. If Bortles gives you the best chance to win you play him and I think he's a better option than Henne is.

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