Jacksonville Jaguars: Will the good Blake Bortles show up again?
By Larry Brake
Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles has seen some good and some bad this season, but will the good version show up against New York.
Blake Bortles is considered an average quarterback at best compared to other NFL starting quarterbacks. The Jacksonville Jaguars are giving him one last chance to prove his worth as the franchise quarterback. He must show that he has the skills to consistently lead the Jaguars offense.
Bortles is under tremendous scrutiny because of his inconsistent play. His performance in Week 3 was the total opposite from Week 2. Against the Tennessee Titans, he had three turnovers and a quarterback rating of 63.7. Contrarily, he threw four touchdown passes and posted a quarterback rating of 128.2 last week.
Why can’t Bortles play consistently each week? Some have suggested that it’s a mental issue. Marcedes Lewis talked about Bortles on PFT Live, according to Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk:
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"“The biggest thing with Blake is probably psychological. I think mentally, him understanding that we’re only going as far as he takes us. If you’re fortunate enough to play in this league a long time, you’re going to have some bad games, but it’s how you bounce back from it,” Lewis said."
As Bortles gets better, he has to guard against becoming predictable. He has to spread the ball around to different receivers and throw vertically. Remember, he has the tendency to stare down his target, which turns into an interception — or worse, a pick-six.
In Week 1 against Houston, Bortles was 11-of-21 for 125 yards and one touchdown. He threw 11 passes to his left and 10 to the right. The touchdown pass to Tommy Bohanon was to his right. It’s especially relevant that about 12 of those attempts were 10 or more yards beyond the line of scrimmage.
Against Tennessee, Bortles went 20-of-34 for 223 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. He threw 13 passes to the left, four passes were between the hash marks and 17 attempts to the right. In London, he was 20-of-31 for 244 yards and four touchdowns. 19 of Bortles pass attempts were to the right. He is clearly throwing more and more to his right side.
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Hopefully, the Jaguars will be able to spread the ball more evenly in coming weeks. The last thing Bortles needs to be is predictable.