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Blake Bortles was the victim of a loss to Texans on Sunday. (Photo by Scott Halleran / Getty Images)
Sunday afternoon, another low point of the drifting season forced the Jacksonville Jaguar to make the sudden decision not to take any chances. Blake Bortles, the mischievous quarter Jacksonville had invested time and time again, searched his own territory early in the third quarter. His second round of the day led to another Houston Texans touchdown and a 20-0 deficit. By that time, Bortles had completed 6 of 12 passes for 61 yards.
The Jaguars have been with Bortles for five years, since they ranked him third overall in the 2014 draft, no matter how much he hesitated or had become a punch. This season, when they had the chance to move up a gear, they chose to bring back Bortles to lead a potential competitor at the Super Bowl.
For at least one afternoon, Jacksonville could not continue to stay with him. The Jaguars replaced Bortles in replacement Cody Kessler's 20-7 loss to Houston, bringing them to 3-4 and a draw in second place in the AFC South defense. Even if the seat is temporary, the Jaguar will be forced to take into account this decision to sign a $ 54 million contract extension with Bortles for a period of three years, with a guarantee of $ 26.5 million.
The Jaguars took part in the Super Bowl quarter last January, a feat for a franchise that does not make sense and an opportunity for an up-and-coming team. The Jaguars have used years of high selection, savvy selection and free agent spurt to form a fierce and youthful defense. Bortles headed it up to the AFC Championship. This season, with a chance to join the NFL elite, the Jaguars are betting that Bortles could push them further. In seven weeks, they seem to have made the wrong bet.
[Blake Bortles’ role as a punchline on the NBC comedy ‘The Good Place.’]
This year, Bortles was one of the worst starting quarters in the league. Despite 376 yards in the loss to the New England Patriots in the second week, Bortles had 279 yards per game and only 7.1 yards per try this season, with nine touchdowns and eight interceptions. This should not have been a surprise. For his career, Bortles averaged 6.7 yards per attempt with 99 touchdowns and 72 steals. He was who he is.
Sunday afternoon, the Jaguars decided not to tolerate the quarterback to which they committed themselves in the offseason. Coach Doug Marrone said the referees' rankings did not reflect his vision of Bortles, but his vision of the entire training. He wanted to "try to get a damn spark from this team, to warn everyone," he said, and the quarterback is "the only person with whom I can catch the attention of everyone, "he said while ruling that he was not right at Bortles, but that it was necessary.
"When you do that with the quarterback, it makes it accessible to everyone," said Marrone.
But Marrone has not made a commitment to Bortles since next week. And if the quarterback is the best way to victory, whether for motivational reasons or otherwise, what does it say to the quarterback?
Jaguars have a quarterback problem that they created themselves. They believed in Bortles, and you can understand why the Jaguars would really like to believe in him. They used the third overall pick on a player who grew up in Florida and participated in UCF. Bortles scored high points in Jacksonville, including defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers defense and dominating the Patriots in the CAF championship game. He is only 26 years old. They invested so much in Bortles and he showed them flashes.
Cutting ties with Bortles had a psychological cost. It may sound laughable, but for the Jaguars, it's the absolute truth. That should not matter in how NFL teams make decisions, but of course.
The feeling blinded the Jaguars. They had strong wide receivers, a workaholic running to Leonard Fournette, a vicious defense and a win-win division. It was a team with a promising future, but it was built to win now. At the most important position, with the option of Bortles' fifth year rookie contract, they chose Bortles.
The Jaguars' lineup prevented them from devoting huge resources to the quarter, in pursuit of free agent Kirk Cousins. But the off season has presented low-cost options that could have been an improvement over Bortles, or at least provided him with decent competition. What would this team look like with Teddy Bridgewater, whom the New York Jets signed for a one-year, $ 5 million contract before sending it to New Orleans? Or even Tyrod Tayor, whom Brown has acquired for a third round pick?
The Jaguars are a mess beyond their quarter. Their vaunted defense conceded 90 points in three games in October. After the game, the journalists saw players screaming and fighting each other. But this mess starts with the quarterback. The Jaguars thought they had a franchise leader at Bortles. Now, they can not even have a starting quarter.
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