While one Jacksonville-based quarterback struggles to find his rhythm, another one finds his feet at running back. The Jaguars are no strangers to seeing qualities in college football players, assigning them a different numbered jersey and making them come good. Mike Brown played quarterback at Liberty but was shuffled to wide receiver and punt returner under the tutelage of Jags management. Mike Jones, likewise a quarterback at the University of Arkansas, posted 2,153 yards for 15 touchdowns in the four seasons he featured as wide receiver.
Right now everyone is raving, and rightly so, about Denard Robinson, a.k.a. “Shoelace.” His career total of 4,495 rushing yards while at Michigan earned him the accolade of most yards ever run by a quarterback in NCAA history. Such stats go some way to explaining Gus Bradley’s gamble in giving him the ball in the backfield, rather than at the gun. A fifth round draft pick in 2013, he is quickly proving that he merited a higher position than 135th overall selection. No doubt NFL fantasy football fans are also quick to cash in on what is proving to not only be Shoelace’s turning point after registering 100 yards per game against the Browns and Dolphins, but also Jacksonville’s now they have found a talisman on the ground.
Many thought the team’s hero would be their first choice draft pick, Blake Bortles. But much is left to be desired through the air when a quarterback throws twice as many picks as he does touchdowns. It is even more painful when after a long offensive drive and a complete shutdown of Miami by the defense, the supposed franchise signal caller throws the football into the arms of defender Louis Delmas who returns it almost the entire length of the field for six points.
In recent years, the Jaguars may have shown a knack for turning star college quarterbacks into good or even great wide receivers and running backs. However, it remains to be seen however if they can achieve the seemingly easier job of making a star quarterback a prominent feature in the NFL. The last time they did that was with Mark Brunell and he is old enough to be Blake Bortles’ father.
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