Blake Bortles: three-year contract, $54 million, $26 million guaranteed. A reminder of one of the biggest decisions the Jacksonville Jaguars chose to make this past off-season. However, they do not seem to have any real interest in cashing in on him as the season goes on. Jaguars Executive vice president Tom Coughlin, after a successful return to the team, was quoted as saying, “Blake has proved, with toughness and dependability, that he can be the leader this team needs going forward.” (NFL.com)
This new contract, as well as Coughlin’s statement, left many fans scratching their heads. Bortles did show another side in the 2017-2018 season. He even proved he could help lead his team to a winning season. But how can there be a failure to ignore that every time he passes the ball, most fans hold their breath just a little and hope he doesn’t throw an interception? Or the fact that the defense is what ultimately holds this team together and not Bortles? Making it all the way to the AFC Championship Game seems to have a way of affecting the thinking of many, including Jags executives. But it seems that fear of Bortles throwing an interception is the current state of things in Jacksonville. The Jaguars choose to instead play around him. They have almost totally abandoned the passing part of their game.
Blake Bortles Not Justifying the Contract He Received With His Play in 2018
Back to Where He Left Off
What started as a sigh of relief, when Leonard Fournette returned over a week ago to the lineup, started to quickly turn into the most predictable play. This occurred time and time again during this past Sunday’s loss. While Bortles attempted just 18 passes that resulted in just 104 yards, he passed the ball off 41 times which resulted in 162 yards. On Fournette’s part, he accounted for 28 of those rush attempts, 95 yards, and one touchdown. Suffice it to say it was a good and productive game for Fournette, but aside from the five yards he gained in the third quarter, these stats were the sum of his first-half play. It is safe to say the Steelers went into the locker room at halftime and made the decision to shut down the run game. It seems this effort was vastly successful. Unfortunately, everyone, except the Jaguars, seemed to notice.
Refusing to Give Bortles the Ball
The Jaguars are successful when they both run and throw the ball. In games, this season, where Blake has not completed a touchdown pass, his team has never pulled off a win. Perhaps Marrone and company were satisfied with the 16-6 lead going into the fourth quarter. So like many times before, they decided to play conservatively in hopes of holding off the Steelers.
With this elite defense this may have been possible, but with a veteran quarterback and playmakers like Antonio Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster, the Jaguars had their work cut out for them. But on the offensive side of the ball, the Jaguars did not get the job done. How many unsuccessful rushing attempts does it take to prove that the passing game needs a shot? Sure, it was not a big lead and Bortles could easily have thrown a pick-six, but in the words of Tom Coughlin, “Blake proved he can be the leader this team needs going forward.” (NFL.com). And if that is truly the case, then let him pass the ball. Without even giving him a chance, the Jaguars have successfully lost six games in a row. All the while leaving a tough defense tired and speechless.
