Quote:
Originally Posted by VABlkCONSERV
I see why Jags resigned Bortles but I still think they need more at the QB position. Opposing defenses gonna put like they did in the wildcard playoff game against Bills....8-9 man fronts to slow running game. If Bortles don't keep improving....a lot of pressure gonna be put on running game and defense.
But Bortles did play well enough to win against Steelers and Pats and I can understand why Jags don't wanna overpay for a FA like Cousins.
|
It's a mistake on Jacksonville's part. For his career, Bortles has a 59.1% completion rate and has averaged 6.7 yards per attempt. Both of those numbers are bad. In 2017, he had a 60.2% completion rate and averaged 7.0 yards per attempt. Both numbers are still a little subpar, even in a season where they went deep into the playoffs. Essentially, the Jags have seen the best that Bortles can give them and it just isn't enough. He's subpar most of the time.
People will probably ridicule me for saying it but if money were the issue, then the Jags could have likely gotten McCarron or Bridgewater with that same $54 million over 3 years deal that they gave Bortles. Both are question marks but both have some theoretical ceiling remaining. Bortles has none, as we know what he is.
In admittedly a very limited time span, McCarron started several games for the Bengals in 2015 and played in 7 games total. In those games he had a 66.4% completion rate and averaged 7.2 yards per attempt.
For his career (which, admittedly has been limited due to a very serious knee injury), Bridgewater has a 64.7% completion rate and has averaged 7.2 yards per attempt.
While I recognize that I am not shooting him with McCarron and Bridgewater, I do think there is at least some ceiling left with them, as they don't have a long track record but I think those ceilings could be higher than Bortles' ceiling (a completion percentage of around 60 percent and a yards-per-attempt of around 6.7 to 7.0). They could both easily be busts but there is at least some hope\element of the unknown. We already know Bortles isn't good at all.
I personally would have gone with one of those guys and given Bortles his walking papers. I know that they probably found that tough to do, as they made it to the AFC Championship game but the truth is that it isn't often that you see a team with a mediocre-to-below-average QB nearly make it to the Super Bowl. I think there was a good bit of luck in it and that this time next year the Jags will realize that keeping Bortles around was a mistake.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
