Jacksonville Jaguars: Finding A Coach to Save Blake Bortles
By Erik Lambert
Gus Bradley failed in a big way trying to turn the Jacksonville Jaguars around. Not only did he fail to win, but he may have ruined the quarterback as well.
Last year it looked like Blake Bortles was ready to take his career in the stratosphere. He threw for over 4,400 yards and 35 touchdowns while leading three fourth quarter comebacks. So how did he sink to such a low in 2016? There are plenty of possibilities. Too many sacks (136 in 44 games) being a big one. A limited running game.
Truthfully it all comes back to the coaching. Gus Bradley and his staff just haven’t been equal to the task of developing a young quarterback. Jacksonville as a result is faced with a big decision. In a recent notebook, Adam Schefter of ESPN laid out the problems Jacksonville faces. Either they cut bait or try to salvage the young quarterback.
"“Bortles has more support in Jacksonville than he does elsewhere around the league. Some have scoffed at his skills and believe Jacksonville would be better off finding another option. But again, options are not abundant. If Jacksonville’s new coach can’t land Garoppolo, McCarron or Glennon, then there might not be a better option than taking Bortles’ fifth-year option year and working with him to see if he can be saved and developed. But as usual, teams that have coach questions usually have quarterback questions. Caldwell still believes in Bortles; the question is whether Jacksonville’s new head coach also will.”"
Historically that can be a slippery slope in the NFL. Hiring a head coach in the NFL just for the express purposes of fixing the quarterback. Ask the Chicago Bears how the Marc Trestman-Jay Cutler experiment went. Or Chip Kelly for Colin Kaepernick. If it doesn’t work, the failure can be spectacular in scope. Still, there are examples of success too. Mike Shanahan did wonders for John Elway. Jim Caldwell has Matthew Stafford playing like an MVP.
The key in making a success out of such a move is two-fold. Can the coach and play coexist and does the system fit the skill set? Often the biggest mistake made is not recognizing that physical and mental compatibility are paramount. Keeping this factors in mind, who is the name that should interest the Jaguars the most for Bortles.
Get ready for a surprise. It’s Mike Shula.