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Jacksonville Jaguars: 5 reasons Blake Bortles will bounce back in 2017
Dec 24, 2016; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles (5) throws a pass during the third quarter of an NFL Football game against the Tennessee Titans at EverBank Field. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
After the Jacksonville Jaguars picked up his option for 2018, here are five reasons why Blake Bortles should bounce back during the 2017 season.
One year after throwing 35 touchdown passes, the Jacksonville Jaguars expected Blake Bortles to elevate his game to the next level during the 2016 season, but that was obviously far from the case. Instead of helping the Jaguars take the next step of being contenders in the AFC, Bortles struggled to find consistency with the offense as the team would go on win jus three games while Gus Bradley would end up losing his job before the conclusion of the regular season.
With Bradley officially out of the picture, Doug Marrone has taken over as head coach for Jacksonville, and even though the team recently picked up the fifth-year option for Bortles, the quarterback still has a long way to go when it comes to proving himself. In fact, Bortles realizes this upcoming season could be his final shot at showing the Jaguars he deserves to be the quarterback of the future, but at least the team has put him in a good position to succeed.
As bad as it sounds, there are really no more excuses for Bortles when looking at what Jacksonville has done on both sides of the football to help the team become contenders in the AFC once again. So without wasting any more time, here are five reasons why Bortles should bounce back with a strong year for the Jaguars in 2017 to give him a better chance of being around for the long run.
Mar 3, 2017; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide offensive lineman Cam Robinson (37) stretches before running the 40 yard dash during the 2017 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
5. Improved offensive line
After the Luke Joeckel experiment turned out to be a complete bust, the Jacksonville Jaguars hope the selection of Cam Robinson in the second round of this year's draft will have much better results. For a player many expected to be gone in the first round, Robinson finds himself in position to compete for significant playing time on the offensive line as a rookie.
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There's a reason why Robinson started right away as a freshman at Alabama, as the Jaguars hope to see a similar impact right off the bat heading into his first NFL season. Between his ability to protect Blake Bortles along with opening holes for another Jacksonville rookie in Leonard Fournette, Robinson could end up being one of the top steals from the second round if he can live up to the hype.
Of course, the other player to keep an eye on over the next few months when it comes to the Jaguars offensive line is Branden Albert, who was acquired in a trade with the Miami Dolphins last March. Obviously, it's not a good sign that Albert has yet to show up to offseason workouts, but hopefully the two sides can figure out their issues sooner rather than later to put Jacksonville in a better position with the offensive line heading into next year.
Jan 7, 2017; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans cornerback A.J. Bouye (21) in action against the Oakland Raiders during the AFC Wild Card playoff football game at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
4. Defense should be more reliable
Never in a million years would people believe the Jacksonville Jaguars of all teams would be one of the big winners of free agency, but that was exactly the case this offseason. From Calais Campbell to A.J. Bouye, the Jaguars made plenty of big moves on the defensive side of the football to turn plenty of doubters into believers when it comes to becoming serious contenders in the AFC for the 2017 season.
Hopefully, an improvement on defense will result in taking some of the pressure off Blake Bortles and the rest of the offense with opponents struggling to put up points. For a majority of the year, Bortles and the Jaguars offense found themselves playing from behind after the defense ranked eighth by allowing 25 points per game.
Thanks to the upgrades and changes made to the defense, Bortles will hopefully feel less pressure when lining up under center since Jacksonville should actually be competitive in games instead of playing from behind most of the time. As shown over the years, an offense can only do so much on their own without the necessary help from their defense, and based off the moves made by the Jaguars in the offseason on the defensive side, Bortles will hopefully feel a lot less pressure in 2017 by not having to play from behind as much.
Nov 12, 2016; Fayetteville, AR, USA; LSU Tigers running back Leonard Fournette (7) runs for a large gain after a reception during the first quarter of the game against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Rojo-USA TODAY Sports
3. Less pressure with Leonard Fournette in backfield
In three years with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Blake Bortles has never had a reliable running back to work with in the backfield to help take some of the pressure off running the offense, but all of that is about to change heading into 2017. With the fourth overall pick in this year's draft, the Jaguars selected former LSU standout Leonard Fournette. And if his work ethic in college is any indication of what to expect, Bortles is going to absolutely love having him in the backfield.
Despite his production being down during his final year with the Tigers, Fournette has proven to be a workhorse as a running back over the last three seasons, and seems capable of handling 20-25 carries per game, assuming he wins the starting job for Jacksonville. Believe it or not, the Jaguars already have a crowded backfield consisting of Chris Ivory and T.J. Yeldon, but everybody expects to see Fournette eventually work his way into receiving a majority of the carries.
The ground game has been a major issue for Jacksonville since Bortles came on board, but with Fournette joining Ivory and Yeldon, all signs point to those struggles coming to an end after averaging just 101.9 rushing yards per game in 2016. And if the running game improves, it will only benefit Bortles even more when it comes to proving he's the quarterback this team needs to build around.
Aug 20, 2016; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Allen Hurns (88) and wide receiver Allen Robinson (15) celebrate after a touchdown in the second quarter against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at EverBank Field. Mandatory Credit: Logan Bowles-USA TODAY Sports
2. Dynamic duo at wide receiver
Around this time last year when the hype surrounding Blake Bortles was beginning to rise, one of the main reasons why many believed the Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback would have a monster year in 2016 was due to his situation in the passing game. With a dynamic duo at wide receiver in Allen Hurns and Allen Robinson, it was easy to see why Bortles was able to complete 35 touchdown passes during the 2015 season, and set the bar high heading into last year.
When considering Hurns and Robinson combined for 144 catches for 2,431 yards with 24 touchdowns in 2015, Bortles shouldn't have had any issues taking advantage of this duo on offense last season. But for some reason Bortles just couldn't manage to find similar success in the passing game like the year before after Hurns and Robinson only combined for nine touchdowns during the 2016 season.
With a new coaching staff along with the pressure to succeed higher than ever, Bortles will hopefully return to his 2015 form that took advantage of having the dangerous duo of Hurns and Robinson to work with. Otherwise, the Jaguars along with other NFL teams are going to feel less confident about Bortles' ability to succeed if he can't even be reliable while having solid receivers to work with.
Dec 4, 2016; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles (5) reacts to throwing an interception during the second quarter of an NFL football game against the Denver Broncos at EverBank Field. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
1. Last chance for Bortles to prove himself
Blake Bortles doesn't need to be a rocket scientist to figure out how important it is for him to be successful at quarterback for the Jacksonville Jaguars during the 2017 season. Not only did the Jaguars make a bold move back in 2014 by using a first-rounder on the former Central Florida star, but the team has provided Bortles with the necessary weapons to be successful in the passing game. Yet he still has struggled to live up to his true potential.
Along with the key additions on both sides of the football, Jacksonville has made the necessary changes to the coaching staff and front office to help this team finally start moving in the right direction. Many believe former head coach Gus Bradley was a terrible fit for Bortles. But with him officially out of the picture, the Jaguars quarterback can no longer use that as an excuse for his struggles.
Bortles may not want to hear it, but if he can't even be effective as a starter in Jacksonville, there's not going to be any hope in the future for potentially landing a starting job elsewhere. Most quarterbacks would do anything to be in the position Bortles finds himself in when looking at the talent he gets to work with, and the pressure is certainly at an all time high heading into 2017 when it comes to proving he's worthy of being an NFL starter.
