NFL Jacksonville Jaguars

Jacksonville Jaguars Are Out Of Their Minds For Keeping Blake Bortles On The Bench

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By @Tidow1212

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The Jacksonville Jaguars made a savvy move by drafting Central Florida quarterback Blake Bortles with the third overall pick in the NFL Draft. Bortles was the least-hyped quarterback coming out of college, with Johnny Manziel taking that title and Teddy Bridgewater by far getting more attention than him as well. However, Bortles is undoubtedly the most talented pure passer and all-around signal caller out of the group, and the Jaguars undeniably have a bright future ahead of them with Bortles in town.

But why isn’t the future now?

GM David Caldwell made what many Jaguars fans and media alike felt was an utterly shocking decision by declaring veteran Chad Henne as his starter during the preseason. Henne is a sporadically productive quarterback who can put up statistics at times, but he perennially loses games going back to his days with the Miami Dolphins after being taken out of Michigan with high hopes that never materialized.

The Jaguars made their share of improvements over the offseason through the draft and free agency, and while no one is expecting the team to cement a postseason berth, the AFC is very top heavy this year with the impregnable juggernaut Denver Broncos clearly the cream of the crop. And the remainder of potential contenders like the Indianapolis Colts and Cincinnati Bengals seem to be the only other guarantees to be playing deep into the winter. Jacksonville undoubtedly had a chance to take a big step forward this year, but the team is undergoing a rebuild. That makes the absence of Bortles from the starting lineup even more puzzling when you think about it.

If the team overall has made such significant improvements and plays in one of the weakest divisions in the NFL as currently constructed in the AFC South, why look forward to two seasons from now to plan on competing? If Bortles does not see much playing time during his 2014 rookie campaign, his learning curve will have to take place in 2015 in a scenario that could hold back what would be an otherwise playoff caliber roster considering the Jaguars will have another draft class added as well as the opportunity to add pivotal free agents. This strategy just does not make sense and leads me to wonder if Caldwell is out of his mind.

While I understand Jacksonville’s offensive line couldn’t block an inchworm lately, who’s to say it will be much better next season? What if it’s worse? These questions must factor into the decision realizing that delaying Bortles’ takeover of this franchise makes little to no sense whatsoever and is painfully shortsighted at best.

Bortles must be inserted into the starting lineup immediately, as it’s imperative that he experiences his growing pains while there are zero expectations for the franchise to win in 2014. And who knows? In this modern day, pass-friendly NFL, most organizations are typically one devastating injury away from going from an astoundingly good team to an injured floundering one. Not that anyone would wish that the Colts lose Andrew Luck to a heartbreaking injury, but stranger things can and do happen on a semi-regular basis in the NFL. Just ask Sam Bradford and the St. Louis Rams how quickly fortunes can change.

The fact that Bortles did not begin the season in the starting lineup was borderline absurd but almost understandable as holding a clipboard for a game or two can do no harm. But now that Henne looks to be playing the way Henne usually plays, there’s simply no credible explanation that Bortles’ time on the bench is still warranted.

Whispers that would suggest otherwise are outrageous and are probably coming from Jaguars’ rivals that can’t stand the idea of Bortles getting his development underway this season.

Timothy Downs is a New York Giants writer for www.RantSports.com. You can add him on Google or follow on Twitter @Tidow1212

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