Blake Bortles is on the verge of losing his starting job with the Jacksonville Jaguars, and many are wondering if his horrendous throws in the preseason are the result of some sort of injury. If you ask one of Bortles’ former coaches, the problems are all “between his ears.”
With all this talk about injury and the need for revamped mechanics, former Centra Florida offensive coordinator Charlie Taaffe told Chris Burke of The MMQB that he believes the issues Bortles is having are purely mental.
“He had a real problem a year ago, dropping the ball down below his right hip to throw — that obviously slows down your release time,” Taaffe explained. “It appears that aspect is fixed, not dropping the ball like he was.
“I think his issue at this stage is more that six inches between his ears than anything. I think it’s a mental thing now.”
Taaffe pointed to the Jaguars saying they were going to be patient with Bortles after drafting him third overall in 2014, then inserting him as a starter during his rookie season. He also feels Bortles is shouldering a lot of the blame when he continues to have bad teams surrounding him.
“You read all the negativity, you hear all that, after awhile—you’re only human—it gets to you,” Taaffe said. “I don’t think it’s so much of a physical thing, the mechanics. If anything it’s the confidence factor. … A lot gets pinned on the quarterback, but they look pretty much like the same team I’ve seen over the time Blake’s been there.”
The Jaguars announced this week that Chad Henne is going to start in the all-important third preseason game, which isn’t a surprise after the way Bortles has played. On one particular play where he underthrew a wide open Allen Robinson, Taaffe said it was Bortles’ reaction that concerned him the most.
i feel bad for bortles sometimes. dude just looks exasperated after every bad throw pic.twitter.com/HeNC5VWsND
— charles mcdonald (@FourVerts) August 18, 2017
“I was a little concerned just seeing his body language the other night during the game, particularly when he underthrew that deep ball,” said Taaffe. “Just his reaction, you can tell it’s really gotten to him.”
Based on what Jags coach Doug Marrone said recently, it does not sound like Bortles has a bright future in Jacksonville. The good news is he’s only 25, and everyone knows the talent is there. Perhaps a fresh start elsewhere would be the best thing for him.
