The Jacksonville Jaguars revealed over the weekend that Blake Bortles will be their starting quarterback for Week 1, and head coach Doug Marrone says that has a lot to do with the improvement Bortles has shown in practice.
Since he was officially named the starter on Saturday, Bortles has apparently been proving he is worthy of the title.
“I think he’s doing a nice job,” Marrone said Monday, via Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com. “I really do. For me, personally, it’s the best I’ve seen him. … I’ve seen him build upon his last performance. I’m hoping to see that that carries over because he’s actually done quite well.”
Bortles played so poorly in Jacksonville’s first and second preseason games that Chad Henne got the start in the all-important third exhibition. Fortunately for Bortles, that wasn’t a death sentence. He outplayed Henne in the game and took the job back, and Marrone says his footwork and composure have looked much improved since.
Bortles indicated that just being named the Week 1 starter put him at ease.
“I feel like I’m just playing,” he said Saturday. “I feel comfortable. I feel confident with the system. I feel comfortable in it. I feel comfortable with the guys that I’m playing with.”
After he appeared to be on the verge of a breakout with a solid season in 2015, Bortles posted a passer rating of 78.8 last year. He threw just 23 touchdown passes and 16 interceptions. If you believe what one of his former coaches recently said, Bortles has been dealing with some confidence issues. He’ll almost certainly be on a short leash to start the season, so we’ll see how he is able to respond to having Henne breathing down his neck.
