Is Blake Bortles The Best Quarterback In The AFC South?
By Larry Brake
Blake Bortles is looking to redeem himself in 2017. Is it possible that he is the best quarterback in the AFC South?
Blake Bortles has spent the best part of the offseason trying to regain his 2015 form. Seems like he is under more scrutiny than any other quarterback in the NFL. Is he possibly the better quarterback in the AFC South due to offseason developments?
Adam Schein of NFL.com ranked the AFC South as the seventh best division according to its quarterbacks. His evaluation of the AFC South:
"In theory, this group could end up in the No. 8 spot. I love Luck, Mariota and Watson. But Luck currently can’t throw a football. That’s a problem. Bortles can’t throw a football — and he’s completely healthy. Also a problem. I’m not even messing around with Tom Savage here. Watson was rightly drafted to start. And he should. I love the fit. But he’s still a rookie. Assuming Mariota’s healthy, I anticipate another strong year from the Titans signal caller."
Bortles deserves more respect as a quarterback from Schein. First of all, if you look at his statistics, from 2016, he ranked better than you think. How many drops did his receivers have?
Blake Bortles May Currently Be The Best Quarterback In The AFC South
First, Andrew Luck had offseason shoulder surgery. Currently, he is unable to throw a pass per Indystar.com. The advantage goes to Blake Bortles.
Next, Deshaun Watson has not played a down in the NFL. Watson is not the starting Houston quarterback heading into train camp. Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com reports that head coach Bill O’Brien says:
"Still, despite the progress Watson has made, O’Brien made it clear that Tom Savage will still enter training camp as the No. 1 quarterback on the Texans’ roster."
Once again, the advantage goes to Bortles.
Finally, Marcus Mariota of Tennessee is a good young quarterback. In 2016, he completed 276 passes for 3426 yards and 26 touchdowns. He averaged 228.4 passing yards per game.
In conclusion, Bortles may have the edge because he is healthy. Luck and Mariota are recovering from injuries relating back to the 2016 season. Bortles worst enemy is the interception and his propensity to throw them. Should he be able to greatly reduce them, the Jaguars have the best quarterback in the AFC South.