Blake Bortles Era Starts for Jacksonville Jaguars

Ignore the interceptions. Ignore the touchdowns. Ignore the completions. Ignore Chad Henne. All that matters from Sunday’s blowout loss to the Indianapolis Colts was that Blake Bortles came in and played for the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The Blake Bortles Era has begun.

And it’s already looking better than anything the Jags have put together in the past couple of years.

With the fans chanting for Bortles following Henne’s futile efforts in the first half, Blake Bortles finally came off the bench to start the second half and you could feel the electricity around the stadium.

The fans, the players, the coaches, and even the officials seemed charged after the third overall pick of the 2014 draft entered the game. He stood tall in the pocket, he took chances, and he looked every bit the starter that Jags Nation needs. The future has arrived Jacksonville and it’s Blake Bortles and he’s here to play.

Head coach Gus Bradley will be criticized for holding onto Bortles for so long while Chad Henne struggled during the first few games of the season. All may be forgiven however after seeing Bortles come in with an air of command and show why general manager Dave Caldwell thought high enough of the young gunslinger to pick him third overall.

If anything, Bortles showed that the poise he displayed in the preseason (and subsequent success in those meaningless exhibitions) was not a fluke. Blake Bortles is ready for the NFL. While he didn’t get a chance to sit and learn behind Henne for a full season, it was obvious when he took the field that there wasn’t much Henne could teach him anyway.

There’s no looking back now. It’s all Bortles from this point forward.

Personally, I couldn’t be more pleased.

Welcome to the Blake Bortles Era, Jacksonville. Have a seat next to me.