Ben Roethlisberger Thought Blake Bortles Most NFL-Ready
By Luke Sims
Jacksonville Jaguars rookie starting quarterback Blake Bortles received high praise from Pittsburgh Steelers franchise quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. The two quarterbacks face off on Sunday when Big Ben takes his team on the road to Jacksonville to face Bortles and the young Jaguars.
"He can extend plays, he can throw the ball on the run, he is an impressive young player. I liked him coming out [of UCF]. I thought he was the most [NFL]-ready and the guy that I thought could be the best.– Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger per ESPN’s Scott Brown"
Roethlisberger and Bortles worked out together over the summer so the quarterback probably knows what he is talking about. Even if Bortles wasn’t actually the most NFL-ready coming out of college, Roethlisberger likely saw something while working with Bortles that makes him believe that he was.
Roethlisber’s praise is big, especially since he was a successful rookie. He led the Steelers to a 13-0 record in his first season after being drafted in the first round. Tommy Maddox had the team at 2-1 before going down with an injury and Roethlisberger helped lead the team to the AFC Conference Championship where his run ended in a 16-2 loss to the New England Patriots.
Bortles inherited an 0-3 start from incumbent starter Chad Henne and likely won’t be able to lead his young team to the playoffs with just 12 games left on the schedule. He was forced into action because of Henne’s inability to lead the offense, causing the coaching staff to turn to the rookie in frustration, hope, and probably with a little bit of knowledge about what Bortles was capable of.
Like Roethlisberger, the Jaguars likely thought the rookie was the most NFL-ready quarterback, leading them to pull the trigger at third overall well before other quarterbacks were taken off the board. That kind of confidence is inspiring and Bortles has that endorsement to go with Roethlisberger’s.
Bortles continues to draw comparisons to Roethlisberger. Hopefully a run of victories begin against the Steelers and Bortles can bring success to a franchise that is hungry for it.