Is Blake Bortles the Best QB Among 2-10 Teams?

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Blake Bortles has taken his lumps this rookie season and he’s certainly been a liability in some cases (just look back at that Miami Dolphins game), but ultimately he’s doing the type of job we expected. Keep in mind, he’s no Peyton Manning. He is, however, a skilled young player who occasionally showcases the big arm and athleticism that made him the third overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft.

Because the Jaguars have been subpar all season long, we’ll compare Blake Bortles to his contemporaries: those quarterbacks on 2-10 teams.

The teams that are 2-10 are:

• Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• Jacksonville Jaguars
• New York Jets
• Tennessee Titans

Among those teams, these quarterbacks have taken at least 25% of the team’s snaps:

• Blake Bortles (Jaguars)*
• Mike Glennon (Bucs)
• Jake Locker (Titans)
• Josh McCown (Bucs)*
• Zach Mettenberger (Titans)*
• Geno Smith (Jets)*
• Michael Vick (Jets)

*indicates most recent starter

A couple of things to notice right off the bat: all of the 2-10 teams except the Jacksonville Jaguars are having consistent issues at quarterback. Whether they transitioned to the future late, like the Titans, or they just can’t figure out who is worse, like the Jets, these teams can’t quite find “the guy” at the position. Blake Bortles has an advantage because the coaching staff is sticking by him no matter what, through thick and thin. Likewise, Zach Mettenberger appears to be the answer at quarterback in Tennessee despite sprinklings of Jake Locker and Charlie Whitehurst this season.

Where things get interesting is when we look at the statistics. Statistics don’t lie, so don’t expect any magically great numbers here (these are 2-10 teams we’re talking about after all), but look to see how the players compare to each other. Intangibles, obviously, can’t be measured through simple stats.

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From the data it’s pretty obvious that the follow quarterbacks simply aren’t doing any good: Geno Smith, Michael Vick, Jake Locker. Unfortunately for the Jets, both Smith and Vick have mediocre completion percentages. Both players have yards per attempt below 6, which is also rather horrendous. Jake Locker, in comparison is a slight step above. Ultimately, the once-future of the Titans has never proven to be more than his mediocre statistics. At leas the Titans have a new future in Mettenberger, while the Jets are stuck with Smith and Vick for now.

Of the remaining four quarterbacks, Mettenberger has the best yards per attempt. Playing with a smaller sample size than the other current starters, Mettenberger has made the most of his throws, proving to be quite efficient. Fellow rookie Blake Bortles, in comparison, has struggled to improve his yards per attempt, despite completing a higher percentage of passes. Mike Glennon has taken the best care of the ball, boasting just six interceptions. Blake Bortles, meanwhile, has thrown the ball to the opponent 15 times.

Overall, it looks like Mettenberger is the king quarterback among the league’s worst teams (not counting the Raiders). Blake Bortles could be a close second, but we’re basing that mostly on his overall body of work, which includes raising the boats around him. Being the definite starter going forward also puts him ahead of McCown and Glennon.

What do you guys think? Which 2-10’s quarterback would you most prefer to have on your team?