Blake Bortles Ready to Get Down to Business

Blake Bortles has spent the last two months working on his footwork in California. The Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback was always going to be a project and he was forced to start ahead of schedule in his rookie season. Despite concerns, his raw talents flashed through in some moments during the 2014 season and the Jaguars are more than happy to stick with him going forward.

As they should.

The potential of Blake Bortles is near limitless. For much of last season he drew praise from many corners (not the position) of the NFL world and he was frequently compared favorably to some of the best in the business, chief among those comparisons was Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.

Like Big Ben, Bortles has struggled with sacks. He was sacked a league high 55 times in 2014 and while his offensive line has gotten an upgrade at right tackle this offseason, he will also have to get better at evading would-be tacklers and keeping plays alive.

Hence the footwork practice.

It isn’t all about the footwork, though. Bortles has been working with Tom House, a throwing guru, to make sure that his throwing motion gets better and also to work on stopping his arm from deteriorating through the season. That deterioration is something that young quarterbacks have to be wary of as the overuse in the NFL is a step up from the college level.

With time spent working on his technique and time spent better understanding his body and that rocket arm of his, Bortles is gearing up for the 2015 NFL season the right way. He’s making sure that everything that is within his power to change and develop is being addressed. He knows that as he gets better, so will the team.

In an era where quarterbacks are expected to come in and be saviors right away, it’s nice to see a young quarterback who wasn’t necessarily successful in his first season immediately hit the ground running for his sophomore campaign. It’s nice to see Blake Bortles’ work ethic as well, providing a stark contrast to some other quarterbacks (looking at you Johnny Manziel) who aren’t buckling down quite as well.

He’s showing he’s ready for the 2015 NFL season. He’s ready to get down to business.

Next: Predicting Every 2015 Jaguars Game?

More from Black and Teal

Home/Jacksonville Jaguars News