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Blake Bortles Assumes Leadership With the Jacksonville Jaguars

By Luke Sims

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Blake Bortles is something special.

We Jacksonville Jaguars fans all know that. He has a certain something (those precious intangibles none of us can see to accurately measure) that screams he is ready to be something the NFL. He took his lumps as a rookie, but he’s doing everything right heading into his second season.

That’s noticeable for those of us who follow the Jaguars and for those who don’t. Blake Bortles is doing everything in his power to be a better player. Whilst doing so, he is also proving to be the leader that the team has lacked in recent years. He is assuming the leadership role in just his second season with the team, turning the 2015 Jaguars into his team.

This is being done through his hard work and leadership. Per ESPN’s Michael DiRocco, Bortles is making strides:

"The changes may be hard to see for those who don’t study tape or aren’t familiar with quarterback fundamentals, but teammates and coach Gus Bradley said they saw a significant difference in the second-year former Central Florida standout in the first of 10 organized team activities (OTAs) workouts.”"

OTAs are rarely an indicator of success during the regular season, but for Blake Bortles and the Jaguars, it’s important to see Bortles turning his fundamentals into significant progression from last season. Veteran tight end Marcedes Lewis is noticing it, saying, “I’m looking forward to seeing what he’s going to be doing. You can definitely tell he went back home and sharpened up and that’s really good to see from a guy getting drafted where he did and coming into his second year.” Other players are making note as well, inspiring the team to be better.

We saw Bortles raise all boats in 2014 simply by providing a stronger, more inspiring presence at quarterback. A fresher, more polished Bortles could inspire the Jaguars to do something special on offense this year. The progression is real with wide receiver Allen Hurns noting, “Coming in last year he was working on his spirals, so this offseason I worked with him and his balls are getting a lot faster.”

Blake Bortles is getting praise all around him and he deserves it. He’s leading the team with his work ethic, impressing his peers and his coaches.

That’s leadership done the right way by a young player.

Next: Are the Jags Relying Too Much on T.J. Yeldon

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