Blake Bortles: Mastering new offense should be top priority

Blake Bortles spent much of the offseason focusing on getting new offensive coordinator Greg Olson’s offense down. It was a primary focus for the young signal caller and the sooner he gets everything together the sooner the offense will get rolling.

The reports on Bortles’ work to get the offense down often sound like they are supportive of the efforts of the quarterback, as if he has been going above and beyond his role. The support is certainly correct, but we need to make one thing clear: this is the job of a starting quarterback in the NFL. It is expected of Blake Bortles to take time out of his offseason to become familiar with the offense.

When asked what Bortles’ primary goal was for training camp, he said, “To come out of camp with a clear ownership of the offense. I got a brief overview of it going through the spring and had an opportunity this month to stay on top of it by continuing to review things.”

That work ethic is now expected of Bortles and he must master this offense. Mastering the offense needs to be top priority for a quarterback. Quarterbacks who come out to lead a drive and look lost are major liabilities. Bortles needs to know this offense backward and forward and be able to direct the other ten players on the field with him.

While Bortles entered the league with some troubles, raising the standard expected of him will be important as we continue to judge the quarterback. I think it is clear he is taking his job seriously and attacking it like a professional. Things like taking the time to master the offense during the offseason are important steps toward achieving that higher standard.

Blake Bortles must become the franchise quarterback for the Jacksonville Jaguars if they hope to have a chance at winning coming out of this rebuild. So far, it seems like he’s up to the task.

Next: Will Blake Bortles be a winner in training camp?

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