Blake Bortles must carry the Jacksonville Jaguars

Blake Bortles is coming into the 2015 NFL season full of optimism.

So far, everything is going right.

He worked all offseason to correct his mechanical problems at quarterback. He worked at limiting his mental mistakes through training camp and the preseason. He worked to build a rapport with a strong group of young receivers in Allen Hurns, Marqise Lee, and Allen Robinson.

Now he must work at carrying the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The difference between good quarterbacks and great quarterbacks is the ability to truly carry a team. It’s the reason why Peyton Manning has won so many MVP awards, it’s why Aaron Rodgers is winning them now, and it’s why Tom Brady is invaluable to the New England Patriots even though Bill Belichick’s coaching is so strong.

Those are great quarterbacks who prove their worth week in and week out. They all carry their teams.

The Denver Broncos, Green Bay Packers, and Patriots are all much more complete teams than the Jacksonville Jaguars are. It’s a lot tougher for a quarterback to carry a team that still has significant questions surrounding it, like the Jaguars.

Yet that is the task that Blake Bortles is being called upon to do.

2015 may not be the year the Jags get above .500. 2015 may not be the year that Bortles shows he can carry an NFL team. But like his work to improve his mechanics and decision making, Bortles will take steps toward being the Atlas we all need.

It’s a tough job filled with nuances that are tough to measure. Intangibles like leadership, work ethic, charisma, and even morals are what make a quarterback so invaluable in the locker room and on the field. Those intangibles are sought after because they permeate the entire organization, getting inside people and making them want to rise up as well.

Blake Bortles has some of that. He is developing his football skills as well as his non-football skills. Those intangibles are fledgling, but they are there.

It will all fall to Blake Bortles to carry the Jacksonville Jaguars. 2015 is the year we will finally see the beginning of him lifting the team.

Next: Can Blake Bortles keep up his stellar play?

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