Players in the Jacksonville Jaguars locker room seem to think that rookie Blake Bortles might be a better option for an offense that's been struggling the first two weeks of the season, according to a report by Jason Cole.
"The Jaguars would very much like to hold off on starting Blake Bortles for as long as they can, however the obvious problem with Chad Henne is he's holding the ball too long, he's taking too many sacks," Bleacher Report NFL Insider Jason Cole told Adam Lefkoe. "He took 10 sacks in the loss against Washington on Sunday, he took three in the first game. That's 13 in the first two games, and while a lot of the blame is going to go on the Jacksonville offensive line, which is not very good, much of it also has to go on Chad Henne who's simply holding the ball way too long."
The Jaguars have given up 13 sacks over the course of the first two games, and as Cole mentions, some of those sacks have been due to missed blocks and some are on the shoulders of Henne holding the ball too long. In the preseason, Bortles was able to make big plays, even while under pressure, and if this report is true it seems that some of the players in the locker room are ready to make a change.
"There is a belief in that locker room that Bortles will at least be able to get rid of the ball faster," Cole said. "There is a concern however from management about the line being so porous it will force Bortles to regress from his great start in training camp. So there's a lot of weighing going on here back and forth."
Why this report makes sense:
Bradley didn't commit to a quarterback next week against the Indianapolis Colts immediately after Sunday's game, so maybe the thought is in his mind. Some of the issues on the offensive line might be controlled better with a quarterback who has better pocket presence and mobility, as well as being accurate on throwing on the run.
Bortles has also shined under pressure in the preseason, so maybe having a player who won't curl up at the first sign of a sack will let the offense at least move the football. Some on the Jaguars radio broadcast even remarked that maybe the team should put Bortles in, just to try and get a spark.
Why this report doesn't make sense:
Even with this report from Cole, some of the Jaguars veterans in the locker room voiced support for Henne after the game.
Jaguars TE Marcedes Lewis and OT Cam Bradfield both throw their support behind Chad Henne to remain team's starting QB.
— Michael DiRocco (@ESPNdirocco) September 14, 2014
During the 41-10 loss to Washington on Sunday, Jaguars head coach Gus Bradley said after the game he didn't even think about making the switch to Blake Bortles during the game, despite the offense being woeful.
What I think
Personally, I still think Chad Henne starts against the Colts on Sunday. Too much went wrong, everywhere, in the loss to Washington for me to see Bradley making a move at the quarterback position. The fact that Bradley didn't even entertain the idea of putting Bortles in the game after it was well out of hand says a lot.
This is also the kind of reporting that I really dislike, because while it's probably true to some degree, it's not something where you can ever prove it right or wrong.