NFL teams
Michael DiRocco, ESPN Staff Writer 7y

Jags' Bortles says this is 'the most important month' of his career

NFL, Jacksonville Jaguars

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - Quarterback Blake Bortles knows his future with the Jacksonville Jaguars -- and possibly the NFL -- depends on his being significantly better than he was last season.

He has to shore up mechanical issues with his footwork and delivery. He has to cut down on turnovers, read defenses better, make quicker decisions and be a more accurate passer. Bortles said he's made some progress, especially mechanically, but has to make more during the Jaguars' 10 organized team activities and mandatory minicamp.

"I think this is by far the most important month of my career," Bortles said after the first OTA on Tuesday. "And then the following month will be just as important and so on and so forth until we start rolling."

It looked as if Bortles and the Jaguars were on their way to doing that after his breakout season in 2015 when he set single-season franchise records for passing yards (4,428) and passing touchdowns (35).

In the 2016 season, however, Bortles completed 58.9 percent of his passes for 3,905 yards and 23 touchdowns with 16 interceptions. His mechanics came under scrutiny as his footwork got sloppy and his delivery became longer and longer.

Offensive coordinator Greg Olson was fired on Oct. 29 after the Jaguars' loss at Tennessee in a nationally televised Thursday night game. Head coach Gus Bradley was fired after the team's loss at Houston on Dec. 18.

The Jaguars finished with three victories -- the sixth consecutive season in which they lost at least 11 games -- and Bortles' poor play was a big reason.

As soon as the season ended he headed to California to work with his throwing coaches at the 3DQB training facility. They helped him clean up his mechanics after his rookie season, and he said he feels good about the changes they helped him make.

Even so, he concedes that he understands if people are skeptical about his chances of being a viable starting quarterback.

"Obviously, I believe I can do it," Bortles said. "I believe I can do it at this level and do it well, and I know that hasn't always been the case. That doesn't mean I've lost confidence in myself. It is important for those guys to have that belief in me or whoever is playing quarterback.

"That's extremely important for guys to have that belief in their quarterback, that everything's going to get done properly and balls are going to be delivered at right place and you're going to get them in the right play and all that. That's a never-ending battle of earning those guys' trust and respect."

The Jaguars gave him somewhat of a vote of confidence by picking up his fifth-year option, which would pay him nearly $20 million in 2018. That amount would be guaranteed for injury only unless he was on the roster on the first day of the 2018 league year, which would make it fully guaranteed.

The team's decision to pick up the option was widely criticized considering how poorly Bortles played in 2016 -- and he said he understands that, too.

"It's that saying, like, 'What have you done for me lately?'" Bortles said. "Well, that's our lately and that's my lately, so until we get a chance to go play again in September and change that narrative that's who we are. We've got a long ways to go to fix that and change that and it's going to take place over the next couple months."

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