JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- It’s obvious by now that rookie quarterback Blake Bortles definitely has the ability to be the franchise quarterback the Jacksonville Jaguars have been seeking since Mark Brunell's heyday in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
But it’s just as clear that he’s going to need a lot more help than he got on Sunday to get there.
Bortles certainly wasn’t perfect in the Jaguars' 17-9 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers at EverBank Field. He threw two interceptions, including one that was returned for a touchdown, and fumbled two shotgun snaps. But he didn’t get much of an assist. An offense that featured four other rookies in the starting lineup self-destructed all afternoon.
"There were some plays out there that we left on the field," coach Gus Bradley said. "We had some dropped balls that I know we’ve made in practice and now we’ve got to bring it to the game and make those plays. As a team we need to finish better."
Playing with a rookie quarterback virtually guarantees mistakes. There will be misreads, bad throws, and instances of "what was he thinking?" That means mistakes made elsewhere are going to be magnified. But when some of your other key players are rookies, you know they’re going to make mistakes, too.
Rookie receiver Allen Hurns had three drops, a holding penalty that wiped out a 9-yard run, and missed a block on a screen pass that resulted in a 2-yard loss the play before the pick six.
Rookie center Luke Bowanko had a holding penalty that wiped out a 20-yard catch by Hurns and fired off a shotgun snap slightly above Bortles’ head that resulted in a 6-yard loss.
Tight end Clay Harbor had a drop as well, plus second-year left tackle Luke Joeckel had a holding penalty that wiped out a 30-yard run to the Pittsburgh 3-yard line by Jordan Todman on the Jaguars’ first possession.
That kept the Jaguars from getting into the end zone and managing three field goals against a defense that gave up 10 fourth-quarter points to Tampa Bay at home.
"That’s all on us," Joeckel said. "The offensive line, the receivers, everyone has to be accountable for that. That’s all stuff we can control and stuff we can fix. That’s things we’ll see on film and right away we should be able to knock all that stuff out. That stuff happens in the game sometimes but we can control that part."
Expect things to be like this the rest of the season. Drops, penalties, turnovers, blown assignments, missed blocks. Bortles is going to continue to make bad reads and bad throws. That’s not a pessimistic approach. That’s realistic considering there are seven rookies that will play significant roles on offense the rest of the season: Bortles, Bowanko, guard Brandon Linder, Hurns, receiver Allen Robinson, receiver Marqise Lee (who missed the game with a hamstring injury), and running back Storm Johnson.
It’s going to be a mess at times, but the Jaguars are hopeful it’s going to pay off in 2015.
"I think it’s cool," Bortles said. "I think it’s cool to go through it as a group, as a unit, obviously, like you said, with a bunch of rookies. We’re learning and getting better each week. That’s a cool process. You’re playing football. Go play football."
And give him some help.
