I haven't seen him play much, but I can see the Jake Locker comparison. Will probably Gabbert himself out of a job quickly.
I've seen about 5-6 games Bortles played this year. This is almost the worst I've seen him play, FWIW.
This...this..and this. No question about it. No one in the world was talking about this guy being a top 5 pick....until they needed to start promoting the Fiesta Bowl
No, he was getting some push well before then. Before the season, he was graded as a 4th round pick. During the season he started being mentioned as a mid-high 2nd rounder. More recently it's been a first rounder, potentially Top 10 (or 5). The last part may be due to ESPN promoting the game, but his stock was going up long before UCF won the conference.
Bortles hasn't been talked about as a high-level NFL prospect until like... the bowl games were announced. Seriously. ESPN marketing trying to fool the average fan. A month ago I heard Bortles being discussed as a 2nd day pick and possibly an athlete(HB/TE)/QB.
I'm watching the Louisville game on DVR at the same time as the USF game, and Bortles looks "excited" relative to Bridgewater. Bortles looks like he's playing with his future on the line, while Bridgewater looks like he's playing a pickup game in someone's back yard. Watching the two side by side makes Bortles look really bad by comparison.
Not impressed at all. There's probably 4 QBs I'd take over Bortles. Guy shouldn't be drafted higher than the 3rd or 4th round. He doesn't look like an NFL-caliber starting QB to me...second stringer at best for the vast majority of NFL teams. It would be a huge mistake for Houston to draft this guy.
O'Brien will go into the season with Sanchez or Cassel before we draft Bortles. Nothing to worry about.
Off the Bortles bandwagon! :grin: Not that I was ever really on. Spoiler <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Bortles needs to go back to school. Just talked to a couple guys who called top 10 talk "absolutely absurd" said unlikely 1st round even...</p>— Benjamin Allbright (@AllbrightNFL) <a href="https://twitter.com/AllbrightNFL/statuses/418580125894971392">January 2, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> (re: Manziel) <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>“<a href="https://twitter.com/DomusHarrington">@DomusHarrington</a>: <a href="https://twitter.com/StarvingScout">@StarvingScout</a> Is he a QB (personality) that O'Brien would want?” He would like the competitiveness but not the freelance</p>— Jordan Plocher (@StarvingScout) <a href="https://twitter.com/StarvingScout/statuses/418580219440529408">January 2, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Bortles reminds me of Jake Locker with a little smoother stroke…Both guys struggle to see clearly</p>— Daniel Jeremiah (@MoveTheSticks) <a href="https://twitter.com/MoveTheSticks/statuses/418580696769126400">January 2, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Very mixed bag from QB Blake Bortles in the 1st half. Obvious that he's unrefined in several areas but the toolbox is intriguing <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23NFLDraft&src=hash">#NFLDraft</a></p>— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) <a href="https://twitter.com/dpbrugler/statuses/418586417329999872">January 2, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>This game seems to be typical Bortles. Plenty of inaccuracies and shorty footwork, but has some smart plays/placements, thus my 2nd day eval</p>— Shane P. Hallam (@ShanePHallam) <a href="https://twitter.com/ShanePHallam/statuses/418586748868775937">January 2, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p><a href="https://twitter.com/ryanlownes">@ryanlownes</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/ckparrot">@ckparrot</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/RosterWatch">@RosterWatch</a> I like Bortles from an athletic standpoint, but as a passer, Glennon may be a good comparison IMO</p>— Shane P. Hallam (@ShanePHallam) <a href="https://twitter.com/ShanePHallam/statuses/418589212699414528">January 2, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>I really don't understand all of the hype surrounding Blake Bortles. He's ranked 46th on my board. He has ability, but he's not a 1st RD QB.</p>— Chris Steuber (@ChrisSteuber) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChrisSteuber/statuses/418590591011024897">January 2, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p><a href="https://twitter.com/JoshLiskiewitz">@JoshLiskiewitz</a> - He flashed many top traits on that drive, but Bortles inconsistency this game is very frustrating.</p>— Russell Lande (@RUSSLANDE) <a href="https://twitter.com/RUSSLANDE/statuses/418600585454039040">January 2, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p><a href="https://twitter.com/RUSSLANDE">@RUSSLANDE</a> he's been all over the place - IMO teams willing to take him early are going on pure projection...</p>— Josh Liskiewitz (@JoshLiskiewitz) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoshLiskiewitz/statuses/418600997405999106">January 2, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p><a href="https://twitter.com/RUSSLANDE">@RUSSLANDE</a> body of work, consistency and technique just isn't there right now. Another year at UCF would serve him very well.</p>— Josh Liskiewitz (@JoshLiskiewitz) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoshLiskiewitz/statuses/418601146605764608">January 2, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p><a href="https://twitter.com/JoshLiskiewitz">@JoshLiskiewitz</a> - without question he should stay another season.</p>— Russell Lande (@RUSSLANDE) <a href="https://twitter.com/RUSSLANDE/statuses/418601924204580864">January 2, 2014</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Bridgewater or Manziel. Bortles isn't really helping his cause either with all the screen passes and what not.
To be fair, he's not the one calling the plays. Can't blame a QB for the coach calling screen and swing passes (that happen to turn into TDs).
I fell for the ESPN hype train by believing Bortles could be the second best Qb I this draft. He can't throw the deep ball half as well as Manziel. He tends to run much more than I thought, and he has made several poor reads. It seems like his receivers blew up his stats with all those bubble screens.
He's missing a lot of the easy slants as well. He should probably stay for another year and polish his game.
