Blake Bortles enters a make-or-break year with the Jacksonville Jaguars after coming off a dreadful 2016 campaign.
The 25-year-old quarterback threw 16 interceptions and lost six fumbles last year, many of those turnovers were of the back-breaking, game-ending variety. Bortles understands he must cut out the "stupid" turnovers if the Jags are to reach their full potential in 2017.
"If you don't turn the ball over, you'll win football games," Bortles said, via WTLV-TV in Jacksonville. "That's our focus. Turnovers are going to happen. We get that. You have to make sure to minimize them as much as possible and stay away from the stupid ones."
It's notable that those 16 interceptions last season were a career-low for the third-year quarterback.
Bortles' new boss, Tom Coughlin -- the man determining the quarterback's future with the franchise -- won't suffer watching his signal-caller piss away offensive opportunities, especially with turnovers stemming from awful decisions.
Coughlin already has the entire team's attention.
"To have a guy like that in the building that you can talk to -- I'm sure [head coach Doug Marrone], having another head coach in the building, a former head coach in the building who has been successful and has done some good things -- I think it's good for everybody," Bortles said. "It allows everybody to have somebody to talk to, to help out. He has a ton of good information."
Coughlin has helped buffer Bortles, adding pieces that should help the quarterback minimize the turnovers, including adding first-round running back Leonard Fournette.
