Well that didn't take long.
Let the history books state that on Wednesday, January 25, 2017, we achieved liftoff on The Blake Bortles Redemption Tour.
The public image makeover begins with a source close to the situation. Here's what Jaguars general manager Dave Caldwell had to say about his quarterback this week at the Senior Bowl.
"I've said this time and time again: 'I think we can win a lot of games with Blake; I think we can win a Super Bowl with Blake,'" Caldwell said, via the Jaguars team site. "I think he needs to improve and I think we need to improve around him, too, in order for that to happen."
Caldwell better be right. He survived the axe when coach Gus Bradley was sent packing late last season and Tom Coughlin was hired this month in a front-office role that could easily render Caldwell redundant if Jacksonville's struggles continue. Caldwell's job may depend on whether Bortles can wipe away the ugliness of his 2016 campaign.
"I think the future is bright for him," he went on. "I have a lot of confidence in him. I know he has the makeup in terms of intelligence, competitiveness, his hard work, his effort, so if he has those things I think the rest of it will come."
Bortles is a prime candidate for one of the most popular tropes of the NFL offseason: Struggling Quarterback X Primed For Bounceback Season.
We'll inevitably be subjected to all the reasons why this can and will happen, a greatest hits collection that includes: Player X Showed Flashes In Season's Final Weeks; Player X Has Semi-Recent Track Record Of Success; Player X Is Still, You Know, Pretty Young; Player X Will Benefit From Coaching Change -- and our personal favorite -- Player X Spent Offseason Undergoing Complete Mechanics Rebuild With Quarterback Guru Y.
Bortles is a special trope case because there's a good chance we'll come across every one of these storylines before Week 1 next September. It's Blake Bingo and we all get to play along.
