Blake Bortles got some rest for his weary arm over the weekend as the Jaguars curtailed his snaps after a heavy workload to open camp. The quarterback says his arm is fine despite the needed rest.
"My arm is fine," Bortles said Tuesday, via ESPN's Michael DiRocco. "It feels good. I'll be all right."
Bortles has taken heat from everyone -- from coaches, to media, for inconsistent play. The quarterback said to turn his career around entering a pivotal season, the Jags ramped up the preparation.
"I've taken more reps in this camp than probably the last three years all combined," he said. "That was something in talking with coach [Doug] Marrone and coach [Nathaniel] Hackett that I knew they had done that in the past. They had their reasons and philosophies on why they do it. I totally agree with it."
Despite the added reps, Bortles is still having his bouts with struggles. He's had a five-interception practice. There have been good moments for Bortles during camp, but the fourth-year pro knows he needs to limit the miscues by continuing to ramp up the reps.
"We're still making mistakes, and we've had thousands of reps," Bortles said. "Imagine if we only had 500, it would be probably way worse. I think the only way to eliminate those mistakes is continue to do it and continue to do it and continue to correct it in meetings until it's beaten in your head that you know how to do it."
Despite the increased workload this camp, Marrone still sees an inconsistent quarterback.
"I think when anyone asks me about someone's ability, and a lot of times that comes with the quarterback, they are always like, 'Hey, where are you? How did his week go? Are you happy with him?'" Marrone said. "I think for me personally, I'm always trying to get more, so for me I'm one of those guys that it's hard for me to say. There are some throws that I'll think, 'Hey, that's a good throw,' and then I'll be like, 'That's a horse s--- throw.' At the end of the day, I'm just trying to get more and get better.
"So we rested him the other day. I thought he came back and really had no issues for these two days [against the Buccaneers]."
A Jacksonville team with the talent to make the playoffs hopes the increased workload -- and reliance on the ground game -- can help morph Bortles into a productive, game-managing quarterback in 2017.
