Over the past few years, Blake Bortles has been the face of NFL offseason trope. Even with a new head coach in Jacksonville, it appears we can continue to expect a similar vernacular regarding the 25-year-old gunslinger.
"He's improved -- there's no doubt about it," Jaguars coach Doug Marrone said Saturday at rookie minicamp, per the team's website.
Jacksonville picked up Bortles' fifth-year option following an up-and-down 2016 campaign featuring 23 touchdown passes and 16 interceptions. Jaguars executive vice president Tom Coughlin called the decision to exercise it "a smart business decision for the team," which came a few months after Jags general manager Dave Caldwell said "I think we can win a Super Bowl with Blake."
It's clear that we're already strapped in for another jam-packed stretch of Bortles trope. And now, you can mark the "spent offseason undergoing complete mechanics rebuild with quarterback guru(s)" square on your Blake Bingo card.
Per the team's website, Bortles has worked this offseason with quarterback gurus Tom House and Adam Dedeaux to revamp his mechanics and fundamentals -- and it's already paying dividends.
"There are certain things, as far as his elbow and his arm, that are much improved," Marrone said. "I think there are still other things we're still working on as well as everyone else at this stage."
With a little under four months until the Jaguars open their season against the Texans, we still have plenty of time to soak in the The Blake Bortles Redemption Tour.
