[Other Sport] The Official NFL 2018 Thread

[albionalex]

If he's no good?

Jags with a proper QB would be very strong Super Bowl contenders, with Bortles that (truly excellent) defence has to keep teams to less than 15 every week. At some point they will not manage that when it matters. I don't know enough about that their cap space but if I was the Jags GM I would move heaven and earth to get a better QB in this season whilst the defence is still together and affordable.

He didn't play badly last year - we were one game from the Superbowl. If you look at the price QB's are going for at the moment we'd lose all of our cap flexibility.

 

[DarrenFreemansPerm]

What do you make of the Bortles contract?

Quite happy with it personally. Blake actually played pretty well last season, there were a few games where he dragged us through to get the win, unfortunately most people’s opinion of him is based on watching one or two games, also, the media love to bash him which is lazy. The kid is tough, he can run hard, and I can only see him improving when he links up with Sefarian-Jenkins. Last year Bortles had no Robinson, no Hurns and no receiving tight end. Last year he showed great maturity, looked after the ball a lot better and didn’t throw a single pick 6. I think we’ll be ok next year.

 

[DFL JCL]

Quite happy with it personally. Blake actually played pretty well last season, there were a few games where he dragged us through to get the win, unfortunately most people’s opinion of him is based on watching one or two games, also, the media love to bash him which is lazy. The kid is tough, he can run hard, and I can only see him improving when he links up with Sefarian-Jenkins. Last year Bortles had no Robinson, no Hurns and no receiving tight end. Last year he showed great maturity, looked after the ball a lot better and didn’t throw a single pick 6. I think we’ll be ok next year.

As a bears fan, i remember defending Cutler in a similar way. Ultimately though i tend to think the collective view on QB's is usually pretty accurate. The collective view on Cutler was that he made too many mistakes. I think it is similar about Bortles. I agree Bortles picked his game up, but i still think he can be horribly inaccurate. When he is bad he is very very bad, just like poor old Jay. I don't think he will ever be an elite QB, but who needs an elite QB nowadays... Foles and Keenum..

Jags should be competitive next season.... "defense wins superbowls".

 

[spring hall convert]

Quite happy with it personally. Blake actually played pretty well last season, there were a few games where he dragged us through to get the win, unfortunately most people’s opinion of him is based on watching one or two games, also, the media love to bash him which is lazy. The kid is tough, he can run hard, and I can only see him improving when he links up with Sefarian-Jenkins. Last year Bortles had no Robinson, no Hurns and no receiving tight end. Last year he showed great maturity, looked after the ball a lot better and didn’t throw a single pick 6. I think we’ll be ok next year.

The contract looks like a two year commitment for decent starter money. I was pretty comfortable with it if the Jags weren't going to overpay for Cousins in free agency or trade for Smith. If they rate Jackson or Rudolph they could still take them and sit them behind Blake, none of the other upper eschelon prospects are going to make it into a range the Jags could take them in.

Having said that I don't think the Jags win a superbowl with Blake Bortles as QB.

 

[Gritt23]

As a bears fan, i remember defending Cutler in a similar way. Ultimately though i tend to think the collective view on QB's is usually pretty accurate. The collective view on Cutler was that he made too many mistakes. I think it is similar about Bortles. I agree Bortles picked his game up, but i still think he can be horribly inaccurate. When he is bad he is very very bad, just like poor old Jay. I don't think he will ever be an elite QB, but who needs an elite QB nowadays... Foles and Keenum..

Jags should be competitive next season.... "defense wins superbowls".

I think Cutler is a very different example, as it was largely his dismissive body language that got under people's skin, and made them a lot less forgiving when he had a bad Jay day.

Bortles looks like a completely different animal to me, he looks far more of a leader. What really impressed me last season was what he did with his back-up receiving core. With Robinson and Hurns out of there, he could easily have nosedived and blamed the injuries to the two Allens. Instead, I found myself thinking "wow what a deep receiving core they have, with an improving Lee, but also being able to plug in the likes of Westbrook and Cole.

More often than not, it is NOT a deep receiving core, but actually a very adaptable QB. I thought last season, he earned the right to stay with the team. Different story if Cousins would have come, but certainly enough to quell talk of a move for Eli as a short term fix.

 

[Gritt23]

Having said that I don't think the Jags win a superbowl with Blake Bortles as QB.

There are much worse QBs wearing a SB Ring right now, having done it thanks to a great defence, and a strong running game. I think the Jags have a great shout next season WITH Bortles under centre.

 

[spring hall convert]

There are much worse QBs wearing a SB Ring right now, having done it thanks to a great defence, and a strong running game. I think the Jags have a great shout next season WITH Bortles under centre.

No doubt, they do. But as a fan of a team that may well have to go through Jacksonville to get to the Superbowl, I'm far happier with him there as opposed to Cousins or Smith.

 

[Gritt23]

No doubt, they do. But as a fan of a team that may well have to go through Jacksonville to get to the Superbowl, I'm far happier with him there as opposed to Cousins or Smith.

Completely agree, that if they could have got Cousins they should have, because that is definitely an upgrade. Smith, perhaps, but in truth, when the route to the SB went through Kansas, I'm not sure it was Smith that was making teams tremble.

 

[Fignon's Ponytail]

Be worried if Bortles goes down though...Kessler is not the answer!

 

[Ali_rrr]

Vikings better hope they get Cousins over the line as their 3 other QB’s have left the building.

It seems so strange. At least keeping Keenum or Bridgewate at the least. But this could be awful if it doesn't go through.

 

[albionalex]

Be worried if Bortles goes down though...Kessler is not the answer!

As backup QB's go, he's one of the better ones.

 

[spring hall convert]

As backup QB's go, he's one of the better ones.

I like the trade. I thought Kessler showed promise as the type of guy who can come in and not lose you games at The Browns, which is all that will be expected of him playing in Jacksonville.

 

[Fignon's Ponytail]

As backup QB's go, he's one of the better ones.

After just 9 games & no wins? I wouldn't go making such wild assumptions just yet... ;o)

 

[DarrenFreemansPerm]

Be worried if Bortles goes down though...Kessler is not the answer!

Better than Chad Henne though. I still think we draft a QB.

 

[DarrenFreemansPerm]

I think Cutler is a very different example, as it was largely his dismissive body language that got under people's skin, and made them a lot less forgiving when he had a bad Jay day.

Bortles looks like a completely different animal to me, he looks far more of a leader. What really impressed me last season was what he did with his back-up receiving core. With Robinson and Hurns out of there, he could easily have nosedived and blamed the injuries to the two Allens. Instead, I found myself thinking "wow what a deep receiving core they have, with an improving Lee, but also being able to plug in the likes of Westbrook and Cole.

More often than not, it is NOT a deep receiving core, but actually a very adaptable QB. I thought last season, he earned the right to stay with the team. Different story if Cousins would have come, but certainly enough to quell talk of a move for Eli as a short term fix.

I agree with all of this, other than the bit about an ‘improving’ Marqise Lee...old stone hands dropped A LOT of good passes last year.

 

[DarrenFreemansPerm]

The contract looks like a two year commitment for decent starter money. I was pretty comfortable with it if the Jags weren't going to overpay for Cousins in free agency or trade for Smith. If they rate Jackson or Rudolph they could still take them and sit them behind Blake, none of the other upper eschelon prospects are going to make it into a range the Jags could take them in.

Having said that I don't think the Jags win a superbowl with Blake Bortles as QB.

Be honest, did you ever see Blake Bortles leading the Jags to an AFC Championship game, only to lose by 3 points on the road against the Pats? I know is easy to hate on Blake, and he did struggle against the Bills in the Wild card game,but he played solidly for a lot of the season! I watched every snap of every Jags game last season and I’m fine with him coming back. It could be a disaster, time will tell.

 

[albionalex]

After just 9 games & no wins? I wouldn't go making such wild assumptions just yet... ;o)

Playing for the Brown's = no chance of a win lol

In all seriousness, he is a very accurate passer which is what we need in a backup QB and is on a cheapish rookie contract.

 

[spring hall convert]

After just 9 games & no wins? I wouldn't go making such wild assumptions just yet... ;o)

A 87.4 QBR at the Browns in the last two years must be worth 110 anywhere else.

 

[DarrenFreemansPerm]

Playing for the Brown's = no chance of a win lol

In all seriousness, he is a very accurate passer which is what we need in a backup QB and is on a cheapish rookie contract.

Agreed mate, definite upgrade on clipboard Henne.

 

[Lyndhurst 14]

NFL draft starts tonight and goes on to Saturday. Giants have the number 2 pick for the first time since 2004, with the Browns getting number 1 pick. 3 players the Giants are probably looking at are RB Saquon Barkley of Penn State, QB Sam Darnold of USC and DE Bradley Chubb of NC State. Think we'll be after a QB as a priority as Eli Manning is now the third oldest starting QB on the 2018 season.