Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan has thrown his support behind quarterback Blake Bortles.
Bortles was selected as the No. 3 overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft and quickly moved to the top of the teams depth chart but his rookie season was marred by inconsistent play.
“I love [quarterback] Blake [Bortles], and I think he’s a key building block moving forward,” Khan said via the Florida Times Union. “We have to unlock his potential and we needed to have somebody who has done that before and has a great track record. I think Greg is about as good as it gets.”
The poor play of Bortles led to the firing of Jedd Fisch. Now the Jaguars have Greg Olson as their offensive coordinator and have brought in quarterbacks coach Nathaniel Hackett. The Jaguars also hired former Buffalo Bills head coach Doug Marrone to a assistant coach job.
In 14 games he completed 58.9 percent of his passes fo 2,908 yards while tossing 11 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. He committed four fumbles and finished with a 69.5 quarterback rating.
One player that could help Bortles out is wide receiver Justin Blackmon who is waiting reinstatement.
“As a matter of fact, I’m very optimistic,” Khan said about Blackmon’s ability to play in 2015. “I think he’s paid his dues. I think he’s got his life together. I think he can be a role model for people who have gone through hard times. We’re waiting for him.”
Coming off a 3-13 season the Jaguars have a way to go before they return to the playoffs but getting Bortles on track is their priority right now.
“There were a lot of encouraging things but the only that matters is whether it was a W or not. … How do you enhance and improve on the things that are working and get rid of the things that are not?”
