Jaguars Training Camp Notes: Bortles to Play With First Team
Blake Bortles is going to get a chance to show what he can do with the Jacksonville Jaguars first unit, but the team is still committed to starting Chad Henne the first week of the season.
ESPN’s Michael DiRocco wrote in his blog that Coach Gus Bradley said Friday that the team isn\'t wavering in its stance that veteran Chad Henne will start in Week 1, even though Bortles -- the third overall pick in this year\'s draft -- has been impressive in the Jaguars\' first two preseason games and regardless of what he does against the Lions.
"I think it\'s just the body of work, the experience [that Henne has]," Bradley said. "You can grow with Blake, too, and let him go through these experiences and do well, but the team is really responding to both of them really well. But I just think that with where Chad is at right now and where our team is at, I think that\'s the best thing for us right now.
"There\'s going to be some time that we have to take a look at this and see the direction we\'re going [at quarterback], but right now that\'s not even a question in our mind."
If any rookie quarterback has made an impression his preseason so, it has been Bortles, who in two games against both the Buccaneers and Bears, has come out and proved inexperience has not been a hindrance to him at all.
Bortles has completed 18 of 28 passes for 277 yards in the first two preseason games. He went 7-of-11 in his debut against Tampa Bay, and three of his four incompletions were drops. He was 11-of-17 for 160 yards in the Jaguars\' 20-19 loss to Chicago on Thursday night, although 45 yards came on a meaningless play at the end of the first half.
As the No. 3 pick in the NFL Draft, Bortles was told early on he would more than likely learn the offense in his first season, then step in as the starter in 2015. So far, Bortles has given the coaching staff something to think about.
The Jaguars have made it a point to get other rookies first-team reps as well, which is a philosophy that Bradley brought with him from Seattle, where he was the defensive coordinator from 2009 to 2012. Bortles, however, hasn\'t had any in training camp.
"Our whole philosophy is to get our rookies in with the 1s and I believe we\'ve got to get that done this week, where we get Blake with the 1s this week to see just how he handles it," Bradley said.
Henne also played well against the Bears, completing 12 of 17 passes for 130 yards and a touchdown while leading the first-team offense to 166 yards and 13 points in four possessions. That\'s in stark contrast to its performance in the preseason opener against Tampa Bay, when the Jaguars managed just 4 net yards in four possessions and Henne completed 4 of 7 passes for 30 yards.
Henne threw the only touchdown pass of the game in a 21-19 loss in Chicago. Both quarterbacks looked good in their time on the field. Henne was involved in 30 plays from scrimmage before the end of the first half, giving way to the rookie.
IN OTHER NEWS (FROM JAGUARS.COM)
Wide receiver Cecil Shorts III couldn’t have been happier Sunday.
Linebacker Dekoda Watson couldn’t have, either.
Yes, Shorts said he could have done without the rust he felt. And Watson said if he had has his way, this day would have come a whole lot sooner, but that wasn’t what mattered most to Shorts or Watson on Sunday afternoon. What mattered was this: After way too long without football, they practiced again. And that was good. Really good.
“It felt good just to be back out there with the guys,” Shorts said after the Jaguars worked for about two hours at the Florida Blue Health and Wellness Practice Fields Sunday.
