There are some controversial quarterback controversies all around us! And some are pretty darn stupid! Welcome to the Orlando Sports Weekly Rundown. Let's start in the NFL before we move to college football, where in Jacksonville, the Jaguars have an unproven head coach Doug Marrone, who's embroiled in a QB controversy. Marrone's name might only somewhat be recognizable to you as, "Hey, isn't that the guy who abandoned the Buffalo Bills a couple years ago?" It sure is.
Fred Jackson, one of the Bills' longest tenured players at the time, said, "It was like getting punched in the stomach." Now Marrone's gut-punching #3 overall NFL Draft pick Blake Bortles (UCF). Marrone -- who has somehow gotten an 'OK' from Executive VP Tom Coughlin -- has chosen to start 32-year-old Chad Henne over Bortles in Week 3 of the preseason.
Chad.
Freaking.
Henne.
A proven failed quarterback...who's only NFL job should ever be to provide snaps for his own team's defense in practice. This decision means the writing is on the wall for Bortles. He could be done in Jacksonville. Many think it's inevitable. Now, this is EXTREMELY DUMB for several reasons.
For one, this move comes way too soon. Yes, Bortles regressed in his third NFL season and has had a poor preseason. But he had a fine sophomore campaign where he threw 35 touchdown passes. And do you know who had a very similar year on paper last year? Four-time Pro Bowler and two-time Super Bowl winning QB Eli Manning.
Just look at these stats:
Orlando Sports Weekly Rundown With David Baumann
Also, consider that Bortles has better stats than Eli Manning after their first three NFL seasons.
Passing Yards: Bortles 11,241 > Manning 8,043
Touchdown Passes: Bortles: 61 > Manning 54
Passer Rating: Bortles 79.6 > Manning 73.4
Wouldn't you think Tom Coughlin -- Manning's longtime coach in New York -- would recognize those stats? And with an improved roster all around him now, isn't it conceivable that Bortles could return to his 2015 form... or perform even better?
The bottom line is this: If Bortles is cut prior to the season, I believe it'll go down as a terrible decision. Especially when you have no good plan to replace him.
Chad Henne? Puh-lease. 58 career touchdowns. 69 career turnovers. Hasn't thrown a pass in the NFL since 2014. If Chad Henne is trotted out as the Jaguars starter in week one of the regular season, you can count on a 4-12 record this coming year. And you can bet Marrone gets the ax next summer.
Now let's move across the state to Gainesville, where the Florida Gators have some quarterback issues of their own. Their head coach Jim McElwain -- who I controversially ranked as the 3rd best head coach in the state last week -- just opened up his own QB controversy.
I feel compelled to move him down the rankings after this news: McElwain says he could play THREE quarterbacks in the opening week game against #9 Michigan. That means the job is up for grabs among Feleipe Franks, Luke Del Rio and Malik Zaire.
"I think they're all going to play," he said in a press conference.
Oh boy.
How often does a multiple quarterback approach work in football?
Rarely.
Even his own players are speaking out about how bad a decision this is!
"It is difficult because everybody kind of gets used to one guy and you're trying to get in a rhythm," Del Rio said, according to Gatorsports.com. "It's hard and it can be kind of awkward with timing."
"Obviously, it's not ideal," Zaire said. "I don't think anybody in the quarterback room wants that... I feel like coach should be confident enough to stick with a guy and roll with that guy because that's best for the team."
These are BLOCKBUSTER QUOTES coming from college football players... about their own coach!
And both of these guys are spot on.
I have a message for Coach Mac:
"PICK A QUARTERBACK AND JUST GO WITH IT."
David Baumann is a sports columnist for 407area.com and can be heard on EK Sports Wednesdays from 7-9pm on 96.9 The Game FM/740 The Game AM.
Stay connected to Orlando Sports and all the Things To Do In Orlando by subscribing to 407area.com. It's FREE
Related Content:
