NCAA Tourney Contenders and Pretenders
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The NCAA tournament begins this week. This is the biggest sporting event other than the Super Bowl. Let’s take a look at some of the teams from around the Southeast that made it in.
The Pretenders…
Georgia State: The Panthers (24-10) won the Sun Belt conference tournament. Coach Ron Hunter also led GSU to the tournament in 2015. GA State is the No. 15 seed in the South bracket and they play No. 2 seed Cincinnati. This would be a huge upset but I don’t see that happening.
Alabama: The Crimson Tide (19-15) snuck in the tournament. They finished 9th in a pretty weak conference. Advancing to the SEC Championship game is why they are in.
Freshman sensation Collin Sexton will be an NBA lottery pick in this year’s draft. Bama is the No.9 seed in the East and they face No. 8 Virginia Tech in the first round. I think they will win that game but they would play No. 1 Villanova in the next round. Their dreams will end after that game.
Arkansas: It must seem like I’m just picking on the SEC. The Razorbacks (23-11) finished fourth in the SEC. They are also in the East region and the No. 7 seed. They face No. 10 Butler and that will be a tough game. If they win they should face No. 2 Purdue in the second round. That means exit stage left.
Florida State: Another football school is having a resurgent year on the court. The Seminoles (20-11) are No. 9 in the West and take on No. 8 Mizzou. Talented freshman Michael Porter Jr. is returning from injury so I’m not sure if he will be rusty. The 6’10 forward was the top recruit in the country for the class of 2018 so he will give Missouri a great chance to win the game.
Clemson: honestly if this was a team with a winning history I would be more confident. The Tigers (23-9) had a very good year and finished third in the ACC. In the Midwest region they are the dreaded fifth seed. The twelve versus five game typically has several upsets each year. They will play New Mexico State. If they win they face the winner of No. 4 Auburn and No. 13 Charleston. I actually like their chance to advance to the Sweet Sixteen but not beyond that.
The contenders…
Kentucky: The Wildcats (24-10) had a very inconsistent. They finished the regular season fourth in the conference but won the SEC tournament. Coach Cal always complains about seeding but he actually has a point this year. Kentucky is the fifth seed in the South and play No. 12 Davidson in the opening round. Round 2 should be against No. 4 Arizona.
The Wildcats recruit so well that they are more talented than most teams they play.
Duke: The Blue Devils are the No. 2 seed in the Midwest and they play No. 15 Iona in the first round. They would get the Oklahoma/Rhode Island match up in the second round. This is another blue blood program that has top 3 recruiting classes every year.
North Carolina: The Tar Heels are the defending national champions. They have the No. 2 seed in the West and take on No. 15 Lipscomb. They will get the Texas A&M/Providence winner.
UNC isn’t as good they were last year but they have upperclassman leadership. They advanced to the national championship the past two years and look to make a new dynasty.
Out-Foxed
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
Coaching turnover in college and professional athletics occurs about as often as The Fast and the Furious movies are released.
So, when Mark Fox was relieved of his duty as Georgia’s head basketball coach, you can understand why I was a little stunned to realize he had been at the helm for nine years.
In fact, entering this past season only Andy Kennedy (12 yrs), and John Calipari (signed his contract 4 days before Fox) had a longer tenure at their respective schools than the former Bulldog coach.
How, with all the rampant turnover in coaching did Fox, a coach with a .551 winning percentage, two NCAA Tournament appearances with no wins, and zero SEC conference or even divisional titles, last as long as he did?
The first thing that popped in my mind was that Georgia- Athletic Director, Greg McGarity in particular- was giving Fox a legitimate chance to succeed, when so many of his counterparts aren’t given that same opportunity.
I mean, nine years is more than enough time to gauge whether or not you need to make a change. I’m not sure how much truth there is within that scenario, but the optimist in me wants to believe it had to have played a little part.
The second thing was something my brother had said to me a few years ago; “When it comes to work, mediocrity is king.” If you’re completely inept at your job, it will be fairly obvious and you won’t last very long. If you are extremely successful, then you’ll be given more responsibilities and the expectations placed upon you will continue to increase. If you’re simply middle of the road and not causing any trouble, than you’ll fly under the radar and last longer in that position than most. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not encouraging mediocrity, but it does kind of make sense, right.
In the case of Fox, he wasn’t horrible, winning between 18-21 games a season over the last five years. And because he never won anything of any significance, he never had a high bar that he needed to live up to. When you think about it, he really is the living embodiment of my brother’s philosophy.
The third reason I thought of, which goes along with being mediocre and probably has more to do with Fox’s longevity than anything, is that UGA fans feel the same way about basketball that Duke fans feel about football; just don’t be an embarrassment and we’ll get along fine.
I don’t mean that as an insult, just being honest.
When Georgia football, or Duke basketball, loses a game it’s as if the apocalypse is upon us. Whenever UGA’s basketball team makes the tournament, or Duke football makes a Bowl game, the season is deemed a success.
If you need another example, look no further than this publication, The Southern Sports Edition. Over the course of the college basketball season we’ve probably written more articles on Georgia football’s incoming recruiting class alone than we have on the basketball team and it’s not on accident.
We write about topics people want to read and trust me, as far as I know we’re not being inundated with emails complaining about the lack of basketball coverage.
I guess what it all comes down to is this: If misery loves company, then in the case of Mark Fox and Georgia basketball, apparently so does mediocrity. How else can you explain his tenure lasting as long as it did?
Flying High Hawks
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
As the NBA playoffs loom on the horizon there is one absolute we all know, and that is the Atlanta Hawks will not be in the NBA playoffs.
The Hawks are 20-45 currently and will be in the NBA draft lottery. If the Hawks tank down the stretch they could end up with the worst record in the NBA. That title is currently held by Memphis sitting at 18-46. Atlanta is currently tied with Orlando and Brooklyn with the worst record in the Eastern Conference.
Can we really expect great things from a Hawks franchise that traded Bill Russell to the Celtics in 1956 when the Hawks were based in St. Louis? Russell ended up leading the Celtics to 11 titles.
While these current Hawks aren’t very good here goes my all-time starting five for the Atlanta Hawks:
PG: Mookie Blaylock: While playing for Atlanta, Blaylock led the league in steals per game for two consecutive seasons in 1997 and 1998.
He made his first and only All-Star game in 1994. As a result of his quick hands, Blaylock was selected to two All-Defensive first teams and four All-Defensive second teams.
Mookie was a pretty good shooter from the outside as well with very good 3-point range. I almost picked Doc Rivers as my point guard, but I think Mookie was a better player overall.
SG: Pistol Pete Maravich: The Hawks drafted Pistol Pete with the third pick of the 1970 NBA draft out of LSU.
Pete played 4 years in Atlanta and made NBA all-star teams and averaged over 25 points a game twice in his time in Atlanta, and in grand Hawks style Atlanta traded Pistol Pete to the expansion New Orleans Jazz for two players and 4 draft picks.
During his ten-year career in the NBA, Maravich played in 658 games, averaging 24.2 points and 5.4 assists per contest. In 1987, he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, and his No. 7 jersey has been retired by both the Jazz and the New Orleans Pelicans, as well as his No. 44 jersey by the Atlanta Hawks.
Pistol Pete died at age 40 in 1988 playing in a pick-up basketball game.
C: Dikembe Mutombo: The 7’2 260-pound center who began his career with the Georgetown Hoyas was one of the greatest shot blockers and defensive players of all time, winning the NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award four times; he was also an eight-time All-Star.
Mt. Mutombo played in Atlanta for five years then was traded to Philadelphia in grand Hawks fashion at the trading deadline in 2001.
PF: Paul Millsap: Millsap played in Atlanta from 2013 to 2017 and was a four time NBA all-star after spending his first seven seasons in Utah. He helped lead the Hawks to a 60-22 record during the 2014-15 season and lost to Cleveland in the Eastern Conference Finals.
I was torn between Millsap and Al Horford at power forward.
SF: Dominique Wilkins: The Human Highlight Film is the greatest player in Atlanta Hawks history. Wilkins was drafted by the Utah Jazz with the third pick of the NBA draft in 1982.
Utah, with cash flow issues at the time, traded Wilkins to the Hawks for John Drew and cash.
Wilkins was the best dunker in the NBA and the leader of some pretty good Hawks teams of the 1980’s.
A nine-time NBA All-Star and the winner of two NBA slam dunk contests, Wilkins registered 26,668 points and 7,169 rebounds in his NBA career.
He was also robbed of 2-3 slam dunk titles as well. His #21 jersey was retired by the Hawks in 2001.
Can you believe the Atlanta Hawks traded their best player ever to the Clippers in 1994? This is still the only time in NBA history a team in first place in their conference traded its leading scorer after the All-Star break for Danny Manning.
In 2006, Wilkins was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. Outside of Philips Arena now sits a statue of Dominique Wilkins. I have looked for the Danny Manning statue in the same location but it is nowhere to be found.
Please get back to the playoffs soon Hawks. We miss you.
Steering The Ship
By: Kipp Branch
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
In sports, usually the leader is the coach, but sometimes certain players are appointed team leaders and must possess some of the same leadership characteristics as an effective coach.
Coaches and team leaders are typically respected by other team members not only for their sports skills and abilities but also for other qualities, such as responsibility, work ethic and attitude.
For the 2017 Brunswick High football team that team leader was Ty Hinson. Hinson started 31 games at center for the Pirates during his career, and some things I noticed during his career:
Led by example: Ty Hinson was a picture of this during his time at BHS. I noticed Hinson at all off-season workouts even when BHS was in a coaching transition. First in line at football drills, and always carried himself in a positive manner off the field.
Passion: You cannot fake passion in sports or life. I don’t know another kid off the top of my head that loves Brunswick High School more than Ty Hinson. That passion always showed up on Friday nights during football season.
Ability: As I said earlier, Hinson made his first start in a playoff game in 2014 as a freshman and never left the starting line-up after that. That football ability was rewarded in February as Hinson signed a football scholarship to Valdosta State University.
Communication: Hinson played center and has great communication skills and his fellow offensive lineman depended on those communication skills every Friday. Hinson was a key piece in a record setting offense in 2017. The non-verbal communication skills are important as well. Hinson always seemed confident and poised when adversity hit, and his teammates took notice.
Will to Win: No person in the program wanted to win more than Ty Hinson. Hinson led a group of seniors to a 7-3 record in 2017, and got Brunswick High Football back on track after two tough seasons.
At 6’2 and now 275 pounds Hinson worked his tail off in the weight room to get bigger and stronger, and the younger kids in the program took notice and followed.
Hinson’s leadership skills were noticed early in his recreation football league days. His youth league coach State Court Judge Bart Altman said the following about Hinson, “Hinson is a natural born leader and he laid the foundation as an 11 year old for kids who followed him on the Red Death offensive line. I still talk about his leadership qualities to my current team and will do the same to future Red Death players. Hinson is a kid that will be a future leader in this country, and I’m proud to have coached him at an early age”.
Hinson’s principal Dr. Scott Spence added “Ty is a campus leader and anything he chooses to do in life will reflect positively on Brunswick High School”.
His football coach Sean Pender added “Ty was a leader in this program from day one when I arrived a year ago, and his leadership helped get our football program back on track last season. I’m going to miss him, but he’ll do well at VSU”.
Hinson comes from a family line of educators. His dad is a middle school principal and his mother an elementary school teacher. Ty is the role model of what a student athlete should be. Ty will graduate in May and head to Valdosta State and will have a solid career there. He will graduate from college and be a productive leader in society as an adult.
One lucky mom and dad will get the blessing of their life one day when their daughter brings Ty Hinson home to introduce him to the family.
Ty Hinson thank you for your commitment to Brunswick High School. You leave BHS football in a better place for others to follow.
AFC South Draft
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The NFL Combine is currently happening in Indianapolis. Personally, I don’t put too much stock in to the workouts that we see there. I think what we’ve seen on film really gives us an accurate idea of how good a player is.
The AFC South is one of the weaker divisions in the NFL. Jacksonville shocked the world by advancing to the AFC Championship game and they actually played well enough to beat New England. Let’s take a look at each team’s draft needs.
#3 Indianapolis: The Colts (4-12) obviously had a disappointing season. Andrew Luck missed the entire 2017 season with a shoulder injury. He’s supposed to return in 2018 but we will see. There are several positions that can be addressed like running back, offensive line, cornerback, defensive end and outside linebacker.
The Colts need to protect Luck so offensive line is very important. They also need a pass rusher because they finished 31st in sacks (26) and 26th in QB hits (75).
NC State defensive end Bradley Chubb would be a good pick. He’s 6’4, 275 pounds and he’s shown he can cause Havoc in the backfield. He had 10 sacks in 2016 and 2017 with over 20 tackles for loss as well both seasons.
#68 Houston: The Texans (4-12) moved up in the draft last year to draft a franchise quarterback (Deshaun Watson), which paid off. Unfortunately, Watson’s season ended with a torn ACL. Now Houston does not have any picks in the first two rounds. They do have three picks in the third round.
The biggest team needs are defensive back, offensive line, running back and tight end. I’m not sure what players will still be available in the third round so I can’t make a draft prediction for the Texans.
#25 Tennessee: The Titans (9-7) had a pretty good season. They made the playoffs for the first time since 2008. They won in the first round at Kansas City. They have a lot to be proud of.
Tennessee has a franchise quarterback in Marcus Mariota. He’s the first Titans QB to throw for 3,000 yards in consecutive seasons since Steve McNair in 2002-03. Heading into his fourth year Mariota is expected to become a top-10 quarterback.
Team needs are offensive line, cornerback and running back. The running game has been very strong the last two years but the Titans are likely to release DeMarco Murray, saving $6.5 million under the cap. Derrick Henry is probably not going to be handed the feature back role without competition.
Washington defensive tackle Vita Vea might be picked here. He would be a nose tackle in their defense.
#29 Jacksonville: The Jaguars (10-6) had an amazing 2017 season. They got to the playoffs for the first time in a decade. They were ranked 2nd in total defense. Rookie running back Leonard Fournette was 8th in rushing with 1,040 yards and 9 touchdowns.
The formula of good defense and a strong running game can win on the road in the playoffs. That’s why the Jags were able to beat Pittsburgh (again) in the second round of the playoffs. They also led New England for most of the AFC Championship.
Quarterback Blake Bortles is looked at as being a weak link but he just signed a three-year contract. I don’t think he’s an elite level talent but he’s pretty decent.
The biggest team needs are offensive guard and middle linebacker. Ohio State OG/C Billy Price will address that need.
On The Other Hand
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
I think we’re all in agreement, except for maybe anyone that actually works for an NFL organization, that the NFL Combine is more show than substance. It’s similar to proclaiming that a particular movie is the greatest piece of cinema ever created, after having only seen the trailer.
Nevertheless, there is always one athlete who tends to steal the show with a quicker than expected 40-yard dash, or impressing the attendees with the amount of reps they do on the bench press. This year was no different, albeit for one minor exception.
Before the Combine, I didn’t know much about Shaquem Griffin. I knew he played for UCF and I was aware that he did not have a left hand; that was it.
I didn’t know if he was a good player or not. I had no idea if he had been born without a left hand, or if it had been amputated. Hell, I didn’t even have a clue as to what position he played, besides defense. I can promise you, I know now.
Besides impressing everyone with his 40 speed (4.38 seconds), or his 20 reps on the bench press using a prosthetic hand, Griffin is coming off two very successful seasons at Central Florida.
In 2016, his junior year, he was 1st team All-AAC and AAC Defensive Player of the Year. He followed that season up with a senior campaign that saw him receive not only 1st team All-AAC honors again, but AFCA 2nd team All- American, as well.
Over the two year span he combined for 166 tackles, 18.5 sacks, and 1 interception.
I’m not saying Griffin is going to be the next Ray Lewis, but he’s good enough to play on Sundays.
Throw in the fact he did all this without the use of a left hand, which was amputated when he was four years old, and it’s pretty incredible.
All that said, the more interesting question to me is, “Where will he get drafted?”
You can always count on two things happening at the draft: 1. A player is drafted higher than their talent level would suggest, based upon the Combine. 2. A player’s stock will drop, below where their talent level warrants, because of same ridiculous, inane reason. I could see either of those two scenarios playing out for Griffin.
Overall, I think he’s a late 2nd round/early 3rd talent, so it’ll be intriguing to see if a team reaches a bit and drafts him earlier than that, or if they are hesitant and he drops into the later rounds.
Like most draft picks, much of his success will depend on where he goes and who his coach will be. In the right situation, he could be a huge asset for whomever drafts him. Personally, I wouldn’t mind seeing him on the Panthers.
There will be a lot of feel good articles written about Griffin between now and the NFL Draft, and there should be. What he accomplished in his college career, and what he hopes to achieve at the next level, is something that should be applauded; not necessarily because of what he’s done, but because of what it took for him to get to this point.
I don’t normally get too sentimental about these type of things, but his story is certainly inspiring and I’m rooting for him.
At this point I have no idea what type of professional football career Griffin will wind up having, but so far he’s put out one hell of a teaser trailer.
Out Of Options
By: TJ Hartnett
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
For a while after Suntrust Park was announced, the fable was that when the stadium opened in 2017 the Braves would be ready to compete.
As the opening for the new park drew closer, that hope became less of a reality and instead the expectation to compete for a playoff spot was pushed back a couple of years.
It still hasn’t arrived, but 2019 could very well be the first true step forward in Atlanta’s rebuild. That means 2018 won’t be a playoff year, but it is still a very crucial season for the Bravos.
The steps they take through this season will determine how to spend the money coming off the books next offseason to field a team that will challenge for a postseason berth. It’s also an opportunity for players who have high expectations but haven’t yet produced to do so; especially those with no more minor league options.
Braves GM Alex Anthopoulos has said that those players may break camp with the Braves in order to get a longer look at what they can do.
He’s saying that the 25 best guys out of spring training may not be the 25 on the roster on Opening Day (clue number 346 that Ronald Acuna is starting the season in Gwinnett).
The players without options include Jose Ramirez, Luke Jackson, Josh Ravin, Chase Whitley, Lane Adams, and Danny Santana. Some of those names were penciled in anyway, but others may come as surprise picks for the opening of the season.
Luke Jackson, for example, will need to prove that he deserves a spot on the team once they kick it into gear in 2019. He had a lot of growing pains out of the bullpen in 2017, including getting eaten alive by right-handed hitters.
Jackson may end up a left-handed specialist but that will all be determined by what he shows Anthopoulos and Brain Snitker this year.
Josh Ravin was picked up after the Dodger’s DFA’d him in November and at the age of 30 he’ll have a huge chip on his shoulder as he tries to stay afloat in the majors.
Chase Whitley is another new addition; picked up off waivers from Tampa Bay in December. Whitley had a successful season in Tampa, posting a 4.08 ERA. He was a former starter and can offer the Braves another option as a long reliever, so expect him to be given a fair amount of leeway as the season progresses.
Danny Santana is only 27 years old but since a stellar rookie campaign in Minnesota in 2014, he hasn’t managed to consistently produce at a level anywhere close. He could be incredibly important to a competitive team, with versatility and speed that can win plenty of ballgames, even if it’s just off the bench. However, hitting at a .202 clip, as he did last year simply isn’t going to keep him on the team. He’s young and has enough raw speed that someone would take a flyer out on him if he doesn’t remain a Brave but being productive for an up and coming young team will draw more eyes to him than being picked up off the scrap heap will.
All eyes will be understandably focused on the stars of the future in 2018. The Swansons, the Albieses, the Freemans and the Acunas, but it takes a whole team of ballplayers to win with enough consistency to fight for a chance at a postseason run.
These players might be even more fun to watch these season, as they with nothing to lose seek to prove their worth for this year and beyond.
New Captain Of The Ship
By: Jason Bishop
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
After interviewing several coaching candidates, the MCA Buccaneers have chosen their next head football coach.
Tony Glazer will take over as the head Buccaneer for the upcoming football season.
Glazer will be coming over from Liberty County where he served as the Defensive Coordinator for the last four seasons.
Glazer did a very good job as the DC for Liberty and coached Richard LeCount. LeCount, of course went on to commit to Georgia and was considered by many the #1 safety in the country.
Glazer also coached standout RaeKwon McMillan while filling the DC role for the Panthers.
Glazer will be the 5th coach in 7 years at MCA. With everything that program has been through with coaches this needs to be a long-term hire.
If Glazer is still at MCA in four years then it has been a successful hire. Stability is the key word for this hire.
There is potential to win at MCA, as proven by former coach Robbie Robinson as he took the Bucs all the way to the State Title game just two years ago.
The first step is to win the trust of the kids in the program and then get more kids to come out. McIntosh County is loaded with athletes, they just need to come out.
Tony Glazer will have a tough job in front of him. MCA’s best player, JP Palmer, has moved on to the next level and the Bucs’ starting QB, Denver Anthony transferred to Frederica Academy in the offseason. Those were the two best players for MCA from last season.
There is also the job of winning community support in McIntosh County for his new football team.
This is Glazer’s first job as a head coach.
MCA went 3-6 last season.
NFC South Draft
By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
The NFL Draft is April 26, 2018. So, it is approaching soon.
This can change the fortune for several franchises. The best division in 2017 was the NFC South because they had three playoff teams. Let’s take a look at the division and their 1st round picks.
No. 7 Tampa Bay: The Buccaneers (5-11) were the only team in the division with a losing record. They took a step back because they were 9-7 in 2016. We expected them to improve and make the playoffs. They also added speedy wide receiver DeSean Jackson to pair with Mike Evans but it obviously did not work.
The biggest team needs are defensive back, running back and offensive guard. Alabama DB Minkah Fitzpatrick would be a great pick. He played both safety and corner in college. He can cover and he’s physical and can make tackles. He also has very good size at 6’1, 201 pounds.
No. 24 Carolina: The Panthers (11-5) rebounded last year after regressing in 2016. They addressed a need by drafting running back Christian McCaffrey in the 1st round last year. He was very good as a pass catcher but he did not run the ball well. He only rushed for 435 yards and averaged 3.7 yards per carry.
The biggest team needs are wide receiver, offensive line and defensive line. The Panthers traded their #1 receiver Kelvin Benjamin to Buffalo on Halloween.
Cam Newton needs a good WR so I think they will go in that direction. Courtland Sutton from SMU should still be available. He’s 6’4, 225 lbs. so he’s a big target.
He caught 68 passes for 1,085 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2017. Newton struggles with accuracy so having a tall receiver with a big catch radius is a good move.
No. 26 Atlanta: The Falcons (10-6) had an up and down year coming off last year’s heartbreaking Super Bowl meltdown. They did win in the first round of the playoffs against the LA Rams. They came very close to beating the eventual world champion Philadelphia Eagles in the second round, losing 15-10. Atlanta should return to being an elite team if they make the right personnel moves.
The biggest needs are defensive line, WR and offensive guard. Michigan defensive tackle Maurice Hurst would be a good fit. Putting him next to Grady Jarrett might give the Falcons one of the best young defensive lines in the league.
No. 27 New Orleans: The Saints (11-5) had a great season. They have the best running back duo in the NFL and an elite veteran quarterback. They lost to Minnesota in the divisional round of the playoffs on the last play of the game. The defense ranked 16th in total D and 17th in run defense.
They need to improve the defensive front seven, WR or slot corner. Boston College defensive end Harold Landry might be selected here. He showed he could rush the passer in 2016 when he recorded 16.5 sacks and 22 tackles for loss. Landry is a bit of a one-year wonder though because he did not have a season with more than 5 sacks outside of 2016.
Bortles Breaking The Bank
By: JJ Lanier
TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services
When I initially heard Jacksonville had extended the contract of Blake Bortles (3 yr/$54 million; $26.5 million guaranteed) the first thing that popped in my head was “Tom Coughlin has some terminal illness and the doctors are treating it with medical marijuana.”
You see, the only explanation I could come up with as to why Coughlin would extend Bortles’ contract was that when he made this decision he had to have been sitting on his couch, stoned out his mind, eating powdered donuts, and watching “The Big Lebowski”.
Not many people wanted one more year of the Blake Bortles Experiment, let alone three. Of course, the more I read and thought about it, the more I actually liked the move.
For starters, Jacksonville just freed up $9 million in cap space for this upcoming season. Bortles was scheduled to clear $19 million dollars, instead of the $10 million he will now make.
As close as the Jaguars were to winning the AFC this year, having an extra $9 million to either bring in new players (a wide receiver perhaps), or resign current ones, is extremely valuable.
Secondly, when it comes to the going rate for a starting NFL Quarterback, especially one who just played in a Conference Championship (regardless of how vital he may or may not have been in achieving that), Jacksonville is getting Bortles on the cheap.
Obviously, Coughlin and Doug Marrone see something in the soon to be 5th year quarterback that makes them feel comfortable about having Bortles lead this team, at least for next year.
It’s also very possible that both Coughlin and Marrone were not all that impressed with the available quarterbacks on the market and figured their best chance going into next season was to stick with the quarterback they already have. A “Better the devil you know than the devil you don’t” scenario. I’d put my money on the latter.
Plus, and I know this isn’t how Jacksonville is hoping this turns out, but if Bortles continue his less than stellar play, they’ll have a couple options at their disposal. The Jaguars could release him, which is what most people would probably expect.
Financially, it would be a bit of a hit, but minimal enough that it makes this extension worth the risk. They could also try and trade him; his contract did just become a little more appealing to other teams. I’m not saying Jacksonville would be able to get much in return, but in a year where backup quarterbacks played such a large role, a team could do worse than having Bortles as their backup.
Personally, I don’t believe Blake Bortles is the long term answer for Jacksonville. Besides his 2nd season and a handful of games here and there in which he played well, there hasn’t been anything I’ve consistently seen that makes me think next season will be any different than the last two.
But, when you consider Coughlin had already committed to bringing Bortles back next year, I completely understand why this extension happened.
There are a variety of reasons a team may extend a quarterback’s contract- play; money; they don’t like the other options that are out there. Like in most professions, the reason why isn’t nearly as important as what the person does with the opportunity.
With the Jacksonville Jaguars being so close to reaching their ultimate goal of playing in the Super Bowl, Coughlin and Marrone are hoping Bortles will make the most of his. However, they’ve taken the necessary steps, just in case he doesn’t.
