Bortles' 'development isn't where it needs to be'; 5 questions with Big Cat Country

How has Jared Odrick integrated into the Jaguars' defense and how has he looked in preseason/Week 1?

I think Odrick has fit in rather well. He had limited snaps in the preseason, but played all but 11 snaps on defense on Sunday against the Panthers. He won't get sacks, but he's been a smart lineman -- getting his hand up and batting the ball away, or funneling a quarterback towards a pass rusher. On Sunday, he did alright. He's a very balanced player, but nothing stood out... which isn't necessarily a bad thing. I just think Odrick has a part to play and without a true pass rusher on this team, we won't see the value of bringing him here.

Being a UCF alumnus, Blake Bortles is someone a lot of Dolphins fans were familiar with before the Draft. Now entering his second year, Bortles, the third overall pick last year and first quarterback selected, seems to be the forgotten quarterback, lost behind Teddy Bridgewater, Derek Carr, and even Jimmy Garoppolo. How is Bortles developing, and what can Miami expect our of him this week?

He had a bad game on Sunday, but so did his receivers. I think the worst part was the pick-six interception, which happened last year too. It was a rookie mistake by a guy who's not a rookie. His development isn't where it needs to be, or where we thought it was after watching him in the preseason, but I have more faith in Bortles developing than I did in Blaine Gabbert developing in his second year, so that's something, right? Right? Bueller?

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There was a lot of discussion this offseason/preseason about the offensive line becoming a stremgth of the Jagaurs. Then, on Sunday, they allowed 5 sacks of Bortles. Is this a concern for you, or was it likely first game nerves and the line will be what people expected in 2015?

#WELLACTUALLY, when you look at all the sacks from Sunday, you'll see that none of the starting offensive linemen were at fault, Blake Bortles was at fault for two, backup left tackle Sam Young was at fault for two. The first one was a combination of poor pre-snap reads by the line and Bortles and poor blitz pickup by the running back.
Of all the pieces of the Jaguars offense, the line is the one I'm least worried about.

There was a lot of hope for the Jagaurs defense this year, especially with the addition of Dante Fowler. Then, on the first day of minicamp, Fowler was lost for the year with a torn ACL. The Jaguars were still able to generate a little pass rush on Sunday against the Panthers, and now will face a Dolphins offensive line that still has to prove it is ready to protect quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who was sacked three times against the Washington Redskins. Can the Jaguars turn on the pass rush this week, and, if so, where is it coming from?

It's coming from Gus Bradley and defensive coordinator Bob Babich. They schemed their way to sixth in the NFL last year in sacks and I think they can do it again. Chris Clemons is underrated by a lot of people (including myself) but he can still get it done. Newly signed Dan Skuta had a sack out of the OTTO linebacker spot on Sunday. And we had pressures by a lot of different players this week. It'll get done.

What are your expectations for the Jaguars this season?

I see us finishing with 5-6 wins, which is sad, but it is what it is. It all hinges on Bortles, though. Our defense is playing waaaaay better than it should, and if Bortles can turn it on (and if our receivers can catch the ball) we'll be able to do better. But if we stay where we are, 5-6 wins is our ceiling.

A big thanks to Ryan for taking the time to give us a look at the Jaguars. You can check out his questions to me, and my responses, here.