Blake Bortles led the league with 14 "short" interceptions
Overall, Blake Bortles had a terrific sophomore season with the Jaguars. He showed the kind of poise and leadership that you want to see from a young quarterback in this league. He finished with over 4,000 yards and 35 touchdowns, but threw 18 interceptions on the year. After analyzing each interception throw in the league, Bortles led all quarterbacks with 14 short interceptions. These are categorized as passes thrown within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage.
On 2 of his non-short interceptions, receiver Allen Robinson was pushed to the ground by a defensive back which led to an easy turnover. You can argue that those shouldn't have counted, but the 14 short interceptions are newbie mistakes. Don't expect the same number in 2016, though.
Offensive Coordinator Greg Olsen has commented about the mistakes that Bortles made last year, a season in which the Jaguars finally won 5 games. He noted that these mistakes won't continue as Bortles grows as a player. I believe these types of interceptions won't be as common next season, because this kid is a star; he's going to grow and learn to make better decisions. Barring something drastic happening, Jaguars fans can expect to see similar offensive numbers this season.
As Bortles continues to grasp the concepts of Olsen's offensive scheme, he should be able to fix his nasty habit of locking-on to his receivers. Some of his mistakes have been bad throws, but the mental errors should start to diminish. A slightly improved offensive line will also help the young Bortles, who was sacked 51 times (4th-highest in the NFL). I'm very optimistic about the upcoming season, as you should be. The front office is putting pieces together, and the number in the win column should increase.
