Jacksonville Jaguars: Blake Bortles is our QB, will get the protection he needs

Blake Bortles needs to get better and to do that, the Jacksonville Jaguars must improve around him.

"I see Blake Bortles as our quarterback," first-year Jaguars coach Doug Marrone said at the Indiana Convention Center on Wednesday.

New team president Tom Coughlin said the improvement starts with bolstering pass protection. Bortles was sacked 34 times in 2016, when he played with multiple shoulder injuries, after being taken down 51 times in 2015.

"In order to improve the quarterback we have to improve the protection around him," said Coughlin, who was hired to oversee the day-to-day football operation, including the promotion of Marrone to replace Gus Bradley.

Bortles turns 25 on the first day of the 2017 NFL Draft and Marrone plans to introduce a QB-friendly, up-tempo offense similar to the Chip Kelly system.

Protection was not the lone issue for Bortles. He threw 16 interceptions and lost six fumbles in 2016 and had 23 turnovers in 2015.

The management sentiment echoed owner Shad Khan's statement in January that Bortles, who had 35 touchdowns in 2015, hadn't regressed.

"He's our quarterback and we remain committed to him. What tools do we give him where he can be at his best?" Khan said. "We've got change with our coordinator, and a new quarterback coach, and some outside help which he needs to use because under the (collective bargaining agreement) we are limited with how much time we can spend with him."