Jaguars Notebook: Blake Bortles committed to changing 'sick and tired' feeling

Soon after the Jaguars complete mandatory mini-camp Thursday, quarterback Blake Bortles will return to the Los Angeles area and work with personal instructors Tom House and Adam Dedeaux.

Bortles’ goal is clear.

“Guys are sick and tired of being below average and not being successful when we feel as though we have the ability to be a good team,” Bortles said Wednesday. “We haven’t been [successful]. It’s time to make a change. It’s not going to happen overnight. You have to do something about it.”

Doing something about it for Bortles means returning to the coaching cocoon of House and Dedeaux and continuing to grind.

“My goal for us and our team is to be extremely successful,” Bortles said. “This is what I do. This is my job and my passion so I’m going to do and exhaust every resource I have to try and make this thing work and get it rolling.”

Many thought Bortles had it rolling at this time last year. But the Jaguars went 3-13 and Bortles was never really right in any facet so he re-committed to getting individual instruction.

“I’m going out there [to California] and will be throwing the whole time and tune up things and get ready to go and show up here in July in the best shape possible because we have a lot of work to do,” Bortles said.

If it appears Bortles, entering his fourth year, has a sense of urgency, he does. Although signed for 2018, the contract is guaranteed only for injury. If he does not play well, he won’t be with the Jaguars next year and unlikely to start for another team. Much is at stake.

Bortles is learning his third offensive playbook while trying to cut his interceptions (34 the last two years) and increase his completion percentage (58.9 last year). He said the training sessions this summer will differ from the plan earlier this off-season.

“I definitely think it will be more specific,” Bortles said. “In February, March and April, it was mechanics-based and, ‘Let’s fix this. Let’s make this sustainable and remain consistent,’ whereas now, I’ll go out there with more descriptive things – here are some things I struggled with footwork-wise on this route, here is something that was new that I would like to rep.

“It will be more dialed-in.”

Bortles said the mechanical adjustments initiated in February have benefitted him during the practices.

“I still have a lot of work to do and still have a lot of things that need to be improved, but from a standpoint of, ‘Have the mechanics I came [back] with held up? – yeah, I think so,’ ” he said.

Bortles said the offense continues to make “a bunch of little mistakes.”

“It’s going to be on the guys a lot this next month and what they do by themselves and how much work they put in and how much better they try to get because when we show up at the end of July, it’s time to get rolling and we can’t necessarily make the mistakes we’ve been making the last couple weeks,” Bortles said.

Westbrook returns … kind of

Rookie receiver Dede Westbrook returned for the second mini-camp practice. Westbrook did individual drills before watching team drills. Westbrook had not practiced since May 25, missing the final eight organized team activities and the first mini-camp practice.

Also not practicing: Free safety Tashaun Gipson, strong safety Barry Church, tailback T.J. Yeldon, tight end Neal Sterling, defensive tackle Stefan Charles and cornerbacks Doran Grant and Aaron Colvin.

Gipson, Church, Colvin and Yeldon have missed all 12 on-field team workouts.

Cornerback Jalen Ramsey appeared to be limited to some individual work. Left tackle Branden Albert practiced for a second consecutive day after reporting to mini-camp Monday.

Running back Tim Cook has yet to practice because of Oregon State’s class schedule.

Snee hired as scout

The Jaguars announced the hiring of former NFL offensive lineman Chris Snee as a college scout. Snee will also assist in coaching the offensive line during training camp.

Snee is the son-in-law of Jaguars executive vice president Tom Coughlin.

Snee started 141 games over 10 years (2004-13) for the Giants when they Coughlin was their coach and current Jaguars offensive line coach Pat Flaherty served in the same capacity.

In a statement released by the team, Snee said he was, “thrilled about the challenge ahead.” He will provide scouting reports to director of college scouting Mark Ellenz.

Snee is the first addition to the scouting staff since Coughlin was hired in January.

Etc.

The Jaguars have finished at least the last two practices with 100-yard sprints, part of coach Doug Marrone’s goal of having a well-conditioned team. “There are some guys that aren’t happy about it, but when you look back at it in a couple of months to see how this benefits us, this is how you create a culture of how the Jacksonville Jaguars practice – this is how we practice because this is how we want to play,” Bortles said. … Receiver Kenneth Walker is here for mini-camp after missing all 10 OTAs because of UCLA’s class schedule. “He did a good job getting himself ready when he wasn’t allowed to be here, making sure he was watching tape,” Marrone said. “You don’t like throwing those guys in there right away because they haven’t earned that opportunity, but Ken’s situation is different [because] he wasn’t allowed to be here.”