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Bond between Bortles, Hackett leading Jaguars' offense to success

Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles and offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett have developed a special relationship after working together for three years.

The bond between a quarterback and his play-caller goes a long way in determining the success of an NFL offense.

Trust, an open dialogue and chemistry are vital.

Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles and offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett have developed a special relationship after working together for three years.

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Hackett has been Bortles' biggest public supporter. Bortles - in turn - has been Hackett's most notable disciple.

The duo's relationship has grown a lot since the two met in 2015 when Hackett was hired as the team's quarterbacks coach.

“Blake and I, we’ve always been really close," Hackett said Thursday.

"It’s such a unique position in the world of all sports. I think that as a quarterback you have so many people watching you and looking at you, and you need that support person there that understands what he’s going through. I think that over these past years, this is going on our third year, we’ve grown real close."

Hackett oversaw Bortles' development during his breakout 2015 campaign. Bortles threw for 35 passing touchdowns and 4,428 passing yards during his second season.

Midway through last season's disastrous run, Hackett was promoted to interim offensive coordinator. Hackett's rise in power led to mixed results.

During the offseason, Hackett was named the permanent offensive coordinator. His relationship with Bortles was slightly altered and the results that have followed have been exceptional.

Bortles has been as efficient as ever, raising his completion percentage and minimizing his turnovers. Bortles has also shown better vision, mechanics and overall leadership qualities during his fourth NFL season.

"We’ve had some ups and downs, we’ve had some good stats, some bad stats, some good wins, some really bad losses," Hackett said. "It’s been one of those things, he’s awesome and I’m really lucky to coach him.”

The duo owes a lot of its success to their relationship. Hackett and Bortles are probably as close as any player and coach at EverBank Field.

“I don’t know how to describe it," Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone said Thursday. "Like husband and wife? You’ll have to ask them that. They do spend a lot of time together. They do have a good relationship.”

Bortles has felt Hackett's support throughout the ups and downs and turnarounds. He has found a mentor in his quest for success.

Heading into the AFC Championship Game against the New England Patriots, the quarterback and the offensive coordinator have forged a successful connection.

“It is pretty awesome," Bortles said, regarding his relationship with Hackett. "To spend two years or whatever as a quarterback coach and then for him to take over as the offensive coordinator, that relationship only continues to grow each and every day. He has been awesome to me. I love coming into work each and every day. Me and him, along with some other guys, kind of collaborate on different things. It is a lot of fun working with him.”

Follow Mike Kaye on Twitter at @Mike_E_Kaye.

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