Bortles says he feels responsible for Bradley's firing

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles took some blame for head coach Gus Bradley's firing Wednesday.

Bradley was dismissed following Sunday's loss to the Houston Texans. Assistant head coach Doug Marrone will serve as interim head coach for the team's remaining two games.

Bortles, who has struggled for the majority of the season, said the Jaguars took advantage of the team-friendly environment Bradley fostered.

"We've talked about it and we were given an opportunity to play for a guy that was unbelievable (who) brought in an unbelievable culture kind of unlike anywhere else, and it was awesome," Bortles said, according to ESPN's Mike DiRocco. "We took advantage of it and didn't do the things we needed to do in order to keep that. Now we'll have to figure out what's next."

Bradley posted a 14-48 record as the Jaguars' head coach, but Bortles felt somewhat guilty for his firing.

"He believed in me, drafted me, as well as Dave and (owner) Shad (Khan), but Gus was a big part of that," Bortles said. "He's helped me mentally, physically, football, non-football, so any time that happens everybody feels responsible. I know I certainly do. It's kind of a results-driven business (and) when things don't go your way somebody's got to take the fall and it's usually the leader.

"It's sad to see that happened. I wish I - and wish we - could have done more to save his job."