JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Jaguars owner Shad Khan and general manager Dave Caldwell haven’t asked quarterback Blake Bortles for input on the coaching search, but if they did, Bortles knows exactly what he would say:

If possible, keep offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett.

Bortles said he really clicked with Hackett, who was promoted from quarterbacks coach after Greg Olson was fired on Oct. 29, and said finishing the season with Hackett as the offensive coordinator was the “best-case scenario” for his development.

"I felt that the [nine] weeks that he took over was the best I’ve gotten in the three years that I’ve been here," Bortles said.

Bortles’ numbers aren’t markedly different from his time with Olson (60 percent completions, 12 TDs, nine interceptions, 48.2 total QBR) than Hackett (57.9 percent completions, 11 TDs, seven interceptions, 49.6 total QBR). However, he had more of a relationship with Hackett because they spent so much time together. Olson and Hackett were hired in 2015, and Bortles spent significantly more time with Hackett because he was the quarterbacks coach.

Bortles said his biggest improvement in the time he spent with Hackett came in understanding game situations and being smarter with the football. Bortles threw only one interception in the final four games.

"I remember one [play] in particular [against Tennessee]," Bortles said. "It was third-and-13, and we’re on the 32-yard line going in, and he called a screen, and I ended up just dirting it because it wasn’t open. Coming to the sidelines and [being] kind of pissed off, because we wanted to do something to try and score points, but quickly got set into place that a field goal would put us up two possessions.

"It’s that understanding. He always has that big picture in mind where as a player, sometimes you can get a little too involved and want to go and attack and score and do all of that stuff when it’s third-and-13. Let’s make this a two-possession game and not do anything stupid."

Bortles didn’t have that kind of awareness when the 2015 season began, Hackett said, but he has made strides throughout the past two seasons.

"Anytime you’re with a young quarterback -- and we still all have to remember he’s a very young quarterback -- once it clicks in your head and once you understand exactly what you’re trying to accomplish, it slows way, way down," Hackett said before the Jaguars’ final game of the season. "I still remember two years ago when I got here, and you’re like, ‘Oh, gosh this is going to be a doozy.’ Just from the lack of knowledge and understanding what you’re trying to accomplish with every play.

"I think you’re always aiming for the quarterback to have a ‘can’t stop me’ mentality. That’s what we’re always trying to achieve, that’s what I dedicate every moment to, to allow Blake to go out there and not have any doubts or any questions, from a protection standpoint, to a route standpoint, to where he is going to go with the ball. I want him to know what’s happening before the ball is even in his hands."

It’s hard to get to that level of understanding in a couple of seasons. You need continuity, Hackett said. And the proof comes from guys like Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, who played in the same system for years and became so proficient in that system that they knew everything that was happening and was going to happen.

From that standpoint, it does make sense to retain Hackett, but the new head coach will obviously make the call. Bortles has already had three offensive coordinators in his three seasons -- Olson replaced Jedd Fisch after the 2014 season (Bortles’ rookie year) -- and another change would mean he’d have to learn another offense in what is a make-or-break season for him.

Caldwell said the new head coach will not be married to Bortles, whom the Jaguars took with the third overall pick. Bortles may have to compete for his starting job in training camp, which will only be made harder if he has to learn a new offense at the same time.

Other quarterbacks have had to deal with a similar issue so it can be done, but it certainly isn’t easy.

According to ESPN Stats & Information, Alex Smith had five different coordinators in his first five seasons and six in his first seven seasons. Sam Bradford had different coordinators in his first three seasons, and Mike Vick had three in his first four seasons -- four if you count Atlanta head coach Dan Reeves calling plays in 2002.

Smith, the No. 1 draft pick in 2005, has only come into his own over the past four seasons in Kansas City under head coach Andy Reid. Bradford, the No. 1 pick in 2010, has had his three highest passer ratings during the past three seasons. Vick made the Pro Bowl in his second and fourth seasons.

"[With] every quarterback, it’s about familiarity with the system," Hackett said. "I think that’s always going to be a key thing. Anytime you change, it’s like learning a new language.

"Any time you have a guy, where you see that he has gotten familiar with stuff and he understands what he’s looking for, he understands what he’s doing, you can teach and coach off of that and focus on fundamentals. It’s not about what the play is. It’s not about where the guys are going. It’s now, ‘Let’s work on all the other things.'"