JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- If social media was as prevalent in 2000 as it is today, Trent Dilfer would have been the object of much ridicule when he quarterbacked the Baltimore Ravens to a 34-7 victory over the New York Giants in Super Bowl XXXV.
He easily could have been called the worst quarterback to win a Super Bowl, throwing more than 12 touchdowns only twice in 13 seasons and never topping 21.
So Dilfer understands what it’s like to walk in the cleats of Jacksonville’s Blake Bortles, who has been beaten up on social media arguably more than any quarterback in the NFL the past few seasons.
Dilfer actually is among those who contributed to the Bortles bashing. During an interview on a Boston radio station during the 2016 season, the former ESPN analyst called Bortles “the worst quarterback in the NFL." The 45-year-old later felt so bad about it that in July he sought Bortles out to apologize during a celebrity golf tournament in Lake Tahoe.
“I was really hard on him, kind of unfairly," Dilfer told ESPN.com. “I said, ‘Hey, if I were to give you any advice it would be ... don’t listen to us. Don’t watch. Don’t listen. Don’t read. It’s not going to be any good.'"
That would be Dilfer’s advice to any of the quarterbacks not named Tom Brady still playing in Sunday’s AFC and NFC championship games.
He understands better than most the scrutiny Bortles, Minnesota’s Case Keenum and Philadelphia’s Nick Foles face, and what at least one of them will encounter two weeks from now ahead of Super Bowl LII.
He understands you don’t have to be the prototypical franchise quarterback to win it all.
“Trust me," Dilfer said. “If I were building a franchise, I would want Aaron Rodgers, not Trent Dilfer. I wouldn’t want to try to win the way we won in Baltimore. It decreases your odds. But it happens every once in a while."
It happened during the 1990 season, when backup quarterback Jeff Hostetler led the Giants to a victory over Buffalo in the Super Bowl.
It happened during the 2000 season, when Dilfer completed 12 of 25 passes for 153 yards and 1 touchdown in the Super Bowl.
It happened during the 2002 season, when journeyman Brad Johnson led Tampa Bay to the title against Oakland.
There are countless other times when a relatively unproven quarterback -- or even a ridiculed signal-caller -- reached the title game. Near or at the top of the list is former Chicago Bears quarterback Rex Grossman, who lost Super Bowl XLI 29-17 to Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts.
It could happen again when Bortles faces Brady for the AFC title.
“Your odds are much better with a [franchise quarterback]," Dilfer said. “Your quarterback gives you a longer leash and covers up a multitude of sins if he’s great. ... So I would say New England has a better chance because they have the greatest quarterback that’s ever lived.
“It doesn’t mean the other teams don’t have a chance, but the odds are with New England because of that one player."
As for the bashing, Dilfer said he never listened to the criticism as a player. Bortles appears to have that part down. He can’t even remember what Dilfer said about him to warrant the apology.
“I could care less," the 25-year-old said. “Everybody has got their opinion, and they can voice if they want to, and it’s not going to bother me. ... But he made a point to come apologize, and I thought that was pretty cool."
But Dilfer was harsh.
"He's just not a great passer," he said during the radio interview. “I think he's a very good athlete, I think he's a tough kid, but I think he makes some panic decisions, and he's a terrible passer."
Dilfer admits some of his criticism was “rightfully’’ deserved. But he’s impressed with the grit and resilience the No. 3 pick of the 2014 draft has shown this season, particularly in big games, such as Sunday’s victory at Pittsburgh.
“It’s been kind of remarkable what he’s been able to persevere through," said Dilfer, the sixth pick of the 1994 draft. “He’s got a really good team, a really good coaching staff, a defense that can be top-notch, and an offense that is underrated at times."
The same could be said about Dilfer and the 2000 Ravens, who had one of the best defenses in NFL history. The same could also be said of many of the unknown quarterbacks who have gotten to or won the Super Bowl.
Jake Delhomme went from a backup at New Orleans to NFL Europe before getting a chance with the Carolina Panthers in 2003. And that season he came within a last-second field goal against Brady and New England of having a shot to win Super Bowl XXXVIII.
He also understands what the unknown quarterbacks are going through even though he never was bashed like Bortles.
“That’s the first thing I thought of on Sunday: 'What kind of line is Vegas going to put on this with [these guys] as your final four quarterbacks?'" Delhomme said with a laugh.
Delhomme then reminded that Brady was an unknown in 2001, when in his second season, the sixth-round pick not only led the Patriots to the title but won Super Bowl MVP.
That doesn’t mean Delhomme wouldn’t pick Brady over Bortles on Sunday solely on experience. Until the playoffs, he wasn’t a big Bortles fan.
But he likes what Bortles has become under Jaguars coach Doug Marrone.
“I think Blake has come to the realization, ‘I don’t have to be great. I just can’t be stupid with the football, because our defense is nasty, young, and they have this swagger about them that is special,'" Delhomme said.
Dilfer said the support Bortles is getting from teammates and coaches is “far more powerful’’ than anything bad he or those on social media can say. Such support was key throughout his career of being questioned, Dilfer said.
“I also had a lot of really respected people in the league that said I was playing great even though the stats weren’t showing it," Dilfer recalled. “I had people like [Bill] Parcells and [Bill] Belichick coming to me after games and saying how much they admired me.
“So I was getting affirmation from people I cared about, and constructive criticism from my coaches and teammates as well. That’s part of the journey. We make way too much of the public perception of who players are."