Last week, Marcus Mariota debuted as quarterback for the Tennessee Titans in the team’s first preseason game against the Atlanta Falcons. It went about as poorly as it could have. At least, about as bad as it could have in the eyes of the media who’ve made much ado about the former Oregon QB Heisman Trophy winner out of Hawaii. It was understandably a downer for Titans fans, but will it really have an impact on their excitement about Mariota? After all, how often have preseason games been an honest predictor of regular season success?
Allow me to rewind. On my way to my temporary life in New York, I stopped in Nashville to visit some friends with the hopes of heading to Titans camp. Only problem was that certain days were not accessible to the public and I didn’t get to go. BUT, that didn’t mean I couldn’t shoot the you-know-what with the locals and read through the local papers: everyone is really excited about Mariota. Still, everybody asks the same question: will he be as good in the NFL?
Well, at the risk of adding to innocuous analysis, I’ll give my best opinion based on what I learned down in the dirty (dirty) south. You might not say that Nashville is exactly a football town; tickets to games are usually easy to come by and this time of year, everyone is seeking the sweet embrace of A/C given the 90-degree, 99% humidity days. These people deserve a team that will win at least five games just for having to put up with months of sweating and cicadas ringing in their ears.
Rookie QBs like Mariota bear the burden of living up to all their hype, and it’s often unfair when they’re usually drafted at the top (therefore by the worst teams) and are all of a sudden expected to upright a train wreck in process (*cough* David Carr). Remember what happened with Locker? Yeah, most people won’t not to far into the future. If Mariota isn’t successful this season, it won’t be because he choked in the big leagues but because Ken Whisenhunt couldn’t assemble enough pass protection or a decent receiver core dooming the Titans into another pattern of mediocrity—at best. But over at The Tennessean, sports headlines are nothing but positive.
Mariota’s training camp no-interception streak is the talk of the town. Interestingly enough, located on the other side of town, is Vanderbilt University coach Derek Mason. He used to be defensive coordinator at Stanford, meaning his job used to revolve around getting Mariota to slip up. “Yeah, it’s not often you’re going to get Marcus,” said Mason. “Occasionally, we got him. But it wasn’t often because Marcus doesn’t make many mistakes, and he doesn’t throw many picks.” Mason thinks that’ll stick in the NFL because he has such huge awareness of the field. And he should know: Stanford upset Oregon consecutively to eliminate their national title hopes while he was there.
Whisenhunt seems to know better than putting all his eggs in one basket. The addition of WR Dorial Green-Beckham will surely add size and skill to the team, even if he has to endure some growing pains. Bringing in Harry Douglas will also give Mariota a veteran receiver that still has wheels and can bestow tricks of the trade to help the young QB develop at the professional level. Mariota’s capacity to maximize efficient passing opportunities means that RB and fellow former Pac-12 player Bishop Sankey will get some help pushing the ball down the field. Plus, the addition of David Cobb from the Vikings fills some of the gaps where Sankey still needs improvement (rushing TDs). TE Delaney Walker will also be a top target, though unless Hakeem Nicks has another disappointing season, he probably won’t be the No. 1 passing option for Mariota.
Coach Whisenhunt has been frank about incorporating some of the offense Mariota ran at Oregon to help with his transition, which means they’ll be way more fun to watch this year even if they don’t win games. But let’s hope they do, because Marcus is just about the nicest kid to walk on the scene since another certain QB we know (minus the excessive religious overtones that make me slightly uncomfortable). Despite the game against the Falcons, and regardless of what happens the rest of the preseason, one thing is for sure: when the Titans return to play at home, Mariota will draw a larger crowd than usual at Neyland Stadium.
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