Marcus Mariota Best Option For Tennessee Titans
By Les Bailey
As soon as the Tennessee Titans selected Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota with the second pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, I felt the Titans took the first step to right the ship in Music City. There were several trade possibilities out there, but General Manager Ruston Webster stuck to his guns, set the price very high and made the right decision when the blockbuster deal didn’t come.
“I did my best to try to convince the Titans to give me the chance,” Mariota said. “… I’m going to make the most of it. I’m happy to be part of this organization.”
Now it boils down to head coach Ken Whisenhunt and his staff being able to install an offense that Mariota can execute until he learns how to play from the pocket. That will be the only way that the Oregon star can be effective as a day one starter.
David Climer reported from The Tennessean that Coach has already started working with his staff to prepare for the strong possibility that the Titans would draft Mariota with the second pick.
"Even so, there is no reason this football marriage can’t work. Mariota is athletic, throws the ball well, has natural leadership skills and seems to have a firm grip on the nuances of the game. Whisenhunt insists his offense can be adapted to fit different types of quarterbacks.In fact, Whisenhunt indicated the offensive staff began working on some adjustments when it became apparent Mariota was very high on the Titans’ draft board.“We started that weeks ago,” Whisenhunt said. “We’ll see how it goes, what he can handle and how he progresses.”"
A look back at what happened in Washington tells us that when the Redskins drafted Robert Griffin III, then head coach Mike Shanahan installed an offense that allowed the spread quarterback from Baylor to flourish the first year. RGIII didn’t do his part to progress into more of a pocket quarterback in the second year.
That would ultimately cost Coach Shanahan his job and lead to changes the young quarterback has trouble dealing with and more chaos in the Nation’s Capitol.
All indications are that Marcus Mariota is a much harder worker than the former Baylor star, and has the tools necessary to learn the ropes in an NFL system.
Former NFL quarterback and ESPN Analyst, Trent Dilfer said it best on Thursday afternoon when he said if Marcus Mariota were given a chance to learn, he would eventually be as good as Jameis Winston when he matures, maybe even better.
He also said that if he ends up in the wrong situation, he would become the next spread quarterback to fail in the NFL.
ESPN Titans reporter Paul Kuharsky is reporting the same story we heard from David Climer, that coach Whisenhunt is committed to making this a successful ordeal.
"He helped shape a young Ben Roethlisberger as offensive coordinator in Pittsburgh. He helped get veteranPhilip Rivers back on track in 2013 in a season as coordinator in San Diego. In six years as head coach in Arizona, he won with Kurt Warner, going to a Super Bowl.Whisenhunt had a big role in the success of those three high quality quarterbacks."
But he also reported that there was a commitment from Mariota as well to do his part.
"“I’m going to do my best to transition everything,” Mariota said. “I’m going to continue to be the player that I’ve always been and do whatever is asked of me. Coach Whisenhunt is going to have his offense and his complexities of his system, and I’m going to do my best to execute it. I won’t change the type of player I am and hopefully we’ll continue to find success and execute well.”The Titans believe Mariota has an NFL skill set."
The final point that sold me on this young quarterback was his desire to come to Nashville. He didn’t look sad when he was selected by the Titans, and say’s he saw being selected by the Titans as an opportunity where he could take the next step in his career.
"“I did my best to try to convince the Titans to give me the chance,” Mariota said. “… I’m going to make the most of it. I’m happy to be part of this organization.”"
Now all Tennessee Titans fans have to worry about is the stability of the organization. The support system around the youngster from Hawaii needs to stay intact and give him the time to grow into the quarterback we hope he can be.
Next: 2015 NFL Draft: Top 5 Players For Day Two