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Tennessee Titans: Ryan Tannehill’s job ‘to push’ Marcus Mariota

By Will Lomas

ARLINGTON, TX - NOVEMBER 05: Antwaun Woods #99 of the Dallas Cowboys and Jaylon Smith #54 of the Dallas Cowboys are unable to stop the touchdown run in the fourth quarter of a football game at AT&T Stadium on November 5, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX - NOVEMBER 05: Antwaun Woods #99 of the Dallas Cowboys and Jaylon Smith #54 of the Dallas Cowboys are unable to stop the touchdown run in the fourth quarter of a football game at AT&T Stadium on November 5, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /
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Marcus Mariota is the Tennessee Titans starter, which we all should have known.

If you are a Tennessee Titans fan who has watched Marcus Mariota play you probably already knew this but, Marcus Mariota is of course the Tennessee Titans starter.

This became news again after NFL.com recently brought up this quote:

"“His job as a backup — everybody’s job as a backup — is to push the guy in front of him,” Vrabel said this weekend, per UPI. “To compete and try to make yourself better and try to make the team better and see how everybody responds.”"

The reason I am covering this is because people in the comments seem to act like this is a smokescreen or something and that Tannehill has a chance. He doesn’t.

This isn’t a competition, there is no debate, Marcus Mariota is the starter.

Look, I understand going to the box score and seeing that Ryan Tannehill has passed for more yards than Mariota. I thought in the year 2019 we wouldn’t have to talk about this, but volume does not make you a good quarterback or the right quarterback to lead a franchise.

This isn’t a knock on Tannehill who I actually like, this is a knock on guys who say this about the Titans but then would never dream of suggesting that Ryan Fitzpatrick be the starter for a team they like.

Fitzpatrick was on pace for 35 TDs and a 4,500 yard season, but when everyone thought the Miami Dolphins were trying to tank this year, they thought Fitzpatrick was the perfect signing.

Focus on the film and not the numbers. When you look at Marcus Mariota, you see a guy who comes up big at the biggest times, if he was a pitcher he would be the closer. All you have to do is keep him upright and he will win you a lot of games in the NFL.

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The problem hasn’t been with Mariota when he is healthy, it has been when he has gotten hit or tried to do too much to compensate for issues at wide receiver that have gotten him in trouble.

Having said all that, this is the last offseason you are going to hear those excuses. The team around Marcus Mariota is good enough to win double digit games in the NFL and those are the expectations that this team has to hit.

The goal is to get to the playoffs and make a run, but it would go a long way for the team’s confidence and for the fan base’s confidence in Marcus Mariota if he could stay healthy and have a great 2019 campaign.

We already know that he is the starter, and we have just heard it again. From here on out that shouldn’t be the question, the question should be how well does he do in his contract year.

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