5 reasons PFF prefers Marcus Mariota to Ryan Tannehill for Tennessee Titans
By Will Lomas
Deep ball star
Ryan Tannehill has looked good throwing the intermediate routes in the preseason so far, but historically it is the deep ball that gives him trouble.
On the other hand, Marcus Mariota has one of the best deep passes in the NFL it just comes down to whether or not his receivers can haul the pass in that keeps him from more national recognition.
"He completed 14 of his 34 throws targeted 20 or more yards downfield, but six were dropped — tied for most in the NFL. That led to an adjusted completion rate of 58.8%, best in the league. You’ll have to scroll down that list a bit to find Tannehill — all the way to the bottom, in fact. He ranked 35th with an adjusted completion rate of 28.6% on deep throws."
On tape, you definitely see Marcus Mariota make some really nice passes down the field only for someone like Darius Jennings or Taywan Taylor to just barely miss the catch.
Without a real vertical threat and with a run-first offense for much of his career, the idea is that he can’t throw deep when really he is just trying to play within the offense he is given.
At what point to you give Mariota pass for not throwing the deep ball to Tajae Sharpe when his primary option on the play is Delanie Walker? If the Titans passed more frequently then no one would care because he would take more shots, but that just hasn’t been the case.