Loser: Marcus Mariota
It should be heartbreaking for Tennessee Titans fans to see what has happened to Marcus Mariota. After his first two years in the NFL, Mariota looked like an exciting young QB who was dynamic on the field and truly special off the field.
He has always given everything to the fans and he has never once basked in his own glory, always giving it to his teammates while soaking up blame. The Titans organization should be ashamed of their failure to support him.
Still, yesterday it was the right call to pull Mariota and watching him scramble in a clean pocket and skip passes to wide receivers was a clear indicator that his time in Tennessee was over.
The good news for Mariota is that he was selected 2nd overall in his draft. Everyone in the world loved him coming out of college and he has a lot of money in the bank. He will get a shot with another team and he will be able to pick where he wants to end up thanks to his rookie contract.
If he wants to be a starter, there will be opportunities for him, and if he wants to sit and learn he will have those chances too. Either way, for the first time in his life he will have several offers and he can pick where he wants to go instead of being forced into a situation. Lucky for him, and sad for the Titans franchise.