Tennessee Titans: Marcus Mariota reacts to Tannehill being named starter

Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota spoke about Ryan Tannehill being named the starter.

The Tennessee Titans have officially named Ryan Tannehill as the starter for Week 7 against the Los Angeles Chargers, and Marcus Mariota spoke about it on Wednesday.

Here’s what he had to say, courtesy of Erik Bacharach of The Tennessean.

"“Disappointed for sure,” Mariota said. “That’s totally on my shoulders. I had an opportunity to play and I didn’t make the most of it. I’m going to learn and grow from it, this is an opportunity for me to grow as a person and as a player, and I’m going to do everything I can to help Ryan and the team.”"

The former No. 2 overall pick went on to say that this isn’t going to bring him down or end his career. Instead, he’s going to continue to grow and make the most of the situation, per Jim Wyatt of Titans Online.

"“For me, my expectation was always to be the best player I can be for this team. Until the day that I die, I believe that I gave it all that I’ve got. No matter what, I can learn and grow from this situation. This isn’t going to bring me down, this isn’t going to end my career. This is an opportunity for me to grow and I’m going to make the most of it.”"

Mariota has had an up-and-down season, which culminated in his worst performance of the 2019 campaign in Week 6 against the Denver Broncos.

Mariota completed just 7-of-18 passes for 63 yards and two picks in what was a shutout loss for the Titans.

Mariota was replaced in the third quarter with Tannehill, who went on to complete 13-of-16 passes for 144 yards and one pick. While Tannehill was unable to get the Titans in the end zone, he looked like the better quarterback on Sunday.

When asked about why the switch was made, Titans head coach Mike Vrabel said he was looking to “try to spark the offense.”

Vrabel also left the door open for Mariota to win the job back, although I wouldn’t bet on that happening unless Tannehill completely implodes or gets hurt.

For now, this is Tannehill’s job and it likely will be for the remainder of the season unless either of the two aforementioned scenarios play out.

One thing’s for certain: if the Titans can’t clean up their act on the offensive line or with the play calling, this team is going to continue to struggle on offense. Tennessee’s woes are about much more than just the guy behind center.