Titans QB Mariota Named AFC Offensive Player Of The Week

[Mike75]

[Mike75]

Part I:Getting To Know Marcus Mariota

 

 

Marcus Mariota is 21 years old, 6ft 4in,220 pounds.In Mariota's three seasons as a college starter he went 36-5 overall with 10,796 yards passing and 2,237 yards rushing with 105TD and only 14INT completing 67% of his passes in his career. From 2012 to 2013, Mariota set the Pac-12 record with 353 consecutive passes without an interception.  He became the only player in history to put together multiple interception-free streaks of 200 attempts or more. In 2014, he threw 42 touchdowns vs. only four interceptions. Mariota’s college interception percentage was 1.20% (14 of 1,167 attempts) Mariota's TD/INT ratio was one of the best in college football history. Mariota was second in the country in completion percentage (over 70%) when throwing from the pocket.

 

Mariota can make all the throws, if anyone has watched film or the Combine, he has proven that. A major misconception about Mariota is that he runs a lot and doesn't have good pocket skills when that couldn't be further from the truth. Mariota spent the majority of his junior campaign throwing passes from the pocket but he is a good runner as well which makes him truly dangerous. He is a passer first with running ability, not the other way around. He has that ability to make plays with his legs, extend the play and get the ball downfield.

 

He was the top performer at the combine in numerous categories including. a 4.52 forty yard dash,36.0 vertical jump,121.0 broad jump,6.87 three second cone drill,4.11 second twenty yard shuttle. His size, athleticism and consistency of football character throughout his career are necessary traits in becoming a good-to-great quarterback. He flourished at Oregon in reading coverages and diagnosing defenses in pre-snap situations. His football IQ is off the charts with the way he reads defenses and goes through his progressions. He understands blitz packages much like Drew Brees and Tom Brady. He has an excellent memory and his ability to retain information and process it quickly makes him a special player. Mariota has the highest QBASE rating since 2012. Since '95,only six QB's Rivers,Palmer, McNabb,Wilson,RGIII and Manning had better projections.

 

When asked to throw down field, make post-snap reads and deliver the ball to the correct spot, Mariota is at the top of the college QB chart. I've seen him make accurate throws on the run, to the outside, over the middle, down the sideline, in the flats, on check downs, on hot reads and going deep. His ball placement is among the elite. He has enjoyed 68.5% (2012), 63.5% (2013) and 68.8% (2014) completion percentages in college. His ability to spot the ball in the face of pressure means he has a very valuable asset that a lot of teams will like when they come to evaluate him for their teams. Chip Kelly has said he has never been around a QB in college or pros that can process information and then use his athleticism to go out on the field and make it happen and also has the highest football IQ of any QB he has ever seen. "He might be the fastest guy on the field, but his mind is even faster he thinks like Peyton Manning," Kelly said of Mariota.

 

Mariota is very intelligent,extremely athletic,phenomenal work ethic,good passer and uses his legs to extend plays,constantly in playbook and watching film to try and improve,high character guy who avoids social media and nightlife,etc. It is not common to find a prospect who has all the attributes Mariota has because usually there will be a few weaknesses or key things prospects are missing but Mariota offers pretty much everything you'd want in a rookie. He has been described as a bigger Russell Wilson. Mariota is very competitive and hates to lose. One head coach said if you put everything about a QB you want into a computer program to make the perfect QB when it is done it would be one in the mold of Marcus Mariota. He can beat you by throwing from the pocket or beat you by running with his legs which makes him very dangerous. Rare to have a QB with the physical and mental abilities Mariota possesses.

 

 

Mariota went through most of training camp without throwing an interception. In preseason Mariota completed 21 of 30 passes good for 70% completion percentage,326 yards,1TD/1INT with a 102.9 passer rating. Early on the coaches were raving about how Mariota was looking and progressing. Jon Gruden predicted that Mariota would be NFL rookie of the year.

 

Doesn't look like he is losing any of his edge in his first NFL game against Tampa he completed 13 of 16 passes for 210 yards and 4TD with a perfect passer rating of 158.3 the first rookie in the history of the league to do that in his first game. Mariota is also is also the youngest QB to throw 4 TDs in a game as well and only one to do it in his first game. Mariota has also landed on the cover of Sports Illustrated and won AFC Offensive Player Of The Week honors.

 

 

 

 

Part II:Comments and predictions about Mariota from the media and his future......

 

 

Mariota is going to be very difficult to defend. He will put defenses in a real bind where you cannot defend everything and move the chains with his feet if you load up the secondary, and unlike Colin Kaepernick, can make all of the throws if you sit on his runs. I really believe that in a few years, Mariota is going to be something pretty special. His decision making is always to avoid dangerous throws that are low percentage. I admire that in a QB if he is still racking up huge yards and touchdowns. Mariota gave you all of the good and almost none of the bad. Aaron Rodgers-like in that respect.--Bob Sturms-Dallas Morning News

 

Jim Mora said "I think he's going to be phenomenal. He has everything you're looking for to be a great NFL quarterback. He's big, he's fast, he's physical. He's incredibly smart. He makes great decisions. He's an amazing competitor"  he's about as classy as a person as you'll ever find. He's the kind of guy you want representing your franchise. He has everything you want to be great at the next level."

 

Mel Kiper said. "He has great character, great approach, works hard, prepares hard. On the field performance has been upgraded tremendously in terms of just overall accuracy throwing the football. Pinpoint placement, throwing with anticipation, allowing the receiver to run after the catch, maximize those catches with balls that are thrown on target and precise. You think about throwing into tight windows in the NFL. when he has to he can." "His improvisational ability is off the charts," Kiper continued. "He can be a magician in that pocket; avoid, escape and create when nothing's there. Defenses think they have that play stopped and defended, Mariota creates a positive play. That's something in the NFL that comes up huge week after week for mobile quarterbacks. Mariota is the complete package."

 

 

Remember the discussion about if Russell Wilson were 6 ft 3in he'd be a first-round pick? Well, Mariota is 6ft 4in. SI's Doug Farrar compared him to a baby Rodgers. To me, he's a mix of the two--Peter Bukowski-SI.com

 

Marcus Mariota looks as if he's been designed by a franchise-quarterback computer program. He scrambles like Kaepernick, sheds tacklers like Roethlisberger and throws with preternatural precision. He is 6-4 and 220 pounds, runs a sub-4.5 40 and has all the other measurables any NFL team would want, from arm strength to elusiveness to a remarkably quick mind. He also has a bulletproof work ethic and a desire to be great.--Greg Bedard

 

 

Part III:Mariota In Action.....

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9_UVCt_fNw

[vegaseagles]

great  job  week one...now on to the  next quest may be  a little harder.....week 2

[Sharp Square]

He definitely had a great game but some bumps in the road are surely ahead as he won't be seeing TB every week. 

[TNVOLFAN]

Clev opened at -2.5 and now Tn fav by 1.....Is this the sucker bet of the week?