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I am SO GLAD he is not our QB. I am not saying “he’s bad”, because he’s not... but I wouldn’t want to pay him franchise money when it sure looks like he’s more middle tier.
Nearly impossible for a team to get a good value on his next contract, IMO.
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap30...riota-100-million-man-plus-leveon-bells-value
Marcus Mariota = $100 million man?
Is Marcus Mariota really a $100 million quarterback?
On the surface, the No. 2 overall pick of the 2015 NFL Draft checks numerous boxes as a franchise quarterback, with an enviable combination of size, speed, athleticism and arm talent. Displaying solid leadership skills and big-game moxie (remember last January's road playoff win in Kansas City?), Mariota appears to be the right kind of quarterback to lead the Tennessee Titans' blue-collar outfit for the next decade.
"You notice good football players on the road when you're scouting, and he was a guy that had a quiet confidence about him, that distributed the football well, that had a unique balance of arm talent and athleticism and just thought he was going to be a really good football player," Titans general manager Jon Robinson said about his franchise quarterback during an interview on the Jim Rome Show in 2016 shortly after being hired by Tennessee.
While all of those factors are certainly true, Mariota still has been an inconsistent player over the past few seasons. At this point, quantifying his value as a franchise quarterback is no easy task.
The fourth-year pro sports a 23-26 career record as a starter, with a 62.5 percent career completion rate, a 65:39 touchdown-to-interception ratio and an 88.8 passer rating. Over the past 23 regular-season games -- going back to the beginning of the 2017 campaign -- the TD-to-INT ratio sits at 20:20, with only five games above a 100.0 passer rating during that span. Certainly not eye-popping statistics for a so-called franchise quarterback, which is why the Titansface something of a conundrum when it comes to the franchise's future plans at the game's most important position. Mariota is poised to play on his fifth-year option in 2019, at a rate of $20.9 million, but he could be tracking toward inking a deal worth more than $25 million annually when all is said and done.
That's a whole lot of cheese for a quarterback who currently ranks 37th in passing yards per game (187.2), behind the likes of Dak Prescott (214.4), C.J. Beathard (208.7), Brock Osweiler (207.8) and Ryan Tannehill (194.4). Mariota's 89.9 passer rating puts him behind Derek Carr (93.5), Eli Manning (92.7), Prescott (90.8), Alex Smith (90.7) and Andy Dalton (90.7). Considering how much hate the football world spews on many of those other passers, you can see the dilemma facing the Titans when making a decision on how to value their QB1 in the current marketplace.
Is an average quarterback worth $100 million dollars or should the team look for another QB1?
"He's not a Tier 1 or Tier 2 quarterback, but you have to keep him," an NFC personnel director told me. "It's hard to find an elite quarterback in this league, so you have to continue to build around him and hope that he develops into an upper-echelon player with the right supporting cast in the right system."
With that in mind, the Titans have attempted to build around their young quarterback. They've invested a ton of draft capital and free-agent dollars in offensive skill players, and they brought in a new offensive coordinator (Matt LaFleur) with a scheme designed to maximize Mariota's talents. After a slow start to the 2018 season, where the QB slogged through six straight games with a passer rating under 100.0, Mariota has posted dazzling figures of 119.9 and 125.0 over the past two weeks -- easy wins over the Cowboys and Patriots. Mariota has posted a 69.8 percent completion rate with a 4:0 TD-to-INT ratio during this span.
Studying the All-22 Coaches Film of those performances, Mariota is at his best when he plays like an athlete at the quarterback position. He flourishes when he is able to throw on the move on bootlegs and scrambles. Mariota has a knack for finding open receivers on second-reaction plays, when the defense breaks down as he flees the pocket. In addition, the 25-year-old is a spectacular runner who's quite adept at executing the zone-read and other designed QB run concepts on the perimeter. Although his injury history prevents the Titans from extensively utilizing these concepts, Mariota's elusiveness and explosiveness as a runner add a dangerous element to the offense.
From the pocket, Mariota is at his best making quick-rhythm throws to the perimeter. He excels throwing quicks and in-breaking routes at short and intermediate range. He also shows impressive accuracy, touch and anticipation tossing post-corners to receivers down the field. Mariota consistently places his passes on the proper shoulder along the boundary, which makes it hard for defenders to make a play on the ball.
From a critical standpoint, Mariota remains a little inconsistent as a passer from the pocket. He misses a handful of layups each game -- which is odd, based on his feathery touch and solid instincts. In addition, Mariota hasn't shown opponents that he can consistently pick apart a defense with a surgeon's precision from the pocket. Granted, he is still acclimating to a new scheme and play caller, but his inconsistent stretches are more user error than poor play design.
That said, Mariota is certainly good enough to win games in this league. He is a mobile playmaker with the potential to be a true difference-maker as a dual-threat quarterback. No. 8 needs to continue to refine his game as a passer, but he's trending in the right direction in Tennessee's current system.
From a monetary standpoint, the Titans should bite the bullet and pay market rate for their young QB1, based on his potential and the dearth of other enticing options available. With an average quarterback class in the 2019 draft and a bunch of ho-hum prospects heading toward the free-agent market, Tennessee is better served investing in its young QB1 and continuing to add pieces around him to help him play winning football from the pocket. This approach has served Alex Smith's employers well during the latter part of his career, and it certainly could help the Titans remain a fringe contender with a quarterback offering a similar game.
Nearly impossible for a team to get a good value on his next contract, IMO.
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap30...riota-100-million-man-plus-leveon-bells-value
Marcus Mariota = $100 million man?
Is Marcus Mariota really a $100 million quarterback?
On the surface, the No. 2 overall pick of the 2015 NFL Draft checks numerous boxes as a franchise quarterback, with an enviable combination of size, speed, athleticism and arm talent. Displaying solid leadership skills and big-game moxie (remember last January's road playoff win in Kansas City?), Mariota appears to be the right kind of quarterback to lead the Tennessee Titans' blue-collar outfit for the next decade.
"You notice good football players on the road when you're scouting, and he was a guy that had a quiet confidence about him, that distributed the football well, that had a unique balance of arm talent and athleticism and just thought he was going to be a really good football player," Titans general manager Jon Robinson said about his franchise quarterback during an interview on the Jim Rome Show in 2016 shortly after being hired by Tennessee.
While all of those factors are certainly true, Mariota still has been an inconsistent player over the past few seasons. At this point, quantifying his value as a franchise quarterback is no easy task.
The fourth-year pro sports a 23-26 career record as a starter, with a 62.5 percent career completion rate, a 65:39 touchdown-to-interception ratio and an 88.8 passer rating. Over the past 23 regular-season games -- going back to the beginning of the 2017 campaign -- the TD-to-INT ratio sits at 20:20, with only five games above a 100.0 passer rating during that span. Certainly not eye-popping statistics for a so-called franchise quarterback, which is why the Titansface something of a conundrum when it comes to the franchise's future plans at the game's most important position. Mariota is poised to play on his fifth-year option in 2019, at a rate of $20.9 million, but he could be tracking toward inking a deal worth more than $25 million annually when all is said and done.
That's a whole lot of cheese for a quarterback who currently ranks 37th in passing yards per game (187.2), behind the likes of Dak Prescott (214.4), C.J. Beathard (208.7), Brock Osweiler (207.8) and Ryan Tannehill (194.4). Mariota's 89.9 passer rating puts him behind Derek Carr (93.5), Eli Manning (92.7), Prescott (90.8), Alex Smith (90.7) and Andy Dalton (90.7). Considering how much hate the football world spews on many of those other passers, you can see the dilemma facing the Titans when making a decision on how to value their QB1 in the current marketplace.
Is an average quarterback worth $100 million dollars or should the team look for another QB1?
"He's not a Tier 1 or Tier 2 quarterback, but you have to keep him," an NFC personnel director told me. "It's hard to find an elite quarterback in this league, so you have to continue to build around him and hope that he develops into an upper-echelon player with the right supporting cast in the right system."
With that in mind, the Titans have attempted to build around their young quarterback. They've invested a ton of draft capital and free-agent dollars in offensive skill players, and they brought in a new offensive coordinator (Matt LaFleur) with a scheme designed to maximize Mariota's talents. After a slow start to the 2018 season, where the QB slogged through six straight games with a passer rating under 100.0, Mariota has posted dazzling figures of 119.9 and 125.0 over the past two weeks -- easy wins over the Cowboys and Patriots. Mariota has posted a 69.8 percent completion rate with a 4:0 TD-to-INT ratio during this span.
Studying the All-22 Coaches Film of those performances, Mariota is at his best when he plays like an athlete at the quarterback position. He flourishes when he is able to throw on the move on bootlegs and scrambles. Mariota has a knack for finding open receivers on second-reaction plays, when the defense breaks down as he flees the pocket. In addition, the 25-year-old is a spectacular runner who's quite adept at executing the zone-read and other designed QB run concepts on the perimeter. Although his injury history prevents the Titans from extensively utilizing these concepts, Mariota's elusiveness and explosiveness as a runner add a dangerous element to the offense.
From the pocket, Mariota is at his best making quick-rhythm throws to the perimeter. He excels throwing quicks and in-breaking routes at short and intermediate range. He also shows impressive accuracy, touch and anticipation tossing post-corners to receivers down the field. Mariota consistently places his passes on the proper shoulder along the boundary, which makes it hard for defenders to make a play on the ball.
From a critical standpoint, Mariota remains a little inconsistent as a passer from the pocket. He misses a handful of layups each game -- which is odd, based on his feathery touch and solid instincts. In addition, Mariota hasn't shown opponents that he can consistently pick apart a defense with a surgeon's precision from the pocket. Granted, he is still acclimating to a new scheme and play caller, but his inconsistent stretches are more user error than poor play design.
That said, Mariota is certainly good enough to win games in this league. He is a mobile playmaker with the potential to be a true difference-maker as a dual-threat quarterback. No. 8 needs to continue to refine his game as a passer, but he's trending in the right direction in Tennessee's current system.
From a monetary standpoint, the Titans should bite the bullet and pay market rate for their young QB1, based on his potential and the dearth of other enticing options available. With an average quarterback class in the 2019 draft and a bunch of ho-hum prospects heading toward the free-agent market, Tennessee is better served investing in its young QB1 and continuing to add pieces around him to help him play winning football from the pocket. This approach has served Alex Smith's employers well during the latter part of his career, and it certainly could help the Titans remain a fringe contender with a quarterback offering a similar game.
