Marcus Mariota: The Rise of a Titan

In the 2015 NFL draft, the Tennessee Titans had to make a tough decision.

The top quarterbacks available were: Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota.

Winston was the traditional pocket passer, while Mariota was the electric dual-threat quarterback who’d played in Chip Kelly’s spread-option offense at Oregon.

Scouts were concern and wondered how Mariota would transition to the pros.

Tennessee Titans coaches watched Mariota go through throwing drills, even kept him after the drills for an additional private workout and then all of the coaches went to a private room inside the team’s facilities to watch more film on him.

The Oregon Ducks’ used a lot of no-huddle, hurry-up offensive schemes back then and the concern was if Mariota would be able to adjust to a traditional NFL offense.

A few weeks later, the Titans brought Mariota to Tennessee and they’d him do everything all over again.

When NFL draft day finally arrived, the Tampa Bay Bucs took Jameis Winston No. 1 overall, the Tennessee Titans took Marcus Mariota and the rest is history.

Drafting a good quarterback will make or break a NFL franchise.

Mariota with his mobility – and when healthy, embodies the terms…

Leader and cornerstone player,

Marcus Mariota is that dude!

The Titans find themselves in the thick of the AFC playoff race thanks to him, but there are a lot of scenarios yet to be played out, after their win on Thursday night over the Jacksonville Jaguars that was also fueled by a historic performance from running back Derrick Henry.

Tennessee improved to 7-6 and increased their chances of making the playoffs. They will have to win out the rest of their games, but even if they do, it’s not a given that they’ll make it into the playoff anyway because of their conference record and head-to-head losses against the Baltimore Ravens and the Miami Dolphins.