We’re entering Year Four for Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota. At this point, he should be establishing himself as a true franchise quarterback, and I believe that’s the case. Anyone with a set of two eyes who watched that playoff win in Kansas City should be able to see that. But, there are still some doubters out there after he, supposedly, took a step back in 2017. Those doubters have some new fodder after this little nugget popped out of Jim Wyatt’s latest OTA report.
Courtesy of Jim Wyatt at Titans Online:
Mariota continues to get comfortable running a new offense, while working on his technique. One of the biggest points of emphasis this offseason has focused on widening his base, which should help him get the ball out quicker.
LaFleur, who has worked with quarterbacks like Jared Goff, Matt Ryan and Robert Griffin III in the past, said Mariota has been putting the time in to make himself better.
Mariota began working on his base in California earlier in the offseason, and it’s continued in Nashville under the tutelage of LaFleur and O’Hara. On the practice field he’s looked quicker, minus the bulky knee brace he wore last season. He’s made strides in the pocket, with some below the waist adjustments.
Mariota and LaFleur hope it will pay off this fall.
I understand that people might read this and be a little concerned at least. You don’t really want to hear that your franchise quarterback is going back and working on his throwing mechanics at a time when he should really be coming into stride. I get it. But, I also don’t really see this as anything more than an indictment of the two previous coaching staffs.
It’s June. Mariota’s been healthy all offseason. There’s plenty of time to tweak something here and there before we get into training camp and the preseason. I know it’s enticing, and we don’t have a lot to debate about this time of year, but this is no reason to panic.
If you trust the hiring of offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur, then you should trust the work he’s put in with quarterbacks in the past. Look no further than Rams quarterback Jared Goff. Working with quarterbacks is something LaFleur does well, so let’s just trust that there’s nothing alarming going on.
But, man – it’s something else that Ken Whisenhunt and Mike Mularkey missed something like this and we’re just now working on it. I know Mularkey did a lot to improve the culture here, but The Whizzer didn’t do jack shit. Just typing his name reminded me how much I hate that the Titans hired this guy. And, now that I’ve turned this into a Ken Whisenhunt slam piece, I’m going to go ahead and close up shop here.
Mariota’s going to be fine. Calm down.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Alabama Crimson Tide football, the WWE, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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