It’s been a weird year for the Tennessee Titans. One of those ‘changing of the guard’ type of seasons. It started with a bang, as the Titans absolutely ripped the preseason darling Cleveland Browns a new one to the tune of 43-13. Since then, it’s been a whole lot of ups and downs, inconsistency, and frustrating games. But, the biggest story of the season has undoubtedly been the change at quarterback from Marcus Mariota to Ryan Tannehill.
It’s happened a few times – Steve McNair, Vince Young, Jake Locker – and while we don’t quite know which era is about to begin in Tennessee, we know that the Mariota era is over.
The low point of the season came back on October 13th, when the Titans traveled to Denver only to lose to the Denver Broncos 16-0. That was the pivotal moment when Mike Vrabel and company elected to pull Mariota and insert Tannehill. Mariota went 7/18 for 63 yards and two picks, but it was the lifeless nature of the offense that stood out the most. That was a hard game to watch as the camera kept panning to Mariota on the sideline after he was benched. Sad.
But, I hope all of that doesn’t overshadow all of the good Mariota did for the Titans. He certainly has his fans out there, but he grew to be a divisive figure this year, with many Titans fans calling for his job before the season even began. I’m sure I sound like a heartbroken teenager whose girlfriend just broke up with him. But, I’m choosing to remember the good times.
Right out of the gate, Mariota looked like a star against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. To quote myself:
It was Mariota’s NFL debut and what a debut it was – 13/15, 209 yards, four touchdowns, and a 158.3 rating. The Titans absolutely destroyed the Bucs 42-14, and had me thinking “what am I watching?” I can remember feeling, “boy, these Titans are going to be fun to watch,” before the team went 3-13.
He also had that crazy game against the New Orleans Saints that season that saw him go 28/39 for 371 yards and four touchdowns. The Titans won that game in overtime, 34-28. 2015 was also the year that Mariota had that famous 87-yard touchdown run against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Oddly enough, Mariota’s three best games that season came in the only three games the Titans won. He threw 19 touchdowns to 10 interceptions that rookie season, with an additional two scores on the ground.
In 2016, probably Mariota’s best season, it looked like he was poised to take the next step and become one of the top emerging quarterbacks in the league – 26 touchdowns to nine interceptions, with two rushing touchdowns. That team was in the hunt until the very end (2016 was the season the Jags ended the Titans playoff hopes in ugly fashion in the last game of the season). I still think that, of all of Mariota’s teams, that was the one that probably could have done some real damage in the playoffs. The offensive line was at its best in years. DeMarco Murray was running well. But, it wasn’t to be.
Then in 2017, Mariota took a major dip in production. He had a passer rating of 100 or above just three times, and threw 13 touchdowns to 15 interceptions, all season. But, the team was good enough to qualify for the playoffs. Against the Kansas City Chiefs, Mariota had one of the most legendary games in Titans history. Hell, all I have to say is “Chiefs” and you guys know what I’m talking about. Marcus Mariota threw a touchdown pass to himself. He finished the game 19/31 for 205 yards, two touchdowns, one interception, and of course, a touchdown reception. The Titans were down 21-3 before coming back to win 22-21. Easily one of the highlights of this franchise’s history, but they didn’t do much with it, losing 35-14 to the New England Patriots in the divisional round.
2018 was decent enough – Mariota had a nice game against the Philadelphia Eagles, as the team upset the defending champs in overtime. He was stellar on the road on Monday Night Football against the Dallas Cowboys. Perhaps most shocking was the Titans rocking the Patriots 34-10 in Nashville. But, by season’s end, his health concerns reared their ugly heads again. With a spot in the playoffs on the line, the Titans had to trot out Blaine Gabbert against the Indianapolis Colts because Mariota couldn’t go. The Titans lost that game, ending a season that at one point looked rather promising. That’s when I remember the questions finally starting to float around on social media – is Mariota really the guy?
And, that’s how we ended up here. A lot of promise that fizzled out – but it doesn’t mean that Mariota was a bust as some in the comments section have asserted. Mariota played a lot of good ball here. He’s a nice guy and a credit to the community. Some of the things that that certain sect of Titans fans are saying are just completely unfair.
Ken Whisenhunt buried this franchise into a hole unlike anything we had previously seen. Y’all complained about Jeff Fisher long enough, but it was Whisenhunt who set this franchise back further than anybody. The Titans’ worst years came with him at the helm. Marcus Mariota was part of the foundation that lifted Titans football out of that abyss. This team had three consecutive winning seasons for the first time in its history with Mariota at quarterback. They were a legitimate playoff contender in three of his four years as the full-time starter.
There’s plenty of blame to place as to why Marcus Mariota didn’t pan out for the Titans. Turnover at offensive coordinator, not committing to getting legit play-makers at wide receiver (or missing on the ones they did bring in), health, offensive line play – regardless, it’s safe to say it’s time for a fresh start for Mariota. And, to be fair, I could definitely see him going somewhere else and playing well.
Like I said, when I think of Marcus Mariota, I’m going to think about Kansas City, the 87-yard touchdown run, the stiff-arm on Barry Church, beating the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles in OT…those things. Time will tell how the Titans fan base remembers Mariota, but in due time, I think we’ll see more positive sentiment than negative. I’m already willing to put him just behind McNair in terms of Titans quarterbacks.
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, Nashville, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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