Spectators are well aware of the talent and potential that quarterback Marcus Mariota brings to the Tennessee Titans. Even with this being said, onlookers believed that it would take time to adjust and become accustomed to playing at the NFL level. That is a totally rational assumption. But at Titans camp, he has shown rapid development and a notable learning curve. He looks razor sharp and it is impressive how quickly Mariota is improving in such a brief period of time. The rook seems to be settling in well and it will be exciting to track his progress.
Super Bowl-winning Quarterback Kurt Warner recently took a trip down to Titans Camp was very pleased by Mariota’s performance at practice. “One of the things that most impresses me is how he handles the situations, controlling the line of scrimmage and controlling the huddle. So all those questions I had, I’m seeing now he’s way ahead of the ballgame in regards to where you maybe thought he was before to where he’s at now. I think you’re seeing a kid that’s much further along than definitely I would have expected him to be coming from where he was, and much further along than where most people expected him to be.”
Mariota has yet to throw a pick at camp, has not fumbled, and appears as close to perfect as one can possibly get. The Titans coaching staff and his teammates praise his throwing accuracy, attention to detail, knowledge of the playbook, and his IQ under center. Head Coach Whisenhunt had even declared him the team’s clear-cut starting QB and it is easy to see why.
“When you have that quarterback in place, teams are usually successful and coaches have a lot more success when they’ve got that guy in place. So that’s first and foremost. Second, this is a guy where I think physically you saw all the ability. If he continues to move up mentally and grow mentally based on what you’ve seen in the short time together, I think the potential is incredible,” said Warner.
The 21-year-old appears poised to lead the struggling franchise to a better season than those of the past few subpar years. Not to jump the gun because it is still not the NFL preseason yet, but the hype surrounding the Mariota looks warranted. The sky’s the limit for the former Oregon Duck.
