Associated Press photo by Phelan Ebenhack / Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota passes while being hit by Jacksonville Jaguars defensive tackle Taven Bryan, on ground, during the first half of last Thursday’s game in Jacksonville, Fla. Mariota was sacked nine times in the game as the Titans lost 20-7 to fall to 1-2 this season.NASHVILLE – Pressure is mounting on Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota to perform better or possibly be benched in favor of backup Ryan Tannehill.
At least that’s what some of the team’s angrier fans would like to see.
While Mariota has been inconsistent while being intensely evaluated to see if he’s deserving of a long-term contract extension worth millions of dollars, fans have been expressing their frustration. One even called into a radio show wanting Titans general manager Jon Robinson to trade Mariota, who’s in the fifth and final year of his rookie deal, for a block of cheese.
Veteran tight end Delanie Walker knows how the Titans can best help their quarterback: Just win.
“We win a game for him, make every play, protect him so he can look like he’s the star that he is,” Walker said Wednesday.
The three-time Pro Bowl selection said Mariota is not the type of guy who will ever point the finger at anybody but himself. Yet Walker remains confident in Mariota even with the Titans on a two-game losing streak – both of them against AFC South Division foes – heading into Sunday’s interconference contest against the host Atlanta Falcons. The border battle has become a matchup of teams that were expected to, at worst, contend for the playoffs now fighting for a quick turnaround after starting 1-2.
“He’s been getting it done,” Walker said of Mariota. “It’s tough being a quarterback in this league. I want to say you take all the blame no matter what, and that guy, he ain’t going to say nothing about anyone. It don’t matter that someone dropped the pass on third down or he got sacked multiple times. He’s going to just say it’s his fault, and he’s got to do better. And that’s the sad part.”
Mariota appeared to be at his best during the second half of Tennessee’s season-opening 43-13 win in Cleveland, when he completed all six of his passes – including all three of his touchdowns in the game – for 143 yards on a day he finished 14-of-24 for 248 yards against the Browns. The No. 2 overall pick of the 2015 draft has yet to have a pass intercepted through three games this season, and while he ranks just 20th in the NFL with 706 passing yards, he is 10th with a 99.3 passer rating.
Then there’s the other side of the ledger. He has thrown only one touchdown pass in the past two games, a 19-17 home loss to the Indianapolis Colts and a 20-7 road loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Mariota has overthrown wide-open receivers, finishing the first half against the Jaguars 6-of-16, and he has been sacked a league-high 17 times, the most by one player in the first three games since 2002.
On Wednesday, Mariota said repeatedly he can play better.
“If I can do a better job of moving in and around the pocket,” Mariota said, “I can help our guys out up front and deliver the football to our guys to make plays.”
He also believes it’s possible to carry over the rhythm from the second half of that loss in Jacksonville, where he finished with 304 passing yards despite being sacked nine times. Starting faster would help – Mariota was 3-of-6 in the first quarter against the Jaguars – and he thinks that can be addressed simply by completing passes early in games.
“Art’s doing a great job of allowing our guys to get open; I’ve just got to complete them,” Mariota said of first-year Titans offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. “It’s like a jump shooter in basketball, as I see guys kind of catch the ball, I think we get into a rhythm as an entire offense, we’ll find ways to sustain drives and score points.”
Mariota thanked Titans coach Mike Vrabel for using Monday’s practice to focus on fundamentals and details. The quarterback said sometimes those things can slip a bit as players study up on opponents during the season.
Vrabel believes practicing well is a big key to getting Mariota into rhythm and throwing well in games. The second-year Titans coach also believes Mariota wasn’t all bad in the loss to the Jaguars.
“I’m not going to tell you that they were all great or they were all bad, because there were some good throws in there,” Vrabel said, “but there are things that we need to fix, and that’s a collective effort throughout the offense, and me and the coaching staff.”
The Titans received Tannehill and a draft pick in exchange for a pair of draft picks in March, when they traded to upgrade at backup quarterback. Tannehill, a first-round draft pick in 2012, has plenty of experience as an NFL starter, though.
He started all 16 games his first four seasons with the Miami Dolphins and remained their regular starter throughout his time in South Florida – he missed the 2017 season due to injury – although he had fallen out of favor with fans before being dealt to Tennessee. In 89 career games, he has completed 62.8% of his passes for 20,434 yards with 123 touchdowns and 75 interceptions.
The Titans practiced in pads Wednesday and focused on first and second downs, situations in which they have struggled. Walker (left knee), linebacker Daren Bates (ankle) and right guard Kevin Pamphile (knee) did not practice, and linebacker Rashaan Evans (wrist) was limited. Linebacker Wesley Woodyard (quad), though, practiced fully after being inactive at Jacksonville.