"Pro ready."
It was a term thrown around judiciously in the 2015 NFL Draft process when comparing Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota. For all the athletic and efficiency advantages Mariota had over Winston as a prospect, evaluators repeatedly praised Winston for his “pro-readiness” — his ability to step in day one and run an NFL offense.
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Winston’s anticipation, footwork and pocket confidence gave merit to that statement, but the discussion unfairly turned to Mariota’s need for ample development, and that he may be a project.
But after the two faced off in Week 1, doubters of Mariota’s pro-readiness were silenced. Even though the Titans' offensive gameplan featured simplistic reads, option plays and limited deep throws, Mariota’s poise, timing and confidence reeked of a future star quarterback in the NFL, and a starter-ready option to start his rookie season.
Packaged plays, simple reads to success
Much of the credit for Mariota’s debut success goes to Jason Michael, the Titans offensive coordinator, and coach Ken Whisenhunt. Fear over the Mariota-Titans wedding on draft day stemmed from the concern that Whisenhunt would try to work Mariota into an offense that would stifle his development.
The opposite happened. Mariota worked from the pocket primarily, but utilized numerous packaged plays, quick routes and pre-determined reads.
One of the packaged plays is below. It’s a common read-option slant play that multiple offenses use, most notably Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay. The B-Gap is opened by the offensive line blocking, allowing for the appearance of an inside zone run to make the linebacker bit. The result is a wide open slant route behind the linebacker with ample room to work.
In charting Mariota’s performance, a few themes were clear. For one, Mariota didn’t appear to make a single post-snap progression, though it’s difficult to say conclusively that was the case. Of his 16 throws, just three were not screens, hitches, running back flares or quick slants, which are the easiest routes for quarterbacks to complete.
But the simplistic offensive gameplan shouldn’t be a knock on Mariota. It allowed for Mariota to gain confidence in the offense. It proved that much of his Oregon gameplan could be meshed with an NFL offense. It displayed that Mariota can manage a game and be productive.
More importantly, Mariota gained the opportunity to exhibit his timing with receivers, play action development in drop backs (surprisingly impressive), and placement across the field. After just one game, it’s clear that Mariota offers the confidence to run an NFL offense, and his arm skills, along with his giddied-over quick adaption to the NFL, wasn’t just a training camp mirage.
High-Level throws for optimistic future
Mariota’s management of the offense and remarkable efficiency in finishing timing routes in his first start impressed more than enough. He led the NFL’s second-worst team in 2014 to a blowout win in his first game as the starter, and did it with no turnovers and just three incompletions, along with four touchdowns.
But within the controlled, conservative gameplan, Mariota still delivered two throws that should really get Titans fans and evaluators excited about the next evolution of his NFL game.
On the first play, early in the first quarter, Mariota faced five rushers and a Cover 2 defense behind it. Mariota gets to his drop, reads the late-dropping inside linebacker, and delivers a strike to Delanie Walker between the zone, with the throw perfectly timed as he makes his break and finishes with ample velocity to split the defenders.
On the second play, Mariota works off a play-action right rollout. First off, his play-action forces the edge linebacker to freeze, giving Mariota the ability to get around him and stay in athletic position to finish the throw. When Mariota’s safe option, his running back flaring in front of him, gets knocked down, Mariota seamlessly adjusts his eye level down field and finds Delanie Walker on a deep drag across the middle. The throw is delivered with great velocity thanks to ideal lower-half mechanics, and placed well enough that Walker can gain yards after catch.
Mariota’s expectations are about to get out of control. Rookies aren’t supposed to throw for four touchdowns in their first start, nonetheless do it with remarkable efficiency and devoid of turnovers. His consistently impressive ball placement, flashes of high velocity and on-the-move poise should begin comparisons to Aaron Rodgers, which may be hyperbolic but not without similarities.
But there’s reason for excitement. Mariota torched the first NFL defense he faced, and we’ve only seen the most basic of gameplans for him. As Mariota gets more comfortable away from his Oregon, simplistic offense to a more developed NFL one, there’s no telling how impressive Mariota could be.
Crowning Marcus Mariota as the best quarterback in the 2015 draft may be reactionary after just one performance. But his performance wasn’t fluky or lackluster; it was a testament that he was certainly “ready” to be a pro quarterback. And we’re only scratching the surface for where else Mariota can thrive in year one.