Fans were calling for Marcus Mariota to be benched for backup quarterback Ryan Tannehill during a rough game against the Jacksonville Jaguars that ended in a 20-7 loss.
That’s not totally unwarranted, considering Mariota was just 6-of-16 passes for 62 yards at the half before showing some improvement afterward.
He completed 17-of-24 attempts in the second half for 242 yards to finish the game 23-of-40 passes for 304 yards.
But it’s not just the fan base that seems to be losing confidence in their starter.
Mike Vrabel seemed to be more adamant ahead of the season about Mariota and his place as the leader of the team.
When asked about how close he was to sending Tannehill in the game, he offered a short answer of “not very”, and said he only had his helmet on so he could hear the calls.
Still, there was no definitive “no” there. Now, he doesn’t seem so aggressive.
Vrabel still insists he’s not looking to make any changes at the position, but left the possibility on the table, and mentioned there were some plays the Titans would have liked to do over — including some at quarterback.
Over three starts in 2019, Mariota is 56-of-92 passes for 706 yards and four touchdowns, with a passer rating of 99.3.
But it’s not just about the story the stats sheet tells. Mariota’s lack of confidence in himself is evident not only his play, but his own words.
“Honestly, I just, I don’t know,” he said after the loss to Jacksonville. “I’ve got to find that out because I can’t start games like that. You know, I didn’t help our team at all in the first half, didn’t give our guys chances to make plays and I felt I need to go out and just muster something together. I’ve got to continue to have that mentality throughout the season and just give our guys opportunities to go make plays.”
The Titans are going to need to see vast improvement from Mariota to justify a contract extension, but if we keep seeing more of the same, it may be time for Tennessee to begin seriously considering the quarterback position in the 2020 NFL Draft.
