Tennessee Titans: Benching Marcus Mariota for Ryan Tannehill for the best
Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel will make a decision on whether to start Ryan Tannehill over Marcus Mariota or not. Doing so is the best choice.
For the second straight week, Marcus Mariota and the Tennessee Titans offense struggled incredibly. Unlike in the Week 5 loss to the Buffalo Bills, though, head coach Mike Vrabel did something about it against the Denver Broncos. The second-year sideline director benched the 2015 second overall pick to put Ryan Tannehill into the mix.
Now, a difficult decision is looming for Vrabel. On Monday, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that Mariota’s starting job was seriously in jeopardy. Furthermore, Vrabel told NFL.com that he will make a decision on Mariota or Tannehill by Tuesday morning (per Adam Maya).
When Tannehill entered Sunday’s road contest and Mariota took a seat, it’s worth noting that it didn’t change much in the grand scheme. The Titans still ended up with a shutout loss and dropped to 2-4 on the season. At the same time, though, Tannehill looked miles better than his quarterback room-mate.
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Mariota’s performance was truly abysmal and worth being benched over. The former Heisman Trophy winner went 7-of-18 for only 63 yards and two interceptions. Even worse, he was averaging a paltry 3.5 yards per attempt. Tannehill, meanwhile, came in and provided somewhat of a spark, going 13-of-16 for 144 yards, though he also tossed a pick on the day.
However, the decision on who should start at quarterback should not be made based on Week 6 performances. At the same time, though, the player that performed better on Sunday — Tannehill — should be named the starter.
Despite his draft pedigree, Mariota simply has not panned out as a franchise quarterback for the Titans. The simple truth is that the final 10 games of the 2019 season are not going to change that. However, in a relatively mediocre AFC South, the Titans aren’t out of the playoff mix after a 2-4 start to the season.
One of the many issues with Mariota, in addition to his inconsistent accuracy, has been his extreme risk-aversion when he plays. He’s always going to make safe plays but he does so at the expense of taking the risks necessary to be a great quarterback. In essence, he’s always lacked the “it factor” it takes to be great since he entered the NFL.
Tannehill is far removed from being a perfect quarterback. He too struggles with his accuracy and can be inconsistent. However, the former Dolphin has displayed plenty of moxie throughout his career. He’s not afraid to take big risks in hopes of big payoffs, sometimes to his detriment.
However, the Titans are not a bad football team. They are just held back currently by a number of factors, one of which is the fact that Mariota’s play does not elevate the team. And while Tannehill will make mistakes should he be made the starters, his best performances can indeed elevate the offense.
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If the Titans are sure that Mariota is not their long-term answer at quarterback — which they should be at this point — they need to try an maximize what’s left of the 2019 season. Making the switch to Tannehill would accomplish that. His skill-set and style of play are more conducive to that. We’ll have to see if Vrabel makes the right choice, however.