Mariota won't blame O-line on sacks: 'That's all on me'
Marcus Mariota is an impressive rookie and he continues to do and say all the right things as the new face of the franchise for the Tennessee Titans.
The rookie quarterback has already taken nine sacks in two games, “leading” the NFL in this category. When asked about it, however, Mariota offered the most mature response possible.
“That’s all on me. I can do a lot better job with helping those guys with protections, in terms of cadence, getting the ball out, and not taking unnecessary sacks. So everything that happened is definitely on me,’’ Mariota said, via Jim Wyatt of Titansonline.com.
One can envision Peyton Manning reading this and wiping away a tear or two.
“I think for us, it is about getting better at it. But for me, a lot of that is on me, just getting the ball out quick and helping them out. … The pass rush (in the NFL) is relentless, it’s every down. You’ve got to get used to it. I’ll do a better job for sure.”
This is perfect.
Quarterbacks are the undisputed leaders of their teams and Mariota’s comment shows how much he gets this. While there is no doubt he could have done a better job with some pre-snap adjustments and getting the ball out before taking some of these sacks, there is no way he could have avoided some others.
Head coach Ken Whisenhunt agrees. He also couldn’t be prouder of his new protégé.
“That’s the way Marcus has been from the start, and that’s why guys love him, I guess,’’ Whisenhunt said of Mariota’s accountability. “He believes that, and some of it was on him. But some of it was on the o-line, some of it was on us as a team because we didn’t get to the line fast enough and handle it well. Hopefully we’ll get better.”
Taking ownership of everything comes with the job of being a franchise quarterback -- a fact Mariota seems to understand more than most rookies who enter the league.
Not only will his comments endear him to his veteran teammates, but they also bode well for his future development. Players who take full responsibility for their mistakes are the ones who will spend the time in the film room and the practice field to correct them.
To this point, through two games, Mariota has been incredibly impressive, both on and off the field. He is leading the NFL with a 129.9 passer rating and has already thrown six touchdowns, which makes him the first quarterback in history to achieve this mark in his first two games.
Tennessee should quickly become a contender in the AFC South with Mariota leading the charge and will compete with Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts for the divisional crown in the years to come.
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