There has been a lot of talk this week about how much, if at all, the starters would play in tonight's preseason finale against the Minnesota Vikings. Well apparently it has been determined that Mariota will get at least a couple of series tonight. All of the local beat guys, Paul Kuharsky, John Glennon and Terry McCormick, are now reporting that Mariota will get a little bit of time. Kuharsky also made the point that Mariota isn't playing without the other starters on offense...so that means you can expect to see the starting line and guys like Kendall Wright and Delanie Walker for a couple of series as well.
This adds a little bit of intrigue to a game that is typically pretty boring. Mariota's progression this preseason has been really encouraging. Hopefully we will see more of the same tonight.
This is a big game for Justin Hunter. I don't think he needs a big game to make the team or anything, but he is in the doghouse. He needs to do something in this one to get back on the right track.