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This weekend was the first time that the 2015 Tennessee Titans have been on the field at the same time in highly competitive drills. The more looks we get at these players in these conditions, the better idea we will have of what they will bring when the season rolls around. It is time to start separating what we wanted these players to be, from what they actually are.
This is a look back on the quarterback play from this weekend.
Marcus Mariota
The highly touted rookie and one of the faces of the franchise Marcus Mariota did not disappoint this weekend. As always, now more than ever it is important to remind everyone just how hard Mariota works and why the system stuff doesn't concern me at all.
Look no further than Mariota's feet to find how serious his work ethic is according to ESPN's Paul Kuharsky. In an article describing how the one real glitch in Mariota's game in OTA's was his feet in the running game, the coaches detail just how committed he is to every facet of his job.
Quarterbacks John McNulty had this to say:
"There were a couple things in his footwork with the run game, and now he's got it aced. So obviously he worked on that over the five weeks."
Ultimately it comes down to how well you can throw the ball, and Marcus Mariota has been...well great in that regard too. These are his passing totals according to pretty critical sources:
Day 1 without pads
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Mariota finished 13-for-22 plus two designed runs. A throwaway and some drops in there. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Titans?src=hash">#Titans</a> <a href="http://t.co/AR0uLdMv9y">pic.twitter.com/AR0uLdMv9y</a></p>— Paul Kuharsky (@PaulKuharskyNFL) <a href="https://twitter.com/PaulKuharskyNFL/status/627606683808845824">August 1, 2015</a></blockquote>
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Day 2 with pads
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Mariota finished strong. 12 for 18 with 3 drops: Walker, DGB and Hunter. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Titans?src=hash">#Titans</a>.</p>— Paul Kuharsky (@PaulKuharskyNFL) <a href="https://twitter.com/PaulKuharskyNFL/status/627876335000555520">August 2, 2015</a></blockquote>
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So that means that Marcus Mariota's weekend was 25 for 40 (62.5%) with five drops, and a throw away making his adjusted completion percentage 74%.
For those that say he is just passing against air, that is just not true. He is throwing against a Dick LeBeau defense that is disguising coverages and- as of today- bringing pressure.
Ultimately Mariota has looked better than anyone could have wanted. He has tucked it and ran a couple of times to get the easy yards but ultimately looks comfortable and calm in the pocket even when there are bodies around him. He has been accurate and he is bringing out the best in players that can improve. This is the guy you want leading your organization and if he can carry this over to the field then it will be a long time before this team picks in the top 10 again.