Having no expectations is often better than failing to meet expectations. Former Tennessee Titans starting QB Marcus Mariota, who featured on Netflix’s ‘Quarterback Season 1 with Pat Mahomes and Kirk Cousin, was once considered the dream signal-caller for the Eagles’ high-octane offense under Chip Kelly in the 2015 Draft. Following how he faired in this season’s matches so far, his future within his new team and NFL as a whole seems uncertain. 

The stark divide in the expectations versus actual performance graph has nudged NFL fans and analysts including Pat McAfee to declare damning verdicts.

“He’s Got No Pizzazz” McAfee on Mariota

On Friday’s episode of ‘The Pat McAfee Show’, host Pat McAfee decided to discuss the QB’s form and contribution to NFL which ended with a rather harsh concluding verdict. 

“Has Marcus Mariota just lost the ‘it’?” questioned McAfee as he drew parallels between different OBs. He discussed how Mariota has been of considerable importance to the Tennessee Titans. But little to no contribution to the Raiders and Atlanta. 

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Over the past two preseason games, the Eagles QB has completed 16 out of 26 passes, throwing for 144 yards, zero touchdowns, and only one interception. His passer rating is 56.3, which is considerably the lowest for a QB who has started multiple games in a span of three consecutive years. He seems to be failing to perform his best despite close to eleven years of pro football experience. 

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“But now he’s here with the Eagles, which we thought that system might be a good system for Marcus Mariota because he can still move,” said McAfee. He stressed the fact that since the team is training under Nick Sirianni, it is the perfect opportunity for the veteran QB to shine.  Sirianni is arguably one of the best coaches and is sure to bring out the best in any player. Pat McAfee is of the opinion that if Sirianni can’t do anything for him given his current form and state, then no one can.

After evaluating the current state of affairs, McAfee concluded in dismay, “And you’re a vet, you’ve seen a lot of defenses, especially in preseason games. You should be able to do your thing. He’s missing throws, he’s got no pizzazz. Oh, Marcus Mariota might be on his way out of the NFL as a whole.”

The Real Deal Breaker 

Despite zero-touch downs so far it is not the lack of completions that is haunting the QB’s performance, it is the way he has been missing crucial passes. The veteran’s ball-tossing skills seem to have gone for a toss with him releasing balls a little too early and, more often than not, way over the target’s head. His difficulties were highlighted in the Tiger’s Training Camp as well where he was flaked for being unable to go even a single day without a bad interception or a poorly thrown ball. 

The University of Oregon was the second overall pick of the Tennessee Titans in the 2015 NFL draft. Across a span of five seasons with the Titans, he threw for 13,207 yards, completed 75 touchdowns, and made 44 interceptions. Mariota is placed fifth in terms of passing yards and top ten for touchdowns in the Titans’ history. He later moved on to Las Vegas Raiders as quarterback for two years before joining the Atlanta Falcons the previous season. 

However, due to injury and dwindling skills, his future seems uncertain this year with the Philadelphia Eagles. Though he was hired as a backup to Jalen Hurts, Howie Roseman can only hope that he is not forced to unleash the reserve on a live NFL game situation.

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