Raiders Marcus Mariota Ranked Highly
Marcus Mariota has been getting rave reviews lately in the Las Vegas Raiders training camp, with Coach Jon Gruden saying that he’s a “dazzling playmaker,” and that he’s been fired up by the backup quarterback's play so far in camp.
It isn’t just in the Raiders camp where Mariota has been getting attention, though. Mariota was listed eighth among the 32 backup quarterbacks in the league in a recent ranking on NFL.com.
That would seem initially to be good for Mariota to be that high. The description his ranking is given, though, doesn’t accurately paint him as someone you would have confidence filling in for a game.
It starts well by saying that “No one has ever doubted Mariota’s leadership or toughness.” Everything after that though proceeds to poke significant holes in Mariota’s value.
They say that “There isn’t much about his passing game that stands out.” They even reference the compliments that Gruden has given Mariota, stating, “No matter what bouquets Jon Gruden throws Mariota’s way publicly, don’t expect him to play this season barring a Derek Carr injury or the Raiders falling two to three games under .500.”
You would think that ranking in the top 10 on a list like this would indicate that Raiders fans shouldn’t be afraid if Mariota has to step into a game. According to the record, though, it would seem maybe they should.
Granted, no one wants to see Derek Carr get hurt or suffer bad enough performances this year to see Mariota get into the game. Let’s not forget, though, that Mariota has finished with a winning record the last three seasons he was a full-time starter.
Mariota has also won a playoff game, something that other longtime starters like Matthew Stafford and Kirk Cousins haven’t done yet.
Is he perfect? No, that’s why he’s now a backup. That doesn’t mean though that he couldn’t fill in capably if the Raiders needed him to. He has the experience necessary to fill that spot; it’s only a matter of him staying ready whenever his number gets called.
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