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Bears vs Titans: Five Questions with Titan Sized

By Mike "Boomer" Burzawa

Jul 30, 2016; Nashville, TN, USA; General view of a Tennessee Titans helmet during training camp at Saint Thomas Sports Park. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 30, 2016; Nashville, TN, USA; General view of a Tennessee Titans helmet during training camp at Saint Thomas Sports Park. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nov 20, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) passes the ball in the first quarter the game against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 20, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) passes the ball in the first quarter the game against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports /

1. How would you assess Marcus Mariota in Year 2 of his career? Where has he improved and what are some things he needs to improve upon to take his game to the next level? Is he a franchise QB to lead the Titans back to the playoffs?

He’s an absolute star. I’m not just saying that because I’m biased and love him with all my heart. Football experts and pundits are also starting to see how talented this kid really is. He wasn’t great as a rookie; he was good, but he missed a few too many throws and struggled with turnovers. We saw some of those same tendencies pop up through the first four weeks of the season, and fans really started to panic a bit, wondering whether he really had what it took to be our franchise guy.

But something changed after that four week stretch of mediocrity. I think the Titans coaches got him more comfortable, using his legs more often and letting him improvise within plays. Once that happened, he began hitting the intermediate throws with precise accuracy. And now over the last few weeks, we’ve started to see him hit receivers in stride on deep throws, which he had struggled with in terms of power and touch early in his career.

I still have doubts about whether the current coaching staff is the answer for the future, but there is zero doubt in my mind that Mariota is going to be the guy to get the Titans back to playoffs, sooner than people think.

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