By D. Orlando Ledbetter - dledbetter@ajc.com
FALCONS FROM THE FIELD TO THE LOCKER ROOM
FLOWERY BRANCH — The one word that rolls off Marcus Mariota’s tongue is “grateful.”
He’s had 2½ seasons to contemplate what went wrong in Tennessee. Why didn’t it work out? What did he do wrong? How can he do it better? A Heisman Trophy winner and the No. 2 player selected overall in the 2015 NFL draft, Mariota signed a modest two-year contract in the offseason after the Falcons lost in the Deshaun Watson derby and traded quarterback Matt Ryan to the Indianapolis Colts. A backup the past two seasons with the Raiders, Mariota will get his chance to start for the Falcons, who open the season Sunday against the New Orleans Saints at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
He’s reuniting with Falcons coach Arthur Smith, who was the offensive coordinator in Tennessee when the team made the decision to bench Mariota during the 2019 season. Now, with fences and any hard feelings mended, the two are ready to take the Falcons into the post-Ryan era.
“It’s been awesome,” Mariota told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
“... Not many guys get another chance like this.
I’m just grateful for it.”
Mariota, who played at Oregon, went 29-32 as a starter for the Titans, with one playoff win.
The Falcons are coming off a 7-10 season and rebuilding the roster.
“When it comes down to this team, it’s a fun group,” Mariota said. “It’s a young team, and I feel ... what I’ve been through in my career has really allowed me to build relationships with guys and kind of learn how to be somebody they can lean on.”
“I’m very grateful for this opportunity. I’m going to make the most of it.”
Mariota played in four series in the exhibition games, guiding the Falcons to three scores. He hopes that 75% scoring ratio is sustainable in the regular season.
“It still leaves a bad taste in my mouth when you don’t finish on one of them,” Mariota said.
Former Falcons quarterback Michael Vick, an analyst with Fox Sports, visited the Falcons and came away impressed with Mariota and the team. While most observers have predicted gloom and doom for the Falcons, Vick saw a team that could fly under the radar and perhaps shock the NFL’s pundits.
“I had a chance to spend some time with Marcus Mariota,” Vick wrote for 33rdteam.com. “... I feel like he’s ready to step into that role of being a leader and taking the next step on the field, which means being a Pro Bowl-caliber player.”
Mariota’s best season came in 2017, when he guided the Titans to a 9-6 mark. They finished 9-7, and he was 1-1 in the playoffs under coach Mike Mularkey and offensive coordinator Terry Robiskie.
But the front office was not pleased with Mariota’s development and fired Mularkey.
Much of the disagreement was over how to use the athletic Mariota.
In new coach Mike Vrabel’s first season, Mariota went 7-6 under offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur.
In 2019, with Smith in his first season as the coordinator, Mariota started the season 2-4 and was benched in favor of Ryan Tannehill.
“We expected (Pro Bowls) from Marcus, and we thought he could give us that when he was in Tennessee,” Vick said. “We have seen glimpses of it, and we know he has the potential to do a lot.”
Mariota and Smith both are in different places. Smith, the Falcons’ play-caller, will play to Mariota’s strengths as NFL offenses are evolving with more mobile quarterbacks, spread offenses and run-pass-option concepts.
“I’ve always been a big fan of his,” Vick said. “These guys spent time together in Tennessee. Marcus knows the offense and has a great understanding of it. That means he can coach the guys around him as they go through this process, and it’s not all on Arthur Smith to try to bring each and every player along.”
Mariota has won over the locker room. “Just being authentically him, just makes it easier to follow him,” wide receiver Olamide Zaccheaus said. “You can see the leadership in him.”
Mariota believes the Falcons can fulfill Vick’s lofty expectations.
“It comes down to trusting our preparation,” Mariota said. “I think we’ve had a great training camp. We’ve had great OTAs. Now, it’s just putting it all together and believing that when we get out there, step out on the field, we’re going to go out there and make plays.”
SEASON OPENER
Saints at Falcons, 1 p.m. Sunday, Fox, 92.9 FM