It’s no secret that Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota had a rough third season. He threw two more interceptions than touchdowns, posting career lows in touchdowns, yards per game, yards per attempt and passer rating.
Because this all happened in Year 3, many have wondered if Mariota is going to evolve into the quarterback the Titans hoped they landed when they drafted him No. 2 overall in 2015. After all, many top quarterbacks take a giant leap forward, rather than falling into a pit in their third seasons as professionals.
Well, if you’re among those who hold that opinion, just make sure you don’t voice it in front of his teammate, Taylor Lewan.
“I don’t give two f—s what people think about Marcus,” the left tackle said, per Cameron Wolfe of ESPN. “I’ve seen what he can do. I’ve seen how hard he works. I’m with that guy 110 percent.”
Find someone who loves you the way Lewan loves Mariota.
It is worth noting that Mariota was likely victimized by poor coaching, perhaps more than anything else last year. Mike Mularkey and his staff did the young passer no favors, oftentimes scheming directly away from his strengths.
Now we’ll see if some fresh direction will do the trick. Head coach Mike Vrabel brought in former Los Angeles Rams offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur to turn the offense around, and he was tremendous in his first season coaching Jared Goff last year.