It sure seems like Mike Vrabel is taking a page out of Nick Saban’s playbook, because he said Friday he expects both Marcus Mariota and Blaine Gabbert to play Sunday.
.@Titans QB Marcus Mariota is still be evaluated. Vrabel said he expects Blaine Gabbert and Mariota to both play va @HoustonTexans
— Jim Wyatt (@jwyattsports) September 14, 2018
Mariota is dealing with an elbow injury, suffered in Tennessee’s Week 1 loss against the Miami Dolphins.
So, it would be understandable if he were held out with that injury, if it’s one that’s hindering his ability to throw the ball. It sure seemed to be a hindrance on Sunday when he threw back-to-back interceptions against Miami, after all.
But to expect both Mariota and Gabbert to play is just odd. At the collegiate level, many teams utilize multiple quarterbacks. But at the NFL level it’s very rare, unless said second quarterback can do other things, such as Lamar Jackson.
It’s going to be fascinating to see if the Titans really do roll with a dual-quarterback approach, or if Vrabel is just playing mind games with the Houston Texans, who now have to prepare for both quarterbacks.