While Marcus Mariota struggled to get going in a 20-7 Thursday night loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, calls from the Tennessee Titans fanbase echoed “Ryan Tannehill.” When Tannehill, a former starter for the Dolphins, put on his helmet, it seemed as if coach Mike Vrabel heard those calls; upset, he never considered replacing Mariota with Tannehill.
When asked how close he came to a quarterback change, coach Vrabel said, via NFL.com's Kevin Petra:
“Not very. He (Tannehill) just can hear the calls when he puts his helmet on.”
On Friday, Vrabel reaffirmed that a quarterback change isn't near. He said, via Teresa Walker of AP:
“It's always something that we consider every week, but not right now. I think that — again, trying to emphasize the really good throws and really good production, we got some play pass production. But, then again, there is some plays that we'd like to have back.”
Mariota's stat line of 304 yards, no touchdowns, and no interceptions isn't horrendous to the naked eye. His nine sacks taken play a part in his scoreless game and 57.5% completion rate. However, to one watching the game, Mariota didn't resemble a No. 2 overall pick, as he errantly missed throws all night, held onto the ball far too long and failed to make proper decisions on multiple occasions for the Titans.
Perhaps it was just a bad game from Mariota; then again, that's turning into a commonly used excuse for the former Heisman Trophy winner. If something doesn't change soon, Vrabel may be forced to hands the keys to Tannehill, a former six-year starter for the Dolphins.
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