Mariota vs. Leonard Williams vs. Trade

Discussion in 'NFL Draft' started by Alex1939, Mar 15, 2015.

?

Choose one

Poll closed Mar 22, 2015.
  1. Trade Down

    24.6%
  2. Leonard Williams

    53.6%
  3. Marcus Mariota

    21.7%
  4. Draft other (post player in thread)

    0 vote(s)
    0.0%
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  1. TitanUpB4UGO

    TitanUpB4UGO Starter

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    I agree totally that Williams would be a welcome upgrade at DE, but NO position in the draft should trump the QB position when a team NEEDS a QB as badly as we do.

    You could see a correlation between the teams overall performance when Locker was healthy for a stretch...like the start of the 2013 season. We literally had a playoff caliber team and was playing like it, the first 5 games. But the moment Locker went out, the season took a nose dive. It started out the same way, this year...first game, we looked legit. Locker had a rough game or two > got injured again and the season started going into the tank. He came back in the Cleveland game and we were on fire, the entire first half. He got injured and sure enough, we looked like a completely different team.

    THAT is the point everyone is missing. OUR No.1 problem is not having a (healthy) franchise QB to lead the team. Our No.2 problem is not having a (healthy) franchise QB to lead the team. Our No.3 problem is....that's right....not having a (healthy) franchise QB to lead the team. Do we have some other holes to fill? Absolutely, but that's why we have 7 draft picks. The first one should be QB, because that is PRIORITY No.1....period. All other positions can be addressed thereafter.
     
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  2. TitanJeff

    TitanJeff Kahuna Grande Staff

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    I don't think you'll find anyone here who will argue with this. The question is whether or not Mariota is that QB.
     
  3. TitanUpB4UGO

    TitanUpB4UGO Starter

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    The problem I have is that people who claim Mariota isn't Whisenhunts type, or he's a system QB, etc., etc., etc., etc....HAVE NOT WATCHED HIM PLAY A FULL GAME or more. If all I did was watch some highlights and listen to the Mike Mayocks, Mel Kipers and Todd McShay's, then I might come up with some of the same fallacious notions. I SAW him dismantle my Tennessee Volunteers in 2013, and a few games before that (including him and Oregon demolish a really good USC team when Matt Barkley was a senior). I saw him in the PAC 12 championship game, Rose Bowl and the NC game.

    You might think, as high as I am on Mariota, that I'm just an Oregon fan. I'm not. In fact I cannot stand Oregon, as a team. Why? Because I see it as a quasi-professional team, with Nike's CEO basically the OWNER of the team...that's the way he treats it, and it's WAY over the top, for the NCAA...to the point that I think the NCAA should step in and put some restrictions on them...but that's another subject for another day.

    Everytime I saw Mariota, I came away extremely impressed...as much by his passing acumen, and quick decision-making, as with his feet/elusiveness....ala Russell Wilson, and even Andrew Luck to an extent. Accuracy is NOT an issue with Mariota. Has close to 70% completion percentage, and the biggest statistic in my mind is....HE TAKES CARE OF THE FOOTBALL! I honestly think that attribute alone will endear him to Whisenhunt...because none of his QB failures did well in that department.

    Some claim his receivers are so open because of the system. I don't buy that. One because I saw him take shotgun snaps and drop back to pass > go through multiple reads just like any other QB. When you have a mobile QB, who is a threat to run, it tends to open things up for the WR's, too. DB's cannot keep their back to the QB for long, or they may find Mariota running 20-30yds downfield before they realize he's running it. When they have to look back, it allows opportunities for the WR's to get separation.
     
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  4. TitanUpB4UGO

    TitanUpB4UGO Starter

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    I've watched him play several games and came away convinced each time, that he is indeed a franchise caliber QB. I remember thinking he would be my favorite QB, if we ever got the chance to draft him. Thought that after he shredded my UT Vols in 2013, and ever since. He exhibits all the requisite traits you want in a franchise QB, except for not having played in a pro style offense. But, NFL teams are going to have to start adjusting to what is coming out of the college ranks, because spread offenses are the rule now...not the exception

    He's as accurate as any QB I've seen in a while, and really quick to make decisions...unlike Mettenberger or Whitehurst. There is no 100% bust-proof player, no matter where you take them or what position you take them. So, Williams is no more SAFE than Mariota, IMHO.

    Bottom line is this...anyone doubting if Mariota is franchise level, just watch his last 3 games, in his biggest games, against some of the best teams in all of college football. Remember, the Ohio St. team they lost to, beat Bama and smashed a good Wisconsin team in the Big 10 Championship game. Even though Oregon lost in the NC game, it wasn't because of Mariota. He had WR's drop balls that hit them in the bread basket.
     
    #314 TitanUpB4UGO, Mar 30, 2015
    Last edited: Mar 30, 2015
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  5. Thaddeus43

    Thaddeus43 Sunshiner President

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    The closer we get to the draft, the more I find myself on the Mariota band wagon (and I was against taking him at 1st).

    But you are right, QB is just too important of a position, that I think you have to take the risk and select one, even if there is just a 50/50 shot of him being the franchise QB.

    LW is a great talent, but he won't be on the field every single snap, nor will he be involved in every single play. So I think we have to take the QB if we want a legit shot of turning this thing around fast.

    If we take LW, and he turns out to be a great player ... we are still a bad to average team.

    If we take Mariota, and he turns out to be a great player ... we are a Playoff team.


    Plus, we did go out and upgrade the D in FA pretty well. There are still some holes and improvements that can be made, but overall we are much better than we were last year IMO. (another year in the system should help as well)

    But the O is just as bad now as it was last year ... and last year the O was terrible. I don't care if we have the #1 D in the league, we won't win many games if we go 3 and out 75% of the drives like last year.

    I think taking a LW would make us have a scary DL ... but as the team overall, it would only be a marginal increase in terms of wins.

    Mariota may bust, but if he doesn't then we are looking at a very quick turn around ... and lets face it, Mariota has a FAR better resume then any QB we have had in the last decade.
     
  6. Thaddeus43

    Thaddeus43 Sunshiner President

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    JJ Watt ... Mario Williams ... Jadaveon Clowney

    Texans have invested heavily in DL in the 1st rd over the last few years, they have never been a playoff contender except for the years that Schaub and the offense were playing well.

    As good as JJ Watt is, he is not making the Texans a contender.
     
  7. JCBRAVE

    JCBRAVE goTitans 2019 Survivor Champion

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    JJ Watt does make them a contender, without him theyre not 9-7
     
  8. Rudad

    Rudad Starter

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    we drafted locker who had all the eye test stats: build, strong arm, fast and good work ethic . But on the field he was inconsistent. He had accuracy problems and trouble reading defenses. Good character and good work ethic but just couldn't get it done. Mariota doesn't have the strong arm or the pro style offense but he has been accurate and is a winner. We shall seein about a month.
     
  9. Thaddeus43

    Thaddeus43 Sunshiner President

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    Last I checked they did not make the playoffs ... even in a weak ass division like ours
     
  10. Thaddeus43

    Thaddeus43 Sunshiner President

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    Comparing Locker's and Mariota's college careers are not even close ... Mariota as a college player blows Locker out of the water.

    Doesn't mean it will translate to the NFL, but I would much rather take the chance on Mariota than Locker.

    We already took that chance with locker though, so why not with Mariota .... I would say his odds are better that he succeeds
     
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