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Condensed Cian Fahey thoughts on Mariota

Discussion in 'Tennessee Titans and NFL Talk' started by rekirts, Oct 25, 2016.

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taken from: Cian Fahey on the Midday 180 - On Mariota and the offense : Tennesseetitans

I've been following this guy for a while. I think he really knows his football and he's a no nonsense, no bull**** guy. I'm sure this is going to be an excellent listen.

EDIT: Just finished listening here's a run down of things he mentioned:

* Offense doesn't suit Mariota's skillset at all.
* Mariota is excellent at breaking down coverages, manipulating the pocket to mitigate pressure, and can deliver passes with hands in his face. Really good short and intermediate thrower. Not good at the deep ball.
* Mariota thrived in Whisenhunt's offense.
* Mularkey's offense relies on playing under center, taking deep drops, and waiting for receivers to win 1 on 1 battles which they can't reliably do. Mularkey's offense emphasizes everything Mariota is bad at (vertical game, under center, narrow formations with stacked receivers). Condenses the field entirely too much.
* The offense doesn't set QBs up for success.
* When asked about Robiskie's comments about running narrow formations that stretches the defense east and west, Cian generally says it's good to have a slot guy, but running two guys in the slot doesn't benefit the offense because it makes the throwing lanes way smaller. Most teams don't run formations like this anymore. (he posts pics on twitter all the time of the formations in which we're running a two-two set instead of a trips set.) It doesn't scheme anyone open and it doesn't set up the receivers for YAC. It forces Mariota to throw someone open or to hold the ball in the pocket way longer than he should have to.
* Mariota showed last year that he could cycle through multiple reads and deliver the ball on time out of the shotgun. This current offense is more about holding the ball and waiting for someone to come open. Receiver talent not good enough to do that.
* Asked about if Mariota is hurt by turning his back to the defense, he says that it hurts him big time and hurts most QBs in the league.
* Mariota is at his best when he's running play action with his eyes down the field and can make a quick decision as well as use his extremely fast throwing motion to get the ball out. Mentions first TD to Kendall last year.
* He believes Mularkey is the bigger issue because he thinks this is the offense Mularkey is going to run no matter who it is.
* Wishes he could have gotten Josh McDaniels instead (if he doesn't end up like BoB). Patriots play a lot of heavy packages to run the ball, but they also have Brady in the shotgun making quick decisions similar to what Mariota is good at.
* Asked about what is the ideal offense to feature Mariota, he says the offense should be shorter throws and intermediate throws. Says he's a "spectacular" intermediate thrower and especially on the move outside of the pocket. Don't push the ball down the field vertically. Needs a Chip Kelly style offense. Deep crossing and comeback routes in the 12-20 yard range. Offense needs to use his mobility but not on designed runs, more on options. Designed runs give the QB no option when things go bad. He's too smart to not give options.
* Murray and Mariota's skillsets don't mesh because of the skillsets.
* The current offense will work but only against bad defenses. [Mentioned how we've played against some of the worst offenses in the league and still been outscored per game by 19 teams.]() This offense will put up numbers against the Browns, but you're going to be left short against good teams because you're cutting out options by design.
* Asked about Mariota in this offense being Kaepernick at his peak, Cian says that you can't compare the two. He says this current offense would work for Kaepernick because he isn't a guy that can't elevate his teammates and isn't a precision passer on short-to-intermediate routes. Mariota is a "clearly more superior player" but the season is going to be maddeningly inconsistent because he doesn't mesh with the scheme.
* Asked if there is any comparison between Locker and Mariota, he says "No. Not for me." He was infatuated with Locker for about 3 months because of the deep balls he was throwing. Jake Locker never showed the nuances Mariota has shown in terms of moving in the pocket, making decisions, and making reads. We question Mariota too much. Any QB in the league needs to be in the right situation to succeed and he's not going to look good because he's not being put in that situation.
* Mariota hasn't played well this year, but he's a guy you can look at and say "he's a really good quarterback." Not like Blake Bortles or Osweiller who have good weapons and keep destroying themselves. Mariota is being held down by what's going on around him.
* Really excited about Kevin Byard. Compares the situation to how LeBeau used Polamalu sparingly early before letting him loose. Mentions Casey, Orakpo, Dodd, McCourty, and some others as guys he likes. Says we need a couple more CBs before the defense can step up.
Click to expand...

#1 rekirts, Oct 25, 2016
Last edited: Oct 25, 2016
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Pretty good take on the offense anyways. Kinda depressing to read.

Kinda what ensco been saying a while in shoutbox.

#2 rekirts, Oct 25, 2016
Last edited: Oct 25, 2016
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^^^ Ensco

But no worries Striker.

This team going no where fast when nobodies are easily identifying weaknesses and tendencies

NO ACCURACY NO MILK!

3rd and 2: 2019 GOAT Dynasty CHAMPION

#3 Clark, Oct 25, 2016
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So in other words... Mularkey is killing Mariota's progression.

Basically what I said and got denied about it.

#4 RTH, Oct 25, 2016
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Superhorn's reply on titansreport has a slightly different take: (Cian Fahey coming up on 104.5 the zone - Page 3 - Titans and NFL Talk - Titans Report - Message Board

*Deep breaths*

OK. First things first. There's bias here from me. I believe he is intentionally misleading followers, and readers, to further his point that Mularkey is a bad fit for the Tennessee Titans and Mariota. That is, he has a vested interest in not being objective. So, I'm more than skeptical that the evaluation we'll get out of him is balanced.

Let's start from the top:

"I've always bristeled at the idea that you need the right coach to coach [Mariota]."

The beautiful irony that it starts with this. The meat and potatoes of the rest of the conversation is that Mariota is struggling because he has the wrong coach.

"He was thriving in [Ken Whisenhunt's offense]."

Definitely. When he wasn't injured. Oh, and the offense was about the same. This year's O is averaging 20.9 ppg. Mariota's first 5 games, the team averaged 22.28 ppg. And, that includes the NO and TB game which skew the data.

Moreover, here are the stats (through Whiz' 5 games before getting fired, and Mariota stats for this year):

If the former is "thriving", then what is this current season?

And, completely lost in this conversation is that not only was Mariota injured, but he was routinely taking a beating. The offense was wide open, but at what cost?

"[Mularkey] wants to throw vertically."

What? First of all, did he watch any Falcons tape? Second, this has literally been a repeated complaint of this offense, that we don't take shots downfield. If anything, it's my primary complaint of this offense in general. Mularkey will take the layup over the haymaker 9/10 times. The offense is designed around sustaining drives.

(Condensed formations and their problems)

Given all the misinformation the guy has thrown around, this one's a hot button for me. Because, at least on Twitter, he represents the offense for Mariota as one that's run out of heavy formations with no receiving options. Moreover, I don't trust him at his word that players aren't getting schemed open, mostly because I've seen with my own eyes just the opposite.

Finally, the formations have spread out as well. It just isn't a base formation.

(Turning back to defense on play action is a problem.)

This was a leading question from the Midday crew, but this is such a small part of the offense that I hardly view it as a problem.

"Designed runs are not things I want to see from Mariota. I would rather have a coordinator who trusts him to run when it's smart to run."

While Mularkey does use designed runs, he's been vocal from early on that he wants Mariota to run off script more.

................

Aside from all this above, the arguments made are tenuous at best. They sound like drivel on a drunk message board after a loss (not this MB of course!). The conversation didn't feel genuine. If you go into tape study with bias, you'll find what you're looking for. And, when you throw pretty pictures, and moving images all over Twitter, people accept you as an expert, and trust what you're saying is fact.

The problem is that when things are approached with this narrow lens, context is lost. The first problem is probably the most important one:

Mariota in Mularkey's offense is remembered as this idyllic, utopian match that he flourished in. And, I think part of that is that we've seen so much **** QB play over the years, that when we saw those first few games it was like seeing God. What isn't remembered is the brutal hits Mariota took. Or the regression of the offense. Or the injuries. Or the 1-5 start.

And, now Mariota's struggling some - not a lot, but some - and fans want answers. Because, we all know what we saw, and someone has to be blamed.

Problem is that he's missing routine throws at times. And, he's frenetic at other times. Plays that are independent of the system, but likely a large part of being overwhelmed by a new style offense and a new offense. In other words, growing pains.

But, he's not getting ruined. He's not getting killed either. He's just figuring **** out. And, all the while, he's putting up far better numbers than Eli Manning, Drew Brees, or Tom Brady did at this point in their careers.

So, deep breaths. Low hanging fruit is rioting over Mularkey. Or, maybe it isn't. Maybe he's the total problem. You certainly shouldn't take my word for it. But, you absolutely shouldn't take Fahey's.
Click to expand...

#5 rekirts, Oct 25, 2016
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RTH said: ↑

So in other words... Mularkey is killing Mariota's progression.

Basically what I said and got denied about it.
Click to expand...

It's more than just progression, it's putting a QB in a situation to fail by not helping with scheme

#6 Clark, Oct 25, 2016
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Ensconatus said: ↑

It's more than just progression, it's putting a QB in a situation to fail by not helping with scheme
Click to expand...

Which will lead to that QB's regression.

If not corrected, this continued regression will break Mariota's skills and confidence.

#7 RTH, Oct 25, 2016
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RTH said: ↑

Which will lead to that QB's regression.

If not corrected, this continued regression will break Mariota's skills and confidence.
Click to expand...

Yea it's all pretty silly. Obviously you don't expect year two to be all smiles and rainbows but Mariota having to rewire how he plays has a lot to do with his struggles at times

#8 Clark, Oct 25, 2016
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rekirts said: ↑

Superhorn's reply on titansreport has a slightly different take: (Cian Fahey coming up on 104.5 the zone - Page 3 - Titans and NFL Talk - Titans Report - Message Board
Click to expand...

this guy just said a whole lot of nothing without actually backing up anything he said other than Cian is wrong cuz I said so. Lol

You can always find stats to paint a picture. What about the other portion of watching the offense repeatedly run ill fated designs while keying the defense because we can't fuse together the run offense with the pass offense.

#9 Clark, Oct 25, 2016
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RTH said: ↑

So in other words... Mularkey is killing Mariota's progression.

Basically what I said and got denied about it.
Click to expand...

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#10 GoT, Oct 25, 2016
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