Mariota named AFC offensive player of the week

In the receiving end, Travis Benjamin had 89 yards and one touchdown in three receptions while Gary Barnidge added 38 yards in three receptions. One player can do that. He arrived after 11 years with the Pittsburgh Steelers to help his protégé, Ray Horton, install the same zone blitz defense that took the Steelers to four Super Bowl appearances. It proved that much of his Oregon gameplan could be meshed with an National Football League offense. For a more in depth look at his touchdown look here. He fights hard for his size and can definitely be a playmaker. I’m not crowning the 6th rounder in any way shape or form, but it is nice to see the potential and depth behind Derrick Morgan and Brian Orakpo.

After pulling the majority of the offensive starters in the fourth quarter, Titans coach Ken Whisenhunt left Poutasi in the game so he could get more experience.

“I know there’s a lot of things I need to improve on”.

The opposite happened. Mariota worked from the pocket primarily, but utilized numerous packaged plays, quick routes and pre-determined reads. No, he didn’t re-write the playbook, but just sprinkling in a dash of what makes your young quarterback comfortable shows a bend to the rigid structure he’s been known for, and the “my way or the highway” attitude he’s been pegged for having in the past about his offensive system.

No one expected Marcus Mariota’s debut to include four first-half touchdown passes and a final stat line that included a flawless passer rating, but that’s exactly what the Titans’ rookie quarterback managed against the seemingly still-hapless Buccaneers.

Last game: Defeated Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 42-14, in Tampa, FL. But Dick LeBeau and his defensive schemes did exactly what they were suppossed to do.

But I think his new and permanent moniker should be “The Polynesian Prince”. He’s the first Titan to be named as the top offensive performer of the week since running back Chris Johnson in 2012. They have a defense much like the Titans that is created to put pressure on the opposing quarterback, but has trouble stopping the run.