Lol they were doing gimmick hurry up spread option bullshyt on a team that was loaded in a lower level Pac12. They were great during that time and he looked awesome in that system but what does that have to do with playing in the NFL?
The guy was not prepared to play a full rounded game. No other team in the history of the sport plays that frantic break neck speed. He has no idea how to play with poise.
The Titans coaching isn’t blameless maybe they could get him out in more bootlegs to let him use his legs and play in shotgun more so he can see the field more. But just being honest at this stage he is like a slower Mike Vick with way less throwing power. He can’t make pre snap reads and just flying by the seat of his pants hoping to find Delanie Walker open.
Again, it's 2019, little late to call the spread option "gimmick". And comparing Mariota to Vick? You still keep exposing yourself.
USC and UCLA were beating Oregon in the recruiting rankings every year. Stanford and Cal beat Oregon some years too. And in 2014 especially Oregon had massive injury issues across the entire offense.....yet how'd that look against Florida State, who had FAR more talent on both ends of the field than Oregon did? The Ducks were not more loaded on offense than the teams they were beating, and after Chip left their coaching was ass too. Yet Mariota still kept them in the title hunt every year.
How'd Mariota do against non-Pac-12 teams?
42-25 win over Fresno State
35-17 win over #3 Kansas State in the Fiesta Bowl (as a freshman)
59-10 win over Virginia
59-14 win over Tennessee
30-7 win over Texas in the Alamo Bowl
46-27 win over Michigan State
59-20 win over #2 Florida State in the Rose Bowl
42-20 loss to #4 Ohio State in the NCG
Try and say the Pac-12 was weak when Oregon's offense was DOMINATING nearly every ACC, SEC, Big-12, and Big-10 squad they faced during Mariota's reign. The only loss was to Ohio State and that was after he lost his top 5 receivers and was having 3rd-down passes dropped left and right by guys who weren't even on the depth chart when the season started.