Eagles finally take the field with Mariota
PHILADELPHIA » At long last, the Eagles get a more intimate look at the man, the myth and the legend that is Marcus Mariota.
The Eagles take on Mariota and the Tennessee Titans Sunday in Nashville.
Just the mention of Mariota brings back a wide range of memories for Eagles veterans who were around when Chip Kelly had designs on bringing the Heisman Trophy winner here to run his uptempo offense in 2015.
Kelly recruited Mariota to Oregon, where he guided the Ducks to the NCAA championship game, where the No. 2 Ducks dropped a 42-20 decision to No. 4 Ohio State. Mariota was knocked out of the championship game for one play on a hard tackle by Ohio State All-American Joe Bosa.
The Mariota rumors began heating up during the 2014 season. As the draft got closer, even the Cleveland Browns were in the mix.
Eagles players, especially the ones playing offense, felt a vibe long before the draft. They couldn’t help but check out Mariota on nights before they played.
“They were super highpowered and I think obviously that he was the big reason for that,” Eagles receiver Jordan Matthews said. “I think all of us on a Saturday night in the hotel, if the Oregon game was on, you were going to see what this cat was going to do.”
There was a lot to like as Mariota threw for 4,454 yards and 42 touchdowns with only four interceptions. In the read option Kelly installed in Philly, Mariota rushed for 770 yards and 15 TDs in his final year with the Ducks. While there were questions about whether he’d fit in pro-style passing offenses, it obviously wasn’t a concern of Kelly.
In the weeks leading up to the 2015 draft, a chunk of the Mariota-to-Philly rumors included multiple Eagles first-round picks as well as defensive tackle Fletcher Cox, who had reason to think he could be sent packing. Kelly released untradeable star receiver DeSean Jackson and traded standout running back LeSean McCoy to the Buffalo Bills.
Cox also was near the end of his rookie contract. Had the Eagles moved him they wouldn’t have eventually signed him to a $103 million contract.
What was clear to Eagles players was that Kelly had been given full authority over personnel decisions, Howie Roseman having been pushed aside.
“I remember it like it was yesterday,” Cox said. “But I’m glad to be here right now. I’m glad to be a part of a special team. These guys are really special. We just go out and fight every weekend. They love me here now. Back then, you really didn’t know what was going on.”
Cox enunciated “really.” Kelly admitted the Eagles asked what it would take to move up high enough to draft Mariota, who came off the board with the second pick.
The Eagles would have had to jump to the first overall selection held by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Kelly said the price was much too expensive, likening it to sticker shock.
“So much stuff happened before with Chip and letting go of some of the guys, so I don’t put it past him now,” Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham said. “But I think Mariota is a really good quarterback. He looked good. I was like ‘hey if we get him, we get him, hopefully we don’t have to give up everything.’ But he is good, though.”
The Bucs drafted quarterback Jameis Winston, who basically has been a train wreck. The Bucs are 18-27 when Winston starts. They now have a quarterback controversy. With Winston suspended the first three games for violating the league’s personal conduct policy, veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick has guided them to a 2-1 start with four straight 400-yard passing games.
The Titans finally reached the playoffs with Mariota last season. They also won a playoff game. But Mariota has been banged up. He has an elbow issue causing tingling in the fingers on his throwing hand. For all the hype, he’s just 20-23 as the Titans’ starter in the regular season.
Mariota’s legend, however, lives on.
In the summer of 2016, Oregon opened the Marcus Mariota Sports Performance Center, which was paid for by Nike boss Phil Knight, per reports. Matthews has a buddy that works at Oregon and works out at the facility.
“I went to Oklahoma with Sam and Sam, he has a statue there,” Matthews said of former Eagles teammate Sam Bradford. “He won the Heisman Trophy. But Marcus Mariota has his own ‘center.’ So, if football for some reason doesn’t work out, in the long run, he’s good. He can live in the center.”
All kidding aside, the Eagles – at least the veterans – will take the field this weekend with the guy that could have changed the history of the franchise with Kelly. Or could he?
Losing Cox could have been devastating for the Eagles. The big guy leads all NFL tackles with 3 sacks.
“It’d be like the whole Khalil Mack thing,” Graham said of the trade in which the Oakland Raiders shipped the pass rusher to the Bears. “Like dang, they let him go and look how he’s playing.”