Marcus Mariota was called a “dazzling playmaker” by Las Vegas Raiders coach Jon Gruden during the early days of training camp. The tale of the Raiders quarterback has changed dramatically since Gruden’s revealing comment.
Writers covering Mariota and the Raiders use terms such as “struggling,” “uncomfortable,” “stiff” and “precision issues” to describe her performance over the past week.
A report says Mariota is leading a “difficult” training camp and is going through a “difficult time”.
“Marcus Mariota is struggling. It was a difficult training camp for the $ 7.5 million backup quarterback. Perhaps his worst practice was Thursday. He threw a bad interception and missed a few easy pitches by a wide margin. Starting quarterback Derek Carr and coach Jon Gruden have praised Mariota whenever they get the chance, but he’s going through a tough time right now. While I never thought Carr’s job would be in danger, I’m sure now. – athletic.com
Another report said Mariota looked “a little stiff” and “uncomfortable” when throwing the ball. The author praised Mariota’s running ability, but added that “the short throws aren’t pretty, while the longer throws have been hit or miss.” Another report says Mariota “didn’t look sharp throughout the camp. “
A different report focused on Mariota’s accuracy issues, particularly on short passes, citing an under-thrown swing pass that was incomplete. The same report also said Mariota had some good times, including some deep, one-for-one touchdown finishes.
Mariota is still learning the Gruden system while also incorporating the changes the Raiders are making to its mechanics – Raiders general manager Mike Mayock said in March they needed to “rebuild” Mariota. Additionally, Gruden spoke of Mariota returning from off-season shoulder surgery.
When the Raiders signed Mariota to a two-year, $ 17.5 million contract in March, some observers speculated that Mariota would seriously challenge Carr in the competition for the starting quarterback position. Mariota has never had field practice or face-to-face time with Gruden to learn a new system during the offseason due to the coronavirus pandemic. Consider Carr’s experience – he’s entering his third season with Gruden – and Mariota entered training camp light years away from Carr in terms of knowledge of the Raiders offense.
– Geoffrey C. Arnold | @geoffreycarnold
