Marcus Mariota: Everything’s There But the Fire

[Zaphod]

I just don't think it makes financial sense to make a significant trade up that sacrifices future first round picks.

It's all about rookie contracts and their impact on the salary cap.

 

[DaveFan'51]

God I hope this kid ends up on the Rams. Id support giving up picks to move up and get him if need be.

I Hate the idea of giving-up picks But maybe in this case.

Who needs Mariota when you have Davis?

What's wrong with having two good QB's behind Bradford!!

 

[LACHAMP46]

If Tavon Austin is worth swapping your first, a second, swapping thirds and a 7th, Mariota is absolutely worth moving up with a top 10 pick (which the Rams are on a trajectory towards) and a few other picks to draft.

The Rams are a QB away from being the next Seahawks or Niners, especially if they can right the ship on defense.

Isn't Tavon proving that he WASN'T worth moving up for?
I kinda like this Marriota, but not as much as Hogan just yet....No spread/pistol/wishbone (oops) or novelty act QB's please.

 

[A55VA6]

Sam Bradford 2.0

Uh, not quite.

 

[V3]

Youre speaking as if its a fact that trade ups are a bad idea, its not. Especially if you are able to get a game changing franchise qb. The Redskins gave up a ton in the RG3 trade but after his rookie year in which he led them to the playoffs was it not draft capital well spent? If not for the injuries, everything they gave up would have been well worth it to land their franchise guy.

If Marcus Mariota is going to the be a game changing franchise QB that I think he is, you do everything in your power (within reason) to land him.

Think about how deadly the Rams roster would be with an impact QB running the show. We have a strong D, strong running game. The oline is improving as they get familiar with each other (we still have Robinson waiting). And the WR core is finally a threat with Quick emerging. Whos to say were not a QB away from being contenders?

RG3 couldn't get them there. Why? Because he can't do it by himself. They still had deficiencies. They haven't been able to fix those deficiencies fast enough because they haven't had any first (and a 2nd)round picks. Washington is fine at QB without RG3 due to Cousins, yet they are still having issues. First and second round picks are a team's lifeblood. If you miss or don't have them, your team is in trouble. They are your team's best chance at finding impact players.

If you could tell me that Mariota would turn out to be a HOFer, I'd do it, but you can't. There's just simply way too much risk involved in those types of trades and way too much history suggesting they are bad ideas.

 

[Yamahopper]

So if Mariota is drafted by, say, the Rams, Raiders, Texans, Titans or Cowboys, which use more of a pro-style system, he’s going to need some retraining.

The key word is Retraining.
I'm all for taking him. Except the Rams need to fit the offense to him rather than retrain him to fit what the Rams do. And if they have to cash out Schotty, some assistants, few O line players ( Need smaller faster guys that can get out in front of him) that's fine with me. Going all in means really going all in.

Drafting him and trying to making him a pocket passer day one would be as stupid as bringing Bradford back to run the read option.

 

[AZRamsFan93]

Thankfully, I don't think the Rams will be drafting nearly high enough to get a shot at Mariota.

Yes, we run the risk of being mediocre enough to doom us to continued mediocrity....

I want Mariota on the Rams!

 

[AZRamsFan93]

The key word is Retraining.
I'm all for taking him. Except the Rams need to fit the offense to him rather than retrain him to fit what the Rams do. And if they have to cash out Schotty, some assistants, few O line players ( Need smaller faster guys that can get out in front of him) that's fine with me. Going all in means really going all in.

Drafting him and trying to making him a pocket passer day one would be as stupid as bringing Bradford back to run the read option.

I couldn't agree more!

We need to dump our current system and move to a "Chip Kelly-like" system. Maybe we can get the Oregon head coach and Mariota?? (dreaming...)

 

[Irish]

RG3 couldn't get them there. Why? Because he can't do it by himself. They still had deficiencies. They haven't been able to fix those deficiencies fast enough because they haven't had any first (and a 2nd)round picks. Washington is fine at QB without RG3 due to Cousins, yet they are still having issues. First and second round picks are a team's lifeblood. If you miss or don't have them, your team is in trouble. They are your team's best chance at finding impact players.

If you could tell me that Mariota would turn out to be a HOFer, I'd do it, but you can't. There's just simply way too much risk involved in those types of trades and way too much history suggesting they are bad ideas.

RG3 is a bad example. Injuries derailed an excellent rookie season, and if you watched RG3 the first two weeks of the season, especially the most recent game where he got hurt, he looked great.

It's one thing to trade up for a hyped up QB who is no good, its quite another to trade up for a dynamic, difference making QB who gets hurt. This most recent ankle injury is so flukey.

 

[NJRamsFan]

RG3 couldn't get them there. Why? Because he can't do it by himself. They still had deficiencies. They haven't been able to fix those deficiencies fast enough because they haven't had any first (and a 2nd)round picks. Washington is fine at QB without RG3 due to Cousins, yet they are still having issues. First and second round picks are a team's lifeblood. If you miss or don't have them, your team is in trouble. They are your team's best chance at finding impact players.

If you could tell me that Mariota would turn out to be a HOFer, I'd do it, but you can't. There's just simply way too much risk involved in those types of trades and way too much history suggesting they are bad ideas.

So... do you not believe Mariota will live up to the hype? If so, why? Is there something in his game or injury history that you dislike? If so what is it? Do you feel he wont be a franchise qb? If so why? Do you think the Rams would still not be contenders with a franchise QB?

I don't get the sentiment that trade ups are never worth it. By that logic, even if he turns out to be a game changer it still wouldn't be worth trading up for him. Obviously NOTHING is guaranteed in the draft but surely you must dislike something about Mariota to think hes not worth trading up for.

My stance is and has been, Marcus Mariota IS going to be a game changing, multiple pro bowl, franchise qb. The rams roster is very strong and the addition of a qb of (IMO) Mariotas caliber makes us contenders. Therefore I feel its worth it to trade up for him.

So unless you want to debate the player and why HE is or isn't worth trading up for, to me, all you're really saying is, the strategy of trading up in the draft is risky and has failed in the past.

 

[Yamahopper]

I couldn't agree more!

We need to dump our current system and move to a "Chip Kelly-like" system. Maybe we can get the Oregon head coach and Mariota?? (dreaming...)

I'm not for changing Fish out. To much turmoil in that. But yeah, bringing in someone he's familiar with as OC sure.
And if you go with MM they need to draft another Qb similar to him in about the third as a backup.

 

[AZRamsFan93]

I'm not for changing Fish out. To much turmoil in that. But yeah, bringing in someone he's familiar with as OC sure.
And if you go with MM they need to draft another Qb similar to him in about the third as a backup.

I was thinking as an OC, not HC. I think Austin Davis could run the zone read.

 

[Rambitious1]

I don't get all the love for Mariota.
Maybe I need to look at more tape, but what I see is just another guy with little QB training, poor footwork and below average accuracy.

 

[Irish]

I don't get all the love for Mariota.
Maybe I need to look at more tape, but what I see is just another guy with little QB training, poor footwork and below average accuracy.

Yeah, but every college QB has his warts.

If we are just going to sit and wait for Andrew Luck 2.0, it's going to be a long, long time.

 

[blue4]

Youre speaking as if its a fact that trade ups are a bad idea, its not. Especially if you are able to get a game changing franchise qb. The Redskins gave up a ton in the RG3 trade but after his rookie year in which he led them to the playoffs was it not draft capital well spent? If not for the injuries, everything they gave up would have been well worth it to land their franchise guy.

If Marcus Mariota is going to be the game changing franchise QB that I think he is, you do everything in your power (within reason) to land him.

Think about how deadly the Rams roster would be with an impact QB running the show. We have a strong D, strong running game. The oline is improving as they get familiar with each other (we still have Robinson waiting). And the WR core is finally a threat with Quick emerging. Whos to say were not a QB away from being contenders?

The Rams defense would suck ass without the RGme trade. We'd have half the talent and a chicken legged QB who cant read a defense. His injuries are actually proof that massive gifts of picks to land a unknown NFL player is a horrible idea. I'd bet the Redskins would give up their one playoff run in which they never stood a chance to take that trade back.

 

[dieterbrock]

So it wasnt worth it to trade up for Orlando Pace?

 

[blue4]

So it wasnt worth it to trade up for Orlando Pace?

There is a great deal of difference between the RGIII trade and the Orlando Pace trade. I'm saying we shouldn't do a massive gift bag of picks, not that we should never trade up.

 

[V3]

So... do you not believe Mariota will live up to the hype? If so, why? Is there something in his game or injury history that you dislike? If so what is it? Do you feel he wont be a franchise qb? If so why? Do you think the Rams would still not be contenders with a franchise QB?

I don't get the sentiment that trade ups are never worth it. By that logic, even if he turns out to be a game changer it still wouldn't be worth trading up for him. Obviously NOTHING is guaranteed in the draft but surely you must dislike something about Mariota to think hes not worth trading up for.

My stance is and has been, Marcus Mariota IS going to be a game changing, multiple pro bowl, franchise qb. The rams roster is very strong and the addition of a qb of (IMO) Mariotas caliber makes us contenders. Therefore I feel its worth it to trade up for him.

So unless you want to debate the player and why HE is or isn't worth trading up for, to me, all you're really saying is, the strategy of trading up in the draft is risky and has failed in the past.

I'm saying that spending multiple first rounders+ for a QB is about as risky a move that any GM/coach could make and the risk/reward doesn't justify the cost. History supports that. You'd be better off trying to groom a QB that you acquire later in the 1st or 2nd while still being able to make the team around the QB better with the picks you didn't have to trade away. See Flacco, Wilson, Kaepernick, Roethlisberger, Foles, Dalton, etc.

Unless you're going to tell me Mariota is the next Manning , Luck, or Elway, then I don't see it being worth it. Those are the types of QB's that took bad teams and made them playoff teams. They are extremely rare. I don't see the Rams being "very strong" like you. We aren't a player or two away, IMO.

It's obvious neither of us are going to change our minds on this so it is what it is. I'll let the season play out and form an opinion on Mariota. The system he plays in does scare me, though, with regards to his NFL success. That makes it much harder to judge him.

 

[V3]

So it wasnt worth it to trade up for Orlando Pace?

The Rams only gave up a 3rd, 4th, and 7th, if I recall. I'm talking about giving up multiple first rounders like Washington had to do. That is going to be the going rate now for trading up for a QB.

Also, the Rams could have stayed where they were and taken HOFer Walter Jones, but that's really not the point I'm making.

 

[Athos]

Sam Bradford 2.0

Well, without the bulk, arm strength, and solid upper body frame, they've both run spreads. That's the only similarity.