Marcus Mariota has had a disappointing season in 2017, but he has a chance to erase any memory of that if he can lead the Tennessee Titans on a deep playoff run. And if the quarterback wants to do that, one of his veteran teammates believes ignoring coaches at certain moments could be key.
As the Titans prepare for their postseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs, tight end Delanie Walker said this week that Mariota needs to know when to “overcome coaching.”
“Sometimes you’ve got to play backyard football,” Walker said, per Jason Wolf of The Tennesseean. “Sometimes you’ve got to overcome coaching. And I think that’s what makes some players great, when they know how to do that.”
Walker was likely referring to all of the plays Mariota made with his legs in a 15-10 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 17. The third-year pro had a season-high 10 rushing attempts and 60 yards, and he ran for four first downs in the fourth quarter.
“Sometimes coaching is like, they draw it on the paper, you run a straight line and you break out. Sometimes you’ve got to overcome coaching,” Walker said. “That defender is never going to let you run a straight line, so figure out how to make that line straight without running it straight, you know what I’m saying? That’s overcoming coaching. If Coach tells you it’s a nine-technique, but then in the game you’ve got a six-technique, OK, figure it out and block it. That’s what you’ve got to do.
“Marcus, basically, a play was broken. He made a play on his own. He didn’t find nobody else, so he took off running, and that’s basically what he did.”
It sounds like Walker is talking about improvising, which sounds a little less defiant than “overcoming coaching.” Head coach Doug Marrone seemed to understand the message Walker was trying to send.
“We’re at that point right now when every man needs to do whatever he can, whatever it takes, to make this thing go,” Mularkey said. “It was good to see what (Mariota) did the other night. Obviously, it helped us win the football game. I think it helped him gain a little confidence too that he can do more.”
Mariota has played through some injuries this season, so you can understand why coaches would be designing very few run plays for him. That could change in the playoffs, as the former Oregon star’s dual-threat ability will be needed if the Titans want to play to all of their strengths.
