Maybe the Titans should fire their head coach every Tuesday.
Five days after Ken Whisenhunt got the boot and Mike Mularkey got the whistle, the Titans beat the Saints in New Orleans. And rookie quarterback Marcus Mariota was named the AFC’s offensive player of the week.
Mariota completed 28 of 39 passes for 371 yards and four touchdowns, including the game winner in overtime.
For the year, Mariota has 13 touchdown passes and five interceptions, with a passer rating of 101.5. And the biggest compliment he can receive at this point is that he looks the part of an NFL quarterback.
The same thing applies to Buccaneers rookie quarterback Jameis Winston. Both are passing the basic eyeball-and-stats test through the first half of their first year in the NFL.
Sure, their teams are below .500. But what should we expect? The Buccaneers and Titans secured the ability to take Winston and Mariota at No.1 and No. 2 respectively by being terrible in 2014. No one should expect them to be much better right away.
As a rookie in 1998, Peyton Manning was 3-13 -- and he had Marshall Faulk and Marvin Harrison. Manning also set the one all-time record that he hopes someone breaks: Interceptions thrown by a rookie.
And it’s clear Mariota has earned plenty of respect early in his career. By winning the weekly sheet-of-paper prize from 345 Park Avenue, he overcame Bengals tight end Tyler Eifert’s three touchdown receptions and Steelers receiver Antonio Brown’s 306-yards-from-scrimmage performance.