Marcus Mariota has become a great NFL quarterback in less than three seasons, but he doesn’t fit the typical NFL quarterback mold. Mostly because he’s quiet and reserved and far from a dynamic, John Wayne-type of leader.
Former NFL coach Tony Dungy, who made it to the Hall of Fame with a similar style, interviewed Mariota for a feature that will be televised in Thursday night’s pregame show on NBC.
“I know you’re not the most outgoing guy, you’re not one to get on people, but in your job as a quarterback, you have to sometimes,” Dungy said to Mariota. “How has that been?”
“It’s a process,” Mariota said. “Sometimes, it’s not yelling at a guy. It’s putting your arm around a guy. Or, for instance, if there’s a guy that needs to get yelled at, you have to find it in you to do it.”
“How do you find that?” Dungy said. “Because you’re not a yeller. Who was the last guy you yelled at on the field?”
“Probably [tackle] Taylor Lewan,” Mariota said with a laugh. “It’s easy with Taylor because he’s that type of guy. He understands that I’m yelling to bring him up.”
It will take more than yelling on Thursday night to overcome the Steelers, especially if the Steelers plan to give Mariota the RGIII treatment whenever and wherever they can. And that could spark some yelling (or worse) between Titans players and Steelers players. Which could make for a very interesting game on Thursday night.
Football Night in Pittsburgh begins at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC. Tune in for the full feature, and stick around for one of the best games of Week 11.