The Titans worked out four quarterbacks on Tuesday, none of whom were named Colin Kaepernick. On Wednesday, coach Mike Mularkey told reporters that the Titans did not consider adding Kaepernick, who according to Mularkey is not familiar with the team’s system.
Via, Jim Wyatt of the team’s official website, Mularkey said that Brandon Weeden got the job as the backup to backup Matt Cassel due to familiarity with the Tennessee offense, which per Mularkey is similar to systems Cassel ran in Houston and Dallas. Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com adds that Mularkey said that T.J. Yates (who also had a workout on Tuesday) also is familiar with the scheme.
Mularkey also said, via McCormick, that the game plan for Mariota isn’t as different as the game plan for Cassel, even though most would say there are obvious differences in the skills of the two quarterbacks and, in turn, the way they’d be used.
Mariota, who practiced on a limited basis in practice on Wednesday, could still play on Sunday, according to Mularkey. But that may simply be an effort to keep the Dolphins guessing as to who they will face. Which really shouldn’t matter if Mariota and Cassel are as similar as Mularkey claims they are.
None of this is a knock on Mularkey. It’s quite possible that these decisions were made much higher in the organization, given the obvious business considerations that flow from the possibility of adding Kaepernick.