Philadelphia Eagles Don’t Need Marcus Mariota
By Nick Takacs
Jan 12, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Oregon Ducks quarterback Marcus Mariota (8) tries to get up in the fourth quarter as Ohio State Buckeyes defensive lineman Joey Bosa (97) walks away from the play in the 2015 CFP National Championship Game at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
Look at any sports column these days and the words Philadelphia Eagles, head coach Chip Kelly, and University of Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota inevitably come up together. But do the Birds really need Mariota in their grand scheme? Just because he came from the Kelly “system,” doesn’t automatically make him a sure-fire fit for Kelly’s “NFL system”. The Eagles have more pressing needs to address in the draft, and while quarterback in a critical part of any team, it shouldn’t be the primary focus this off-season.
Mariota’s stock rose over the final weeks of college football season. However, when you look at some of his throws in the College Football Championship game against Ohio State, the comparisons to Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel creep in. Does Mariota’s skill set translate to the NFL? It’s easy to link him with Kelly, and assume that because his coach brought many of the things that worked at Oregon to the Eagles, the same would be try for the QB. But that’s just not the case. Even with the Birds’ first season, the Kelly offense was a hybrid of things he saw that worked.
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If you watched any of the Eagles’ final games of this season, the defense stood out as a weak point. Forget the no-huddle offense and the disproportionate time of possession, the Birds’ D simply could not get off the field. They couldn’t put up a stop when it mattered most. The loss of linebacker DeMeco Ryans weeks prior added to the uphill challenge. Meanwhile, teams like the Seattle Seahawks saw a defense get better as the season went on. This is part of the reason, a big part, why the Eagles now watch from the outside.
Kelly needs to approach this draft with a mindset towards addressing the side of the ball he is most vulnerable on – the defense. Quarterback Nick Foles will come back in July, healthy and ready to push a sophomore slump behind him. Build solid depth at the offensive line to protect him, and draft or acquire a competent secondary that can grow as the season goes on, and the Birds may still be playing football at this time next year.
This is not the year to draft a prospect quarterback. This is the year to retool and improve the defense. The Eagles don’t need Marcus Mariota. As much as some group of fans might think, Foles has the tools and the brain to succeed. He needs the right pieces around him, as he showed during the fantastic 2013 season. Kelly and General Manager Howie Roseman have implied a “win now” philosophy, but they must not sacrifice the process that got them the NFC East crown last season, and back-to-back 10-6 records. We don’t want a repeat of the end of the Andy Reid era, when a sharp change in philosophy resulting in a 4-12 season.