Falcons Coach Arthur Smith, QB Marcus Mariota Have 'Evolved' Since Titans Stint

With Smith calling the plays, Mariota was benched in 2019. Now, they're back together, looking to prevent a repeat.

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Marcus Mariota's path to the starting job has been more chaotic than he could've imagined upon entering the NFL in 2015.

After winning the Heisman Trophy in his final collegiate season at Oregon, Mariota was selected No. 2 overall by the Tennessee Titans and was an immediate starter.

Five years later, he was a free agent on the heels of a midseason benching that stemmed from a slow start and four seasons of largely average play.

Mariota entered his final season in Tennessee looking to earn a contract extension and prove himself once and for all, alongside first-year offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. However, the two simply didn't have the success needed, and Mariota was replaced by Ryan Tannehill in Week 7.

The rest is history, as Tannehill led the Titans to consecutive playoff appearances, including the AFC Championship Game in 2019, with Smith calling plays. The Falcons hired Smith to be their head coach following the 2020 season, while Mariota was living the life of a backup quarterback for the Las Vegas Raiders.

After an overall below average offensive campaign in Smith's first season at the helm, the Falcons underwent a facelift, starting with the quarterback position. After a failed pursuit of Deshaun Watson, Atlanta traded franchise staple Matt Ryan to the Indianapolis Colts.

With a quarterback draft class that left much to be desired at the top, the Falcons needed a veteran to come in and steady the ship - and turned their focus to Mariota, who was benched under Smith just three years earlier.

All of that led Mariota to this point, where he's been named the starting signal caller for the Falcons' Week 1 contest against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. While it's certainly a feel-good story, Mariota will need to prove he's taken strides since the last time he worked with Smith, so the result isn't the same.

Speaking on The Rich Eisen Show, Smith shared that Mariota has "had a terrific camp," and believes the 28-year-old has progressed since the last time they worked together.

"He's in a different spot," Smith said. "We all continue to grow and learn. Very excited to work with him again. I think the experiences, some of the hardships he went through the last couple of years has only made him better. I think the time he spent out in Vegas was beneficial to him. I think he's got a new look and a new lease on life, and he's taken advantage of his opportunity."

In most cases, quarterbacks are reliant on play-callers to put them in the best position to succeed. Thus, Smith wasn't totally blame-free for Mariota's downfall in Tennessee.

Instead of ignoring the results, Smith focused on what went wrong with Mariota under center and has since altered his offense. Sure, the same key principles remain, but Smith, like Mariota, has developed since their last pairing.

"We've evolved," Smith asserted. "We have some core beliefs, but we're going to continue to evolve. When Marcus walked in here, it wasn't the playbook from 2019 when we were together. We've advanced. I think you've got to play to the strengths of your team and your players, around your core beliefs. There's some things we can do with his skill-set, moving, that we're excited about."

Same coach, different playbook. 

Same player, different outlook. 

Same pairing, different city - and for the Falcons, hopefully a different result.

Reunited once and for all, Smith and Mariota have the hopes of Atlanta on their backs. The fight to live up to expectations - both internal and external - begins at 1 p.m. Sunday in Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

You can follow Daniel Flick on Twitter @DFlickDraft

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