Falcons Decision to Bench Marcus Mariota 'Never Easy,' Says Arthur Smith

Marcus Mariota's run as the Atlanta Falcons starting quarterback is over for now. Desmond Ridder will take over this weekend against the New Orleans Saints.

Jeremy Brener | Dec 13, 2022

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Marcus Mariota is processing news he's heard before.

Last week, the Falcons made the change that many had anticipated for a while ... Mariota's demotion to start third-round rookie Desmond Ridder.

It's the second time Mariota has been yanked as the starter in his career. In 2019, the Titans opted to sit Mariota in favor of Ryan Tannehill. The common denominator, other than Mariota, in those decisions and conversations was Falcons head coach Arthur Smith, who was the Titans' offensive coordinator at the time Mariota was benched three years ago.

"I'm in a different role, obviously Mike Vrabel was the head coach then and that's the head coach's decision," Smith said. "I was the coordinator, so a lot different this time around. Completely different set of circumstances. So, those are never easy for any position, certainly not as something as high profile as the quarterback that gets as much attention. Obviously aware of that as well, but you try to be truthful, and whether they agree or not, those are the conversations you have to have, and that's what we did - we had it in person Thursday morning."

Days after the conversation, Mariota is moving to injured reserve with a knee injury that has bothered him for some time. But his injury is unrelated to the benching, according to Smith.

"I would anticipate (Mariota will go on IR)," Smith said. "And that had nothing to do with the move here. (Happens to) a lot of athletes, something chronic, nothing that's been an issue this season, but that's their prerogative."

Mariota's season ends with 2,219 passing yards, 15 touchdowns, nine interceptions. He also ran for 438 yards and four rushing touchdowns.

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Published Dec 13, 2022

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.