Can Marcus Mariota Play Under Control Like Russell Wilson?

I think it’s obvious, Chip Kelly wants to move up to get Marcus Mariota in the worse way because he knows this kid and believes he can play under control like Russell Wilson.  This aspect of Wilson’s game is very underrated, but it’s of vital importance. If you’re a NFL quarterback, who can’t play under control, you can’t stay healthy and therefore you can’t be a quality starting quarterback in the league.

Do you remember all the times you were yelling at Michael Vick when he was starting quarterback for the Eagles?  You were telling him to slide and get on the ground.  Right?  Kelly believes Mariota is one of the guys who will get on the ground.

First of all, let’s make this clear, Kelly wants a quarterback, who has the speed to be a run threat.  The quality of being able to run, opens up Kelly’s run offense.  Nick Foles doesn’t have this ability and that’s why he’s the final option at the quarterback position for Kelly.  First it’s Mariota, then according to a report possibly San Francisco 49er Colin Kaepernick, then Foles. Mark Sanchez will definitely be the backup.

Kelly knows Mariota and believes he can play under control.  Vick was the perfect example of a quarterback, who couldn’t play under control.  The former number one pick in the draft couldn’t resist putting himself at risk.  At the end of a 30-yard run, Vick couldn’t resist risking taking a big hit in order to gain another ten yards.  He would dash into crowds of defensive players and suffer injuries.

Chip obviously believes Mariota will be able to forego the additional yardage in order to avoid taking the big hits and therefore stay healthy.

I’m sure Kelly has been salivating while checking out Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson.   The former Oregon head coach has seen how Wilson has been executing the running part of an option running attack.  Wilson doesn’t run the ball a lot but when he does, he inflicts severe wounds to the opposing defense.  Do you remember the touchdown run Wilson made against the Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field?  He went into the end zone from 30 yards out and was untouched.

The ability to avoid injury while presenting a run.  Wilson does not absorb punishment when he’s directing the .  If things open up on a play he takes off.  If it doesn’t open up he gets on the ground.  If he gains 25-yards and he might have to absorb a severe hit in order to get another 10 yards, he gets on the ground.  He doesn’t run the risk of getting hurt.

I’ve seen that in Mariota’s game and also in Kaepernick.  They’ve both got game breaking speed, but they get on the ground rather than takes hit.

In addition to avoiding injury chances, Wilson has a habit of always looking downfield when he is scrambling.  He scrambles to throw.  His head is always up when he heads downfield and it results in many big plays because once he takes off, defenders in the secondary leave their coverage and it opens up big plays.

Like Chip, I think Mariota will be able to play under control like Wilson.  He’ll avoid taking the big hit when he runs and he will keep his head up when he scrambles.

Check out Chip Kelly gushing about Russell Wilson a year ago.

Q. Why is Seahawks QB Russell Wilson so effective on the zone-read plays in particular?

COACH KELLY: He’s just a great athlete. He has legitimate speed and quickness where he can burst off a disconnect and gain some serious yards. And he’s a really, really good decision maker. It makes him a legitimate threat every time they are running the ball out of the gun that the ball can be handed off or he can keep it. So you have to really respect him and understand what he’s going to do in those situations.

Continuing…….

COACH KELLY: He does a great job. That’s the other thing I’ve said, he has great pocket awareness and the one thing he doesn’t do is he doesn’t put himself in harms way. He’s not looking to run people over, he’s looking to literally go first down, touchdown, get down. He’s got an opportunity to put himself in a situation, if he can run for a touchdown, he’s going to do it, if he can run for a first down, he’s going to did it, but he’s also not going to try to take on a middle linebacker that he knows he’s not going to win that battle. I think that’s part of what makes him. He’s got such poise and he’s such a good decision maker, that’s what makes him so dangerous.

Q. So many running quarterbacks seem to take a lot shots which put them at risk. How does he not do that?

COACH KELLY: Because he’s really smart and I think he understands what he can do. Also, he’s 5’10”, so he’s not going to run people over and I think sometimes those guys with that mentality ‑‑ it’s tough to get that out of some guys. It’s hard, too, because you also admire it. You want a tough guy.

When we played — I don’t know if you guys remember our first game against Washington [last year], [RB LeSean] McCoy bounces [outside] and comes back the other way and Mike [former Eagles QB Michael Vick] is lead blocking. I’m like, ‘No, Mike, I don’t need you to lead block!’ Know what I mean? But that’s also one of the things that made Mike such a great player is that he was so competitive, that he wanted to win every single snap he was out there. It’s kind of a rare combination that Russell has.

Let me finish by saying, the signing of Mark Sanchez to a multi-year deal doesn’t guarantee the Birds are going to be able to move up in the draft and get Mariota.  The signing of Sanchez simply means Kelly has his backup quarterback.  Sanchez will be the backup quarterback whether the team’s starter is Mariota, Kaepernick or Foles.