The hopes escalated as rapidly http://www.jetsshopnfl.com/bilal-powell-jersey_c-434.html for one side as the concerns did for the other. Marcus Mariota, on his first NFL regular-season drive, tossed a long touchdown pass to Kendall Wright. Moments later, Jameis Winston, on his first NFL drive, threw a pass that defender Coty Sensabaugh saw coming, intercepted and ran into the end zone.
The Tennessee Titans cornerback ran straight to Mariota on the sideline and said, "We both got our first today!"
The Jameis Winston-Marcus Mariota comparison will go on for years. It won't be determined by what happened in the first game of each of their careers.
But the first round should be scored 10-8 for Mariota. Maybe even 10-7.
He looked like a typical Malcolm Jenkins Elite Jersey rookie playing on a bad team with a coach in Lovie Smith who looks like he should have been fired after last season. Winston was 16-of-33 for 210 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions, and had his stats padded with some garbage-time production.
Mariota looked like a long-time veteran. He looked great in the preseason too, but that's not always the best gauge of anything. But the athleticism, accuracy and decision-making he showed in the preseason transitioned seamlessly into the regular-season opener. It was arguably the best debut a rookie quarterback has ever had in the NFL.
This doesn't mean the race is over. WInston could very well turn out to be a better pro than Mariota, just like the Buccaneers thought he'd be when they took him first overall. But be honest: With Sunday's game fresh in our minds, it would be very hard to predict that.
In a blowout 42-14 win over Winston's Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Mariota had a 158.3 quarterback rating. That's a perfect rating. He completed 13 of 16 passes for 204 yards and four touchdowns, and the Tennessee Titans were up so big in the fourth quarter that Mariota sat out most of it. Mariota is the third rookie quarterback to ever post a 158.3 rating, joining Robert Griffin III and Drew Bledsoe. Mariota is the only rookie to do so in his first game.
"The Titans got this pick right." And, "Did the Bucs get this pick wrong?"
Those feelings only cemented themselves as the sun set and the packed stadium went silent. Winston threw another interception and was hit hard on a scramble that made him look even more wobbly on his already sprained right ankle. Mariota looked ever more comfortable, throwing a second touchdown, then a third, then a fourth. He had only three incompletions to go with four scores, and his comparisons went beyond Winston. They went to Fran Tarkenton, who had the greatest rookie quarterback debut in this league's history (four TD passes on 17-of-23 passes for 250 yards; and one rushing score) until, arguably, Sunday. Mariota needed only three quarters and came off the field with a perfect passer rating (158.3). Nothing went wrong. Nothing.
"I don't think we had no drops at all," Titans wide receiver Harry Douglas raved. "He was putting the ball right in our hands, right when we could catch it."
The anticipated battle became an unanticipated blowout – 42-14 by the time it was over. Winston quietly limped to the locker room, eyes searching. Mariota walked wordlessly as well, but his teammates chirped: "That wasn't just a win; it was a domination!" said one. "Remember the Titans," said another.
Of course Kevin Huber Limited Jersey it's too early to conclude anything. Robert Griffin III had a 139.9 passer rating in his rookie debut, and he's now a scout team safety. Brett Favre also threw a pick-six in his first NFL pass, and he's one of the best who ever played. It's just Week 1.
But there may never have been a Week 1 game that engendered as much belief and disbelief as this one did.
"He was the only pick for this organization," Douglas said of Mariota. "He was the best pick for this organization."
Is anyone going to disagree after that performance? Mariota's problem was supposed to be remaining calm in the pocket, the way all NFL quarterbacks must do. Yet on the first drive, after nearly throwing an interception on the first play from scrimmage and then throwing another incomplete pass, Mariota fired a 22-yard completion on third-and-10 and then the 52-yard touchdown on the next play. He would only miss one more pass the entire afternoon.
"The way he attains information, gets us to the right plays, delivers the football," Douglas said. "He just has so many attributes that people have to account for. I knew it when he was in college at Oregon. I knew he was special then."
If Douglas saw it, shouldn't the Bucs have seen it too? That worry will float around this town for at least a few days. So will an even more troubling question: How did the Bucs get so completely outplayed and outcoached in their home opener, playing against a rookie quarterback and a team coming off a 2-14 season?
The Titans created a perfect blend of comfort for Mariota, mixing http://www.broncosauthenticofficial.com/louis-vasquez-jersey_c-521.html up a few looks from his Oregon days and still encouraging him to stay in the pocket. They let him roll out on occasion, but also left him in the shotgun where he could see the field better. Running back Bishop Sankey had his best game as a pro (74 yards rushing, one TD), balancing Mariota's throws. It was seamless.
"They got the ball out so fast," said Bucs defensive tackle Gerald McCoy. "Anytime he dropped back and actually took a chance to look at the defense, we were all over him. But when you're getting the ball out extremely fast, it's hard to get after the quarterback. He just played a great game. The whole team did."