The Las Vegas Raiders finally took advantage of their Marcus Mariota package against the Dallas Cowboys when he scored a touchdown a rushing touchdown off a direct snap. There’s been a lot of talk about utilizing the veteran quarterback in creative ways but he rarely gets on the field. Now that he scored his first touchdown of the season, the team could be more comfortable using him going forward.
However, head coach Rich Bisaccia isn’t going to give away all of the Raiders’ tricks. When asked about Mariota, Bisaccia was rather cryptic.
“I think [what] you saw [offensive coordinator] Greg [Olson] do a great job of this week is, we had him in there multiple times and he ends up scoring a touchdown for us because of his athletic ability and what he can do in certain situations, but certainly what we are asking him to do,” Bisaccia said Monday about Mariota.
“Without giving too much away, I think he is hopefully going to be a part of the packages as we go forward. He practices like he’s preparing to play all the time. And the other thing is, it’s really hard to take No. 4 [Derek Carr] out from behind the center as well, especially if he’s playing the way he played on Thanksgiving Day.”
Mariota is more of a secret weapon for the Raiders so Bisaccia isn’t going to give much away. That said, he should be seeing the field in certain packages more often.
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Should Mariota Be Seeing the Field More?
GettyRaiders QBs Marcus Mariota and Derek Carr.
Fans love the Mariota package because it’s fun and creative. The New Orleans Saints have had a tremendous amount of success at using Taysom Hill in a similar role and Mariota is a far better quarterback. So far, the Mariota packages have only consisted of him running the ball. The Raiders should try to open up the packages a bit more.
Mariota proved last season against the Los Angeles Chargers that he can still throw the ball well. Perhaps the team should give him a chance to use his arm a bit more. Making him more of a dual-threat would really keep defenses off balance when he comes into the game. Right now, defenses almost certainly have to be expecting a run when Mariota comes into the game. Why not shake things up a bit?
Carr Won’t Lose Starting Job to Mariota
After the Raiders’ recent three-game losing streak, fans were ready for the team to bench Carr and start Mariota. However, Carr had a strong game in the win against the Cowboys, which will quiet fans for a while. Regardless, the Raiders aren’t benching Carr this season.
Mariota is an exciting playmaker so it’s easy for fans to forget that he was benched from his lasting starting job with the Tennessee Titans due to poor play. Barring an injury, Carr will be the starter for the rest of the season. Even when the Raiders are losing, his play isn’t so terrible that it deserves benching. Also, Carr leads the NFL in passing yards this season. While he isn’t always perfect, he’s easily the best option the Raiders have at quarterback.
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