Earlier this week, starting left guard Richie Incognito suggested to the media that the Raiders use more of Marcus Mariota near the end zone to fix some of their red-zone problems. He believes his legs could be a weapon, especially on read-option plays with Josh Jacobs.
Apparently, the Raiders agree with Incognito. In a recent piece by Paul Gutierrez of ESPN, he reported that the Raiders are installing a package of plays for Mariota.
The plan is still to have Derek Carr be the primary quarterback, but for Mariota to get in the game for a few plays a game to force defenses to prepare for him. Here are Gurierrez’s thoughts on Mariota and the team designing some plays specifically for him:
“Make no mistake, this is still Derek Carr’s team, but a healthy Mariota’s scrambling ability, pinpoint passing and grasp of the offense has coach Jon Gruden smiling. “Last year was hard because he was hurt all the time,” Gruden said of Mariota, who spent the first six weeks of the season on injured reserve with a pectoral issue, after reporting to training camp in 2020 recovering from ankle and shoulder injuries. “This complex thing we’re trying to pull off here … we’re not going to call exactly the same plays when Marcus is in the game than when Derek is in the game. You wouldn’t either. That’s why we have a very vast playbook. I think for Marcus to be great, he has to run plays that he’s good at and that he likes.”
The best part of Mariota’s game has always been his effectiveness in the red zone. Because of his legs and accuracy, he once posted the best ever TD-to-INT ratio in the red zone for any starting quarterback. Considering how poor the Raiders were inside the 20s last season, Jon Gruden may be thinking about all the points they could score with him on the field.
Still, pulling Carr off the field for more than a few plays a game seems unwise. He’s just the better quarterback and the offense functions at an elite level with him on the field. But could we see Mariota for a few plays a game this season? It sure sounds like it.