It is no secret that Philadelphia Eagles Chip Kelly loves Oregon Ducks quarterback Marcus Mariota. Kelly has called Mariota the best player he has ever coached in college, has likened his mind to Peyton Manning, and has stated that he believes Mariota will win multiple Super Bowls.
Others around him, including future Hall of Fame coach Tony Dungy, whose son played with Mariota at the University of Oregon, have compared Mariota to all-world quarterback Aaron Rodgers. A student of the game that possesses a rare combination of athleticism and accuracy that creates matchup nightmares for opposing defenses.
With that type of high praise from those that know him best, you would think that Mariota would be a shoe-in for the number one overall pick. But there are questions abound about whether Mariota's success is the byproduct of a gimmick offense that creates easy opportunities for production, and whether he can succeed in a "pro style offense."
Some of these questions are legitimate. After studying hours of Mariota's tape, there are certainly flaws to his game. But to get a better understanding of why Kelly wants Mariota so badly, we need to understand Mariota the person before we break down the game tape.
His Hawaiian Roots Run Deep
Marcus Ardel Taulauniu Mariota was born on October 30, 1993 in Honolulu, Hawaii to Toa Mariota and Alana Deppe-Mariota.
True to his Hawaiian roots, Mariota is known for being quiet and humble; atypical characteristics that have lead some to question whether Mariota is tough enough, or mean enough, to succeed in today's NFL. In almost any other business venture, these characteristics would be lauded as essential traits of a natural born leader. But the in the NFL, which has oversized stars whose personalities are matched only by the amount of money in their bank accounts, Mariota's soft-spoken nature is seen by some as a hinderance to his future.
His personality is rooted in Hawaiian culture, where it is considered "disrespectful to boast about your accomplishments or even acknowledge them." While the rest of America seems to glorify "me centric" athletes, Hawaii prides itself on being humble.
It's why his interviews tend to be painfully awkward, a byproduct of his preference to avoid the spotlight at all costs. Below is one such example of his awkward public persona, a clip from his appearance on David Letterman:
Recruited from an Island of Obscurity
Hawaii is not known as a haven for football recruits. This year alone, Hawaii has only 20, yes 20, ranked recruits in the entire state. What few players are plucked from the island are traditionally along the offensive and defensive lines. The picture is even more bleak for skill position players. Rarely are quarterbacks, wide receivers or running backs recruited to play outside of Hawaii.
In other words, the odds for being heavily recruited out of high school were stacked against Mariota from the start. To make matters worse, Mariota was not even starting for his own high school team during his junior year.
Oregon only recruited Mariota by sheer happenstance. Mariota contacted the head of Oregon's recruiting for Hawaii and sent in his tape. Because he was not the starting quarterback, his tape consisted of only sub packages where he would play for six to seven plays at a time, filling in for then starting quarterback Jeremy Higgins. (Higgins, who went on to play quarterback at Utah State, has been reduced to a trivia question that will forever be asked as long as Mariota's star continues to rise.)
Mark Helfrich, who was the offensive coordinator and quarterback's coach at Oregon at the time, saw something in the tape that he liked, so he made the trek out to Hawaii to see Mariota in person.
As Lindsay Schnell details in a brilliant piece for SI.com:
The whole thing was like a movie,” he says. “It felt made up.” Teachers, coaches and fellow students gushed about Mariota’s abilities in the classroom and on the field, proudly telling the Oregon assistant that one of the best athletes was also the nicest. Really, how many quarterbacks also serve as team tutor? Helfrich kept thinking he would find “a skeleton in the closet,” and he was convinced Mariota’s playing ability had to be overblown when he didn’t. Then, in a spectacular setting — Helfrich remembers Diamondhead glowing the background, blue skies and balmy weather — he watched Mariota throw. It took approximately five minutes for him to call head coach Chip Kelly with an assessment.
Helfrich gushed about Mariota's potential. In typical Kelly fashion, without hesitation or equivocation, he told Helfrich to offer him a scholarship. “Shortest evaluation conversation of all time,” Helfrich said.
The offer sent shockwaves through Hawaii; a powerhouse program like Oregon offering a scholarship to a backup quarterback? The only other school to offer Mariota a scholarship at the time was Memphis, and that was the result of Memphis having a graduate assistant coach that was also from Hawaii. Heck, even the University of Hawaii did not offer Mariota a scholarship, and that school had a monopoly on top Hawaiian players.
It also had a residual impact on Oregon, who lost its verbal commitment from Mr. Texas, Johnny Manziel, who decided to accept a scholarship from Texas A&M after Mariota committed to Oregon.
At the time, ESPN ranked him has the 123rd overall quarterback, not player, in the nation. Reading the scouting report with the benefit of hindsight is almost comical. The future Heisman trophy winner was so lightly regarded that it was suggested that he "could possibly be a guy that moves to wide receiver at the next level."
With his scholarship offer firmly in place, Mariota finally got his chance to start his senior year. He did not disappoint. He led Saint Louis School to an 11-1 record and a state title. His coach lauded his work ethic, comparing him to Keanu Reeves' character Neo in The Matrix: "Remember the first time Neo gets in that chair and they begin to teach him kung fu and he says, 'More?' That's the way Marcus was with our offense. Every day he wanted more."
Meteoric Rise at Oregon
When he arrived at Eugene, the Ducks quickly realized how special Mariota could become. His work ethic was matched only by his combination of athleticism and accuracy. While Darron Thomas was leading the Ducks to a national title game and a victory in the Rose Bowl, Mariota was wowing his teammates in practice. Word quickly spread around campus that the Ducks might have something special on their hands.
Chip Kelly knew it once he saw Mariota in practice. Per Elliot-Shorr Parks of NJ.com:
During a practice early in Mariota's first fall camp, a lineman missed a protection. Mariota dodged a rusher, stayed in the pocket, eluded another defender, and scanned all the way from the left side to the right, where he snapped a 55-yard pass over a defensive back's head to his wide receiver. There was not even a hint of panic on Mariota's face.
Kelly became so impressed by what he saw from the freshman signal caller that he predicted Mariota would eventually win the Heisman trophy.
Fortunately for Mariota, he did not have to wait long to showcase his talents on the field. In what was considered a mild upset at the time, Mariota beat out presumptive favorite Bryan Bennett for the starting job following in just his second year on campus. He did not disappoint.
The 19-year old Mariota finished the 2012 season as the most efficient passer in all of the Pac-12, completing 68.5% of his passes, while throwing for 2677 yards, 32 touchdowns, 6 interceptions, and a quarterback rating of 163.23. He led Oregon to a 12-1 record and a victory of Kansas State in the Fiesta Bowl. He also won the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year award.
As if being the starting quarterback for a national powerhouse wasn't enough, Mariota decided to set an ambitious goal when it came to school: graduate in 3 1/2 years. To do this, he would have to take 20 to 22-credit semesters, much more than the typical 12-16 credit hours taken by most college students. Mariota did whatever it took to make it happen, including taking his Biology Theories exam during the 2013 Manning Passing Academy while other camp leaders got in trouble for being out too late.
That was the last year Chip Kelly coached Mariota. Kelly would take the job as the Eagles head coach in the 2013 offseason, leaving Mariota in the hands of the man who discovered him: Mark Helfrich.
Mariota did not miss a beat. He followed up his freshman year with an even more impressive 2013 campaign, at least statistically speaking, again topping the Pac-12 as the most efficient passer. His numbers were even more gaudy than before, posting a stat line that few other quarterbacks in the country were capable of producing: 63.5%, 3,665 yards, 31 touchdowns, 4 interceptions, and a 167.66 quarterback rating.
His third and final season at Oregon would be his best. He again finished as the most efficient passer in the Pac-12, and improved his passer rating to a ridiculous 181.75. J.T. Barrett was the next closest passer at 169. James Winston, the presumptive number one overall pick in this year's draft, finished 27th.
While his season did not end as he might have hoped — coming up short against Ohio State in the national title game — Mariota won the 80th Annual Heisman trophy award as the nation's top college football player. He collected the second most possible points in the history of the Heisman award behind only Troy Smith of Ohio State in 2006. In addition to the Heisman trophy, Mariota won the Maxwell Award as the nation's most outstanding player, the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award, and the Walter Camp player of the year award.
The once little known prospect from Hawaii who some saw as a college wide receiver had reached the pinnacle of the college football world. But will his game translate to the pros? We break down the tape in Part II that will be published later this week.
Patrick Causey is a writer at Eagledelphia and can be followed on Twitter @PhillySportsJD
