Eagles’ Marcus Mariota always saw something in QBs coach Alex Tanney
How Mariota always knew Tanney would be a good coach originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
Marcus Mariota has always thought of Alex Tanney as a coach.
He’s just not ready to call him that yet.
The Eagles’ new veteran backup quarterback was once teammates with Tanney in Tennessee but now Tanney is his quarterbacks coach. And Mariota said to reporters on Wednesday that he already told Tanney he isn’t sure he can call him that just yet.
It’s probably still a tad odd for the 29-year-old Mariota to call his 35-year-old former teammate a coach.
But he’s always seen coaching in Tanney’s future.
“Yes, easy,” Mariota said to reporters on his introductory videoconference call Wednesday. “I was a young guy when we were working together and he was very influential on how I was reading certain route combinations, different patterns. ‘Hey this is how I see it.’ And from early on I could tell that there was coaching in his future, and I really think that he helped me jumpstart my career pretty fast early on.”
Tanney entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2012 with the Chiefs, when Nick Sirianni was on the staff in Kansas City. He bounced around during his career, also joining the Cowboys, Browns, Bucs, Titans, Bills, Colts and Giants.
But Tanney spent a lot of time with the Titans and got there in 2015, just in time to help along the No. 2 pick in the draft. There was a lot of speculation that the Eagles — then led by Chip Kelly — were going to trade all the way up to the top of the draft to land Mariota. But instead, the Eagles stayed put at No. 20 and the Titans selected Mariota just after Jameis Winston.
In five years as the Titans starter, Mariota had a 29-32 record, throwing 76 touchdown passes and 44 interceptions. He also showed dual threat ability, rushing for nearly 1,400 yards in those five seasons.
Mariota’s best NFL season came in 2016, when he had an 8-7 record, threw for 3,426 yards with 26 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. Tanney that season split time on the active roster and the Titans’ practice squad.
“Fortunate for me, my first couple years were probably my best years and he was a part of that,” Mariota said. “So to be reunited with [Tanney] again is something that I’m really looking forward to. He’s just got a natural touch of someone who can understand the game and explain it very easily.”
In his NFL career, Tanney appeared in just two games. His only game with the Titans came in 2015, Mariota’s rookie season. In the final game of the season, with Mariota already out for the year with a knee injury, Tanney relieved Zach Mettenberger. Tanney threw the only touchdown pass of his NFL career in that game — a 5-yarder to Dorial Green-Beckham.
Tanney was eventually released by the Titans in April of 2018 and moved on to play for his final NFL team, the New York Giants. Mariota played for the Titans through 2019 before two seasons with the Raiders and one with the Falcons last year.
There were some questions about the way things ended with the Falcons last year, but Sirianni said they felt good about Mariota because of the preexisting relationships they had with him in the building. Mariota spent time with special teams coordinator Michael Clay and offensive assistant T.J. Paganetti at Oregon. Tight ends coach Jason Michael was his quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator in Tennessee. And then, of course, the relationship with Tanney.
That one might be the most significant. Because hose two will help create an important support system for Jalen Hurts in 2023.
And eventually, Mariota will be able to call Tanney coach.
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