When he signed with the Falcons in March, they had approximately $80 million in dead cap money and $8.6 million in cap space.
The play of Marcus Mariota and how he meshes into the offense and locker room has helped the Falcons to a 4-5 record and a tie for first place in the South. The present for Atlanta is that it will play Carolina on Thursday. Prime video. We don't know what the future holds for Mariota beyond this season.
"If I got a chance to play again, it was really going to be my last shot," he said. The majority of guys don't get a second chance.
It was important that he was able to try this in a system that he knew well.
It was a new city and new personnel and a franchise that traded its long-time starter, Matt Ryan, to Indianapolis after a failed pursuit of DeshaunWatson.
None of that mattered to the man. He knew this was going to happen again. He was going to have to play well if he was going to have a future in the league.
"To be able to not only keep this job and maybe have a future here was important to me, and I am glad it is here with these guys," he said. It was almost a point of redemption for me because I wanted to come here and prove to myself that I can do it.
There is a question of whether or not he has done enough. He has had games where he has looked like the player from Oregon, making on-time throws and using his running ability.
There have been games in which the same issue from Tennessee popped up, like the one against San Francisco, in which he completed 92.9% of his passes. He has played three games with a completion percentage of less than 50%.
In four games this season he has attempted less than 25 passes. The Falcons have a good record in those games.
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In the back-to-back weeks of the season, he has only completed 65% of his passes. He isn't solely responsible for not all of that. There is a chance that numbers can be skewed. The Falcons average 33.7 rushes and 22.3 pass attempts per game, which is second lowest among full-time starters, so a throwaway in Atlanta's offense will affect the statistics more than other quarterbacks. Atlanta's 53.1% rate of designed rushes is the highest in the league and its 46.9% rate of designed passes is the lowest. Chicago's Justin Fields, Denver's Russell Wilson and the Jets'Zach Wilson are the only full-time starters this season with a lower completion percentage.
The completion percentage isn't always the whole story. The quarterback is ninth in QBR at 59.9 He is being asked to take more shots. He has 10.09 air yards per attempt, which is second in the league.
14.9% of his pass attempts have had 20 or more air yards, sixth in the league, and fourth among full-time starters behind Mac Jones, Fields and Wilson. He has completed 23.3% of his throws of 20 or more air yards and has attempted 30 of them, tied for ninth in the NFL with Herbert.
Those things are not the high percentage. You have to be able to take low percentage shots. The way we run the football creates a lot of uncertainty on the defense of what you're trying to do.
During his time as a starter in Tennessee, he completed more than 40% of his throws of 20 or more air yard, and in his career, he has completed more than 30% of his throws of 20 or more air yard. Smith has said that Atlanta needs to get better and there is evidence that he can improve.
The style of quarterback the Falcons signed was similar to that of Ryan, and the offense would be different.
Dave Ragone said that it's not one size fits all when it comes to looking at the quarterback spot. Marcus gave us an opportunity to go in different directions and expand on what we thought was the best thing for us.
Few other quarterbacks have an ability like that. He can sometimes look like a boxer using a jab-step or shoulder-shimmy fake. It creates one of two things, one of which is a crease for Marcus Mariota to run through or a passing window where there wasn't one.
He has done both many times this year. The middle of the third quarter was when Kenneth Murray Jr. was at the Los Angeles 46-yard line.
The quarterback faked an upfield move. Murray cut inside, giving the quarterback room to throw a pass that was completed and a first down.
Smith said that he's been successful in this league and came out of Oregon. He has a good feeling in space.
His ability to move defenders came from playing soccer as a child. He will go back and watch a play when he sees himself moving a defender off position or when he fell down against the Rams.
"I can't explain it sometimes," said the quarterback.
Atlanta's success is due to the feel of Smith's offense, which has designed runs, zone reads and pre- snap movement. Pre-snap motion is a skill that takes time and the Falcons are fifth in the league in this area. It's a lot for many quarterbacks when you add in the number of play-action plays the Falcons have.
His ability to run makes him dangerous. His decision to keep and run in overtime led to a 30-yard gain on the eventual winning drive.
He is four carries away from his career-highs, and a key part of the Falcons' top-five rushing offense.
The Falcons running back said that he gets fired up because of how he runs. They are okay with being hit, according to him.
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He wanted to be a pocket passer when he first got to the league. He was reminded by his father and brother that it was okay to run. It worked so well at Oregon that it should also be used in the pros. He said that he is playing a little more like himself.
When we run the ball a lot, defenses have to think, 'Is he going to take off?' Drake London asked if the back would take off. Is he going to throw it to someone else? It allows us to get the ball and distribute it.
The starter's role has been more settled by the young man. He said he was adjusting to his new role as a runner and passer. He has slid a lot more in the last three weeks to make sure he doesn't get hit.
He's been more careful with the ball. The quarterback fumbled seven times in the first five weeks, but has only fumbled once in the past four games. In the first month of the season, four of his six picks came, and he has thrown two deep passes over the last five games.
It took him a little while to get used to it, but he thinks it fits his skills.
"We do a great job of hiding some of the run stuff that I do, but also allowing me to play free in the pass game, whether it's keepers, or it's dropback." It isn't one specific thing. It allows me to do what I do because we do a lot of different things.
This is not calculated by statistics. For a young team, the calming presence of the player is priceless. The running back settled his nerves when he entered the game.
The style made his teammates feel good. He might get angry. It's the same player his teammates saw when he came back to the huddle.
Smith said that Marcus would give you the truth. People like him because of that.
It wasn't long before the locker room was filled with the demeanor of Mariota.
The way he conducts himself on the field is easy to understand, reassuring and assertive at the same time. He is amazing to play for and play with. You have an appreciation for the way he attacks work because you love the person and the player he is.
It might not seem like much, but it matters. On the field, during the week and between plays, coaches and teammates buy into the idea that he can do it.
London said they have all the faith in you. We are going to ride for you no matter what.
It is not clear what this looks like. If he's on the team the fifth day of the next league year, he'll get a $3 million roster bonus. This is something that the quarterback knows. He has been a starter, a backup, and a quarterback who lost his job in the middle of the season.
How is the quarterback playing this season? Smith pointed out where the Falcons are in the division.
Smith wanted to be in the middle of the race.
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