Those pointing to RGIII's rookie year and his subsequent decline are not taking into consideration that RGIII mainly had success due to the offense that he was in. His rookie year, Washington tailored their offense to his skill set. RGIII ran a similar scheme to his college offense, which utilized his ability to run. The threat of the run game held the LBs close to the LOS and opened up easy throwing lanes. If you look at the passes RGIII completed, you would see that the receivers were wide open. Much of that was due to the run threat that he and Morris presented to the opposing defenses.

 

Once the defenses adjusted to the scheme and after RGIII's knee injury, RGIII had to excel as a traditional drop-back QB, which he struggled with, mightily. He was never a better passer than Wilson or Luck. The fans and the NFL were excited over his style of play and that led to the ROTY award. RGIII's play was definitely more style than substance. In my opinion, it was undeserved.

 

If Mariota can't develop as a traditional drop-back passer, then he too will be destined for failure. Guys like Wilson, Newton, Rogers, Bortles, and Luck -- who can both run and pass from the pocket -- are hard to defend. I can see Mariota falling into this category if he greatly develops his passing game.

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