Injury Reports: Quarterback

Mariota was born in Honolulu, Hawaii of Samoan and German decent. Mariota followed in one of his idol’s footsteps, Jeremiah Masoli, a Samoan quarterback who attended Saint Louis (High) School and then eventually the University of Oregon. Mariota was a two-sport athlete, football and track. Relatively unknown until his senior year of high school when Mariota broke out to the tune of 2,597 passing yards, 64.7% completion rate, 32 TDs, 5 INTs, but also rushed 60 times for 455 yards (7.6 YPC) and 7 TDs. He was named to the NUC All World Game alongside another QB you might have heard of – Johnny Manziel. Also a standout track and field athlete, Mariota won the 2010 National Underclassman Combine with a 4.48 second 40-yard dash.

After attending a football camp at the University of Oregon, the team’s offensive coordinator became impressed with Mariota and eventually offered him a scholarship. Mariota was ranked as the #2 prospect in Hawaii, and the #12 dual-threat QB in the nation by Rivals.com, overall he was considered a 3-start recruit. After redshirting his first year, Mariota became the first freshman to start a season opener for the Ducks in 22 years. He started all 13 games, threw for 2,677 yards (68.5%), 32 TDs, 6 INTs and rushed 106 times for 752 yards (7.1 YPC) and 5 TDs. At one point in the 2013 season Mariota had attempted 353 passes without an interception. Mariota sprained the MCL in his left knee but continued to play. He finished the 2013 season with 4,380 yards of total offense, becoming the only player in Oregon history to eclipse 4,000 yards in a season.

Returning for the 2014 season, Mariota won the Heisman Trophy (88.4% of 1st place votes), along with the Davey O’Brien Award (Best QB), Walter Camp and Maxwell Awards (best overall football player). Mariota bested his 2013 season by eclipsing over 5,000 yards of total offense, including 57 total TDs. Running a 4.52 second 40-yard dash at the Combine, scoring a 33 on his Wonderlic test, Mariota was the 2nd pick of the 2015 NFL Draft by the Tennessee Titans (behind Jameis Winston). In October, Mariota was rolled up on and suffered a sprained MCL of his left knee, causing him to miss 2 games. Then, less than 2 months later, Mariota sprained his other (right) MCL and missed the final 2 games of the season (he played 12 games that year). The MCL is the ligament that runs north to south on the inside of the leg and is commonly injured when a player’s knee gets hit on the outside – very common for a rushing QB.

In 2016 he posted decent numbers, playing in 15 games, completing 61.2% of his passes, 26 TDs, 9 INT, and rushed for 349 yards and 2 more TDs. His season ended prematurely when he suffered a broken leg (fibula), which required surgery and caused him to miss the final game of the season. Long-term this shouldn’t really affect him, as the fibula only controls about 15% of the leg’s total weight. It is integral to the ankle joint, so depending on the location of the fracture, these usually require surgery with a plate and screws. Mariota played 15 games (he missed 1 game with a mild hamstring strain) during the 2017 season, with similar passing yards to 2016 but only half as many TDs. He led the Titans to their first playoff berth in almost 10 years.

Mariota’s 2018 season didn’t start ideally, as he left the season-opener with an elbow injury. It is unclear exactly what he injured. It does not sound like fractured anything. It sounds like he injured the ulnar nerve (‘funny bone’ nerve), which controls some of the muscles of the hands as well as the 4th & 5th fingers. This nerve runs through a space called the cubital tunnel and is most commonly injured in baseball pitchers or just randomly. My suspicion is that Mariota likely got his elbow or distal upper arm hit (helmet?) and this lead to the nerve impingement. The issue with these is that they don’t heal particularly quickly. Most people who suffer these can tolerate the discomfort but most people aren’t trying to throw a football. Forced to return less than 2 weeks later when backup QB Blaine Gabbert suffered a concussion, it was obvious that Mariota just wasn’t 100%. Another week of rest helped significantly, as Mariota looked better but often these take much longer (including rest) to heal.

Mariota played in 14 games in total in 2018, but personally I don’t think Mariota was ever 100% (due to his elbow injury) at any point during the 2018 season. It is unclear if Mariota suffered a reinjury in both November and December, or if he suffered separate injuries. A stinger occurs when the neck or shoulder are jerked quickly and one of the major nerves coming out of the neck, usually C5, gets stretched. For most people this leads to full numbness, tingling, and sometimes complete paralysis (temporary) of one upper extremity (for less than 48 hours). Mariota reportedly suffered 2 of these, one in Week 11 that resolved quickly and he was able to play the following week. Then, in Week 16 he landed on his elbow after taking a big hit, which caused him to miss Week 17.

After the season it was reported that Mariota was dealing with ‘several’ nerve issues. We know one is to the ulnar nerve of his throwing arm. The other sound like they are stemming from his shoulder/neck. As far as his neck injury Mariota avoided surgery. He likely got an MRI of his cervical spine to check a couple things, but if all checks out then don’t expect him to really worry about this issue. The elbow nerve issue on the other hand should have been surgically addressed. The nerve was likely being compressed by nearby tissue and that needs to be debrided and cleaned out. Mariota is planning on putting on about 13 pounds of muscle heading into the 2019 season. Now being backed up by Ryan Tannehill, Mariota needs to prove his effectiveness and his ability to stay healthy. I would not be surprised if this was not the last time we heard about Mariota’s elbow and neck issues. I’m avoiding him this year.