HC Arthur Smith: Falcons not looking for Marcus Mariota to be Matt Ryan, Peyton Manning

The Atlanta Falcons endured quite the tumultuous offseason. 

They missed out on star Deshaun Watson, and their pursuit of the controversial quarterback caused Atlanta icon Matt Ryan to admittedly question his future with the organization. The Falcons ultimately traded Ryan to the Indianapolis Colts and then signed Tennessee Titans and Las Vegas Raiders castoff Marcus Mariota. 

Mariota hasn't logged a start since the 2019 season but is currently atop Atlanta's depth chart ahead of rookie and third-round draft pick Desmond Ridder. Falcons head coach Arthur Smith spoke with reporters Thursday and made it clear he's not asking Mariota to follow in the footsteps of Ryan, who has a regular-season Most Valuable Player award on his résumé. 

"He’s his own guy. That’s what you like about certain players, but he’s authentic," Smith said of Mariota, according to Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk. "He is who he is. He doesn’t try to be anybody. We’re not asking him to come in here and be Matt Ryan or to be Peyton Manning. Be Marcus Mariota. That’s what we want.

"He’s also — I think everybody when you get another shot at something, there’s lessons learned and they’re hard lessons but if you take them the right way, you’re more appreciative of the opportunity." 

In total, Mariota has appeared in 74 regular-season games and completed 62.8% of his passes for 13,437 yards with 77 touchdowns and 45 interceptions. He's also rushed for 1,574 career yards and 13 additional scores.