Marcus Mariota interview with Bussin' with the Boys podcast

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Bussin' with the Boys has posted their 1 hour+ long interview with Marcus Mariota and it's the most candid one you'll ever see from him. It starts at the 1:06:53 mark in the video. Definite must-watch.

[Phalanx]

I had never heard him talking about his last days with Atlanta before, when head coach Art Smith benched him in favor of an inferior quarterback in what seemed at the time like a tank move to avoid the playoffs. Smith threw Marcus under the bus, implying to the media that Marcus had abandoned the team, neglecting to mention the birth of his first child or the knee surgery that ended his season. Mariota describes the incident in this interview in as graceful a way as he could, while also stating clearly that their relationship won't be the same going forward. SMith has since stated that Marcus 'gave everything he had for the team'. A little late on the praise.

It's really nice to see Marcus thriving in his new role. He was phenomenal in that game last season vs the Cowboys.

P.S. Mark Helfrich was his favorite coach. I thought that was pretty funny, given how much Helf got slammed here and other Oregon hangouts. Marcus did mention that Helf would lose half the room during his pre-game speeches.

[pezsez1]

I'm not surprised Helfrich was his favorite coach. He seemed like a genuinely good guy and a brilliant Xs & Os coach, he just didn't have that alpha persona that coaches need.

[Merganzer]

, he just didn't have that alpha persona that coaches need.

Agreed. Visually, the chair the coach sits in for the post game interviews always looked too big for him.

[StevensTechU]

That was a great listen. He obviously has the reputation of being a quiet guy, but you certainly notice that as he's committed to the process of having a therapist/sports psychologist, it's really opened him up. Marcus is a stand up dude.