Tony Gonzalez ‘Loves’ Marcus Mariota, But Says Falcons Need ‘Super Bowl QB’

Tony Gonzalez says he “loves Marcus Mariota.”

However even “love” has its limits.

The Atlanta Falcons have handed the keys to the automotive to Marcus Mariota, who’s charged with the duty within the post-Matt Ryan period of no less than driving Atlanta to respectability – whereas on the identical time reviving his personal profession.

Gonzalez, the Professional Soccer Corridor of Famer and one of many all-time nice Falcons, is a believer within the “respectability” half and within the “reviving” half.

“I like Marcus Mariota, he’s a very good quarterback,” mentioned Gonzalez as he sat down with Kelly Price of Fox 5 Sports.

However … (sure, you knew there could be a “however) …

“However,” he continued, “for those who’re speaking Tremendous Bowl, you simply have a look at the names who’ve performed within the Tremendous Bowl during the last 20 years. It’s final identify Manning, Brady, Mahomes, Wilson. Drew Brees, Rodgers. It’s these sort of quarterbacks that you just gotta have on the helm for those who ever need to be a Tremendous Bowl-caliber staff.”

Whereas that’s technically not totally true, the essence of Tony’s level is correct: The probabilities of a staff advancing to Tremendous Bowl rivalry in a “QB league” are tremendously enhanced when a staff employs a franchise QB – as Atlanta itself re-learned when Ryan was doing all of that for the Falcons.

Ryan has been traded to the Colts. A brand new period is starting below second-year Falcons head coach, Arthur Smith. And the Falcons are 0-1, with Sunday’s Week 2 matchup pitting them in opposition to the defending Tremendous Bowl champion Rams.

Possibly, ultimately in 2022, Desmond Ridder, this yr’s third-round choose, will get a take a look at to show himself worthy of being the quarterback of the Falcons future. However even when he does solely that, Gonzalez is suggesting, it will not be sufficient.

The Falcons are “ultimately going to have to usher in that sort of quarterback, that franchise quarterback,” Gonzalez mentioned.

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