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Mariani

From the Chicago Sun-Times yesterday:

Wide receiver: Marc Mariani is well on his way to earning a roster spot.

Receivers coach Curtis Johnson happily talks about all his players, but his praise for Mariani was noteworthy because of its zeal.

Mariani, a leading candidate for punt and kick returner, had a uniquely productive season last year as a receiver: 19 of his 22 catches went for first downs and 11 of them came on third downs.

“Love him — love him,” Johnson said. “He can do everything. … He plays every position, knows the game. Physical. Tough. You watch him block. He’s one of the guys who is doing all those things. I really like Marc a lot.”
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CrunchGriz said:
From the Chicago Sun-Times yesterday:

Wide receiver: Marc Mariani is well on his way to earning a roster spot.

Receivers coach Curtis Johnson happily talks about all his players, but his praise for Mariani was noteworthy because of its zeal.

Mariani, a leading candidate for punt and kick returner, had a uniquely productive season last year as a receiver: 19 of his 22 catches went for first downs and 11 of them came on third downs.

“Love him — love him,” Johnson said. “He can do everything. … He plays every position, knows the game. Physical. Tough. You watch him block. He’s one of the guys who is doing all those things. I really like Marc a lot.”
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Great read. I hope he doubles or triples his receiver production. I'm pulling for him. On a side note, I see the Bears lost their starting Center. That can't help anything, he calls all the protections and prevents penetration right up the middle (the shortest distance to the QB).

The Griz need another receiver with Mariani sub 11.0 speed. You can't tackle what you can't catch.
 
Jed Nagler was toying with sub 11 last year as a junior. Probably would have broken through that barrier this spring save the injury.
 
Marc should get a lot of reps Thursday night. He plays right behind Ashlon Jeffrey who will not play and can't seem to stay healthy which is the reason Mariani had so much playing time last year.
 
Bears returner Marc Mariani ready to excel at receiver

A few teams came calling when receiver/return man Marc Mariani became available in free agency this month, but he said his heart remained at Halas Hall.

Mariani acknowledged it would have been tough for him to say no to general manager Ryan Pace, coach John Fox and new offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains if the Bears wanted to re-sign him.


‘‘This was my second time through free agency,’’ Mariani said in a phone interview Monday. ‘‘The first time I was coming off an injury, so it was one of those things where [teams] were silent. This time there were a few phone calls, and things were rolling a little bit. But it would have taken a lot to get me out of Chicago.

‘‘I really wanted to come back. I love the system. I love Dowell as an OC and coach Foxy and everything that they’re building. Free agency is always a little nerve-racking and exciting, but I’m just stoked to be coming back.’’

Mariani signed a one-year, $840,000 contract, including a signing bonus, on the fourth day of free agency. He is the Bears’ top return man and fourth or fifth receiver, but he stood out more at receiver last season.

Mariani will begin the offseason program next month with quarterback Jay Cutler’s complete confidence. He earned it, setting career highs with 22 receptions and 300 yards last season.

With Alshon Jeffery, Eddie Royal and Marquess Wilson injured at various times last season, Mariani emerged as a reliable option for Cutler. More specifically, he became a go-to option on third down from the slot. Nineteen of his 22 catches went for first downs, including 11 on third-down plays.

‘‘The biggest thing for me was proving to people that I could play that position at a high level,’’ said Mariani, who caught 19 passes in the last seven games. ‘‘Last year was really the biggest season of my career to play offense. I got that film out there and showed that I could do that. That was huge for me.

‘‘My whole career, I’ve been tabbed as a return man and as an insurance-man receiver and depth. Hopefully I proved that there’s more to me and that I can make plays when my name is called. The games down the stretch were big games for me. I was really pumped to go and make plays for Jay.’’

The Bears’ offense lost two playmakers in running back Matt Forte (signed with Jets) and tight end Martellus Bennett (traded to Patriots), but Mariani sees potential among the receivers.

‘‘I have total confidence that our receiver room could be one of the best in the league,’’ Mariani said. ‘‘I look at [2015 first-round pick] Kevin White coming back, and we all know what type of athlete he is. Alshon is one of the elite guys in the game. And with Eddie in there, on paper, it looks pretty good.’’

Mariani’s success at receiver made up for some of his struggles as a return man. He fumbled three times last season and was replaced by Deonte Thompson on kickoff returns midway through the season.

But Thompson remains a free agent, and the Bears re-signed Mariani in a matter of days.

Special-teams coordinator Jeff Rodgers has remained one of Mariani’s supporters. Mariani did have a 47-yard kickoff return in the season finale against the Lions.

‘‘I definitely had some bumps and bruises last year [with returns],’’ Mariani said. ‘‘I just want to be a guy that you can rely on, that you count on back there.

‘‘I’m just going to go into [next season] and be ready to be the guy. I’m ready to compete and make plays.’’
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http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/bears-returner-marc-mariani-ready-to-excel-at-receiver/
 
grizophile said:
Jed Nagler was toying with sub 11 last year as a junior. Probably would have broken through that barrier this spring save the injury.
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Yeah I was tracking Jed, I am excited about him with his size and really good speed.

His best times by far came at the very end of his JR year, he came on strong!

100 Meters
4th place 11.63a Apr 7 Kalispell Invitational V F
1st place 11.55a Apr 11 MCPS Invitational V F
1st place 11.27a Apr 18 Columbia Falls Iceberg Invitational V F
2nd place 11.37a Apr 21 Top 10 Meet V F
NT.................... Apr 25 Whitefish ARM V F
3rd place 11.46a May 2 Archie Roe V F
1st place 11.87a May 5 Ken Good Invitational V F
1st place 11.15a May 16 Northwestern A Divisional V F
2nd place 11.09a (Personal Record) May 23 MHSA Class A State Championship Vars Prelim
1st place 11.15a May 23 MHSA Class A State Championship Vars Final
 
No way that's crazy. He's been too good as of late to not get picked up.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Mariani was lied to straight up. He's happy to be back in Nashville but it was a shitty weekend for a while.
 
Dang, I was hoping Fisher would pick him up and take him to LA. As a re-born Rams fan I would love to have him on a team I can root for. Good to be out of Chicago in any event. Cutler wouldn't throw to him.
 
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