Published by
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
ATLANTA — The last time Marcus Mariota played for Arthur Smith, he was benched. Mariota, the second player taken in the 2015 NFL draft, signed with the Falcons as part of the team’s succession plan from Matt Ryan, who was traded Monday. Mariota, who has been a reserve the past two seasons with the Raiders, played his first four seasons in the NFL with the Tennessee Titans, where Smith was an assistant coach. Six games into the 2018 season, Mariota was benched for Ryan Tannehill. “There’s been a lot of growth from him and myself,” said Smith, who is heading into his second season with the Falco…