Tennessee Titans Marcus Mariota talks Arthur Smith meeting, weight gain
Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota talked about a meeting he had with offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, his weight gain, and more.
After the first day of practice at Tennessee Titans training camp, quarterback Marcus Mariota revealed the details of a meeting he had with offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, as well as his weight gain during the offseason.
In a sitdown with his OC before OTAs, Mariota and Smith talked about how he can make the offense more “quarterback friendly” for the Oregon product, according to Terry McCormick of Titan Insider.
Mariota said Arthur Smith is doing everything he can to make the offense "quarterback friendly."
— Terry McCormick (@terrymc13) July 26, 2019
Mariota and Smith also talked about how the quarterback can still make plays when things don’t go according to plan, per ESPN’s Turron Davenport.
A good sign for #Titans offense. Marcus Mariota says he and Arthur Smith sat down before OTAs and looked at ways he can make plays when things go off schedule. Mariota says Smith told him it's important to play free.
— TURRON DAVENPORT (@TDavenport_NFL) July 26, 2019
While it’s important for Mariota to be able to make plays when he has to go off script, the team has stressed to him that he can’t try to do too much. The idea behind that is avoiding big hits and not turning the ball over. Basically, it’s live to play another play.
In order to absorb the inevitable big hits better, Mariota has bulked up this offseason and says he’s about 10 pounds heavier than he was last season.
Marcus Mariota says he expects to stay in the range of 225 - 230 lbs. Last year he was between 215 and 220 lbs. #Titans
— TURRON DAVENPORT (@TDavenport_NFL) July 26, 2019
As far as the aforementioned living to play another play is concerned, Mariota understands that he still has to be balance being aggressive and smart.
Marcus Mariota says he's approaching this year with the mindset to be more aggressive but is definitely looking to not be reckless. Feels that mindset is the culture of the team. Understands it's coming from the head coach #Titans
— TURRON DAVENPORT (@TDavenport_NFL) July 26, 2019
Mariota also picked up an offseason award from his coaches.
Off-season awards for weightroom/film study work: Cameron Batson, Marcus Mariota and Matt Dickerson. David Fluellen was Vrabel's coaches choice to be part of the awards.
— Terry McCormick (@terrymc13) July 26, 2019
Marcus Mariota on off-season award from @Titans coaches: It's an honor. He wanted me to pick up a little bit of weight and be durable.
— Terry McCormick (@terrymc13) July 26, 2019
Mariota bulking up this offseason was very important in his quest to stay on the field.
The Titans need their quarterback to stay healthy for 16 games if they want a chance to make the playoffs and get over the 9-7 hump. With a great team around him, Mariota is the missing link between the Titans going from “good to great.”
Should Mariota step up with an improved offensive line and group of pass-catchers in 2019, he’ll earn his new contract in 2020. Sure, making the playoffs will help his cause, but in the end it’ll be about Mariota’s individual performance and overall health.