The Facts: Mariota returned to the Titans' training facility on Monday for the first official day of voluntary offseason workouts. But he had returned to the area weeks earlier. And rounded up teammates for practice. "Coming out here to Nashville about a couple of weeks ago," Mariota said, "just to kind of get things rolling for us and kind of set a tone and build some of the chemistry that's needed throughout the year. And just today, now we'll have close to three months to be able to work with each other and build that foundation for the season."
Diehards Line:
The Titans, it appears, are raring to go after five victories in two seasons led to a front office shakeup that has trickled down to the roster. Last year’s 3-13 record? “It didn’t sit well,” Mariota said. Mariota, with a year of experience, is in a vastly different situation than at the start of his rookie year. The Titans have made it a point this offseason to surround him with talent, trading for RB DeMarco Murray and adding WR Rishard Matthews and C Ben Jones through free agency. Additional reinforcements are expected once the draft begins April 28. In addition, Mariota, who missed four games last season with sprained MCLs in each knee, said he took a month off to let his body heal before beginning offseason training. While his arm was never a problem last season, he said, he’s looking to improve in a number of ways in his second season in the league. “For one, turnovers. Fumbling was kind of a bad habit that even I had in college that I need to continue to fix,” Mariota said. “To me what’s most important alongside of that is stepping up as a leader, being more vocal and then just finding ways to win.” A more productive offense would be a good start to that end as would being more effective with the deep ball.