Titans looking for Mariota to improve pocket awareness in 2nd year

Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota solidified his position as one of the best and most exciting young quarterbacks in the league during his rookie season, and the organization spent the offseason surrounding him with the talent to further elevate his game.

However, the responsibility to take the next step in his development is firmly on Mariota's shoulders, and the Titans' coaching staff has made improving his pocket awareness a priority.

"I've really emphasized getting rid of the ball instead of taking sacks," head coach Mike Mularkey said, according to John Glennon of The Tennessean. "Marcus has been told an incompletion is OK. Live another down. But a sack can be catastrophic, so throw the ball away and move on to the next down."

Mariota was sacked on an NFL-high 26 percent of plays in which he was pressured. While it's common for a more mobile quarterback to take more sacks - as they attempt to extend plays with their athleticism - the Titans need their franchise player to stay healthy.

One of Mariota's other main weaknesses during his rookie season was his inability to stretch defenses with his deep ball. His 16.7 percent completion rate on passes over 20 yards put him dead last in the league among qualifying quarterbacks, according to ESPN Stats and Info.

Part of the reason for Mariota's struggles can be put on the Titans' lack of a viable deep threat, but the 22-year-old understands that forcing defenses to respect the deep ball is a vital part of any offense.

"You have to have a deep passing game within your offense," Mariota said. "It's got to be incorporated in some form or fashion. You can't just limit yourself to underneath routes and let the defense kind of sit on those things. I'm all for it. I love throwing the deep ball."

- With h/t to NFL.com