Titans to Marcus Mariota: Let’s live to play another play

[T-Rac]

Marcus Mariota is headed into his fifth season with the Titans and he’s doing so without a contract beyond the current year.

That makes the coming year a crucial one for Mariota as he tries to show that he can both lead the offense to better results and stay healthy enough to remain in the lineup all year. He’s bulked up as part of the latter effort and General Manager Jon Robinson said the team’s been focused on another suggestion they believe will help Mariota as well.

“The thing I’ve stressed to him, and I know our coaches have stressed to him is, ‘Let’s live to play another play,'” Robinson said, via Albert Breer of SI.com. “Don’t take that hit. If you feel the pocket coming down on you and you take off running, and the ‘backer is coming off of coverage and he’s coming screaming at you, throw the ball away. It’s OK to punt, we’ll get another crack at it. That’s the main thing, it’s stressing to him — to try as best as possible, like all quarterbacks do, to avoid getting hit.”

Robinson knows that trying to make something happen can be “a hard habit to break” for quarterbacks, but the Titans are looking for signs that Mariota can make the changes needed for the team to feel comfortable continuing to build their franchise around him.