Mariota's calm, Green-Beckham's potential stoking rare buzz for Titans

There’s a quiet but unmistakable sense of growing confidence in Tennessee, where you get the feeling the Titans think they already know something about Marcus Mariota that the rest of us haven’t quite caught on to just yet.

NASHVILLE — There’s only one letter of difference between hype and hope, but a visit to the Tennessee Titans training camp this year makes clear the distinction.

The change in atmospheric conditions within the Titans’ team complex takes all of about five minutes to notice. There’s a quiet but unmistakable sense of growing confidence in the building, and though it’s still in its nascent stages, you get the feeling the Titans think they already know something that the rest of us haven’t quite caught on to just yet.

No one wants to really say it out loud, but with a week of training camp in the books and new franchise quarterback Marcus Mariota looking like everything the Titans dreamed he’d be and more, the dismal days of 2014 and that 2–14 bottoming out in Tennessee seem further away all the time. That’s the difference between knowing you have the long-term answer at quarterback on the roster, and not. Last year, the Titans were searching. This year, they have every reason to believe they’ve found their guy, and the early returns have done nothing but pump up the anticipation for this new chapter in Nashville. If anything, there’s a palpable effort underway here to contain the level of excitement, at least until the preseason games start.

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“You know what there is, there’s hope,” Titans general manager Ruston Webster said Thursday, squeezing in a quick lunch over an interview in his office. “And I think there’s hope not only in the building but in the city. And him [Mariota] being who he is and the way he handles himself makes it even better. It affects everything. There’s better energy in our practices, and there’s a feeling that we’re headed in the right direction. Now, how fast we get there, I don’t know.”

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It may be faster than anyone expected, and keep in mind the Titans could triple their win total from a year ago and still finish only 6–10. But watching Mariota go through his paces in a pair of Titans camp practices, you don’t get a lot of reminders that you’re witnessing a rookie quarterback in what should be the feeling-out stage of his first season. For the record, he still has yet to throw an interception in either 7-on-7 or team drills, and that little statistic has taken on a life of its own around Titans camp, as a smiling head coach Ken Whisenhunt pointed out Thursday: “I know he’s going to throw a pick at some point.”

But Mariota’s fast start doesn’t feel like summertime hype. It feels like the start of something good. Maybe really good, notwithstanding the critics who claim that quarterbacks who played in the spread offense in college face a steep and often overwhelming learning curve in the NFL. It’s apparent that Mariota’s strong early showing has won him a host of believers in his own locker room and quickly changed the dynamic for a team that hasn’t had a winning season since 2011 or made the playoffs since 2008.

“Is he more than I expected?” Whisenhunt says. “I don’t know what I expected. Is he further along than where I thought he’d be at this point? Yes, he is, and that’s a credit to him and the way he’s working. The best way to say it is the things he’s comfortable with he executes well and he plays fast.

“And there is excitement because people have seen on the field what he and these guys can do. You can see it from the fans and even in the media. They want to be excited about something, and in little small areas, we’ve given them something to be excited about.”

But the best news may be that Mariota is not the lone reason for optimism in Titans camp. Drafting what the Titans considered the safer of the two top-rated quarterbacks after the Buccaneers took Jameis Winston allowed Tennessee to make something of a riskier pick in second-round receiver Dorial Green-Beckham, an undeniable talent coming off a turbulent collegiate career in which he was dismissed from Missouri and was ruled ineligible last season after transferring to Oklahoma.

DGB, as he is known, hasn’t looked anything like the polished product that Mariota has been in the Titans’ first week of camp, with matching highlights and lowlights that are much more in keeping with the typical rookie experience. But the 6'5", 240-pound rookie has flashed some of the playmaking ability that could turn him into a size-and-speed nightmare for opposing defensive backs. He has exhibited his ability to get deep and come down with the contested ball early on, but he has also suffered lapses in concentration and dropped some catchable balls. When he makes a big play in practice, he reminds the Titans brass why they invested in him. And when he drops a ball, it reminds everyone that patience will have to be shown with a player who has not competed in a game in roughly 19 months.

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“Everybody can visualize when a calf or baby deer is born, and you see them right away trying to walk,” says Whisenhunt of Green-Beckham. “Their legs are wobbly. Well, he’s just starting to get his legs under him, but once he does, he’s going to be pretty darn good. But that’s where he is, and that’s a function of not having played in a game, in a real competitive situation for so long. We’ve seen a lot of good things out of him, and he’s big, fast and explosive, and can get in and out of breaks. But he’s got to figure some things out and get back in the flow. He’s going against a little bit different athlete now than he’s used to.”

The Mariota-to-DGB connection is a tantalizing one for the Titans and their fans to consider in the years ahead, but I don’t expect Tennessee to rush him up the receiving depth chart. The Titans actually have three former 1,000-yard receivers on their roster in Kendall Wright, Harry Douglas and Hakeem Nicks, and if third-year man Justin Hunter emerges as a more consistent threat as expected, Tennessee may have the luxury of easing Green-Beckham into the pass-catching rotation, freakish athletic gifts and all.

“He needs to earn it,” Webster says. “But I think the thing he’s got going for him is the other players see the talent. And so when players see you can help us, they’re good with it. But there is a not-wanting-to-rush-him factor, whether it means designing packages and things for him to do this year. He practiced last year, but he didn’t play, and then when you add in the step up in competition, from that alone I think we have to take our time. But he stands out, and he’s a big man. Not just a tall guy, but a big man, so there are certain situations where a corner just struggles with him.”

The Titans secondary has had its hands full so far in camp. Mariota has an uncanny knack for accuracy and putting the ball where only his receivers can catch it, and guarding Tennessee’s newest and tallest pass-catcher has been a challenge at times.

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“Without a doubt, [DGB] has certain things you can’t teach,” Titans cornerback Jason McCourty says. “You can’t teach a guy to be 6'5", 230 pounds and be able to run like he can. I think he does a really good job already of knowing how to use his body, on deep balls and short routes, knowing how to box out a defensive back. And the one thing I really enjoy from him is he comes out there and talks a little bit of trash. He thinks he’s really good, and in order to be a good player in this league, you have to have that type of confidence. For us [players], we look at him and say he has a little bit of dog in him. Those are the type of guys you love to compete against.”

Says Douglas, the former Falcons role player now sharing the field with Green-Beckham: “You don’t find too many people with his skill set. The feet he has for a big guy, it’s unbelievable. I haven’t seen too many guys with feet like that, at his size, other than Julio [Jones]. I have 100% faith in DGB, because I’m seeing the progress with him. He’s learning how to be a pro, and I can’t wait to watch him play.”

Green-Beckham’s long-awaited return to the field when the Titans open their preseason next Friday night in Atlanta will be one anticipated storyline, but it’ll be dwarfed by the buzz surrounding Mariota’s debut, given the superb work he’s turned in so far in camp. Mariota has progressed so quickly that the Titans are hopeful of accelerating his rookie-season learning curve.

“He doesn’t really make a whole lot of mistakes, and really I don’t even see him making mistakes,” Green-Beckham said, of Mariota. “I haven’t seen anything he can’t do so far. We see it every day in practice, so we know when it’s game time, everything is going to come a lot quicker for him. It’s great knowing we have a quarterback who’s going to throw the ball away from the defender where only we can get it. He’s been doing really good and we’re all proud of him.”

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The part of the game that some thought Mariota might struggle with—the process of what a quarterback has to handle even before the play begins—has come quickly and smoothly to him, Whisenhunt said.

“You never know for sure what the transition from college to the NFL is going to be on that front,” Whisenhunt says. “Managing the huddle, getting the play, relaying it to the team, breaking the huddle and getting guys lined up. That’s the process of playing the position, and that’s what people don’t really understand that can really bog down a lot of young quarterbacks. Because there’s so much that has to be done before you even take the snap. He’s done a really nice job of that.”

And for those who thought Mariota would be susceptible to taking off and running at the slightest bit of trouble in the pocket, so far in Titans camp that has been anything but the reality. Observers have counted only two plays in which Mariota has pulled the ball down and run in the first week, not counting designed quarterback runs. He has looked calm and cool in the pocket, showed virtually no sign of happy feet and has made quick decisions and precision throws.

It’s still way early in the Mariota era, but in Tennessee, it’s a case of so far, so very good. Hope abounds, and this time, the hype might be right.

GALLERY: The NFL's top 10 quarterbacks

The NFL's Top 10 Quarterbacks

1. Aaron Rodgers, Packers

Al Tielemans for Sports Illustrated

At 31, Rodgers is the best thrower in the NFL on the move, among the best when throwing the deep ball and just about the best under pressure. There isn't a thing you're required to do as a quarterback that he hasn't mastered to a chilling, almost robotic, degree.

2. Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers

Simon Bruty for Sports Illustrated

In 2014, in his 14th NFL season, Roethlisberger posted his highest career passing yardage total (4,952), tied his best single-season TD total (32) and put up his second-lowest interception percentage (1.5) despite a career high in attempts (608). It's unusual for a guy who's been in the league for more than a decade to have his best season to date so late in his career, but that's exactly what Roethlisberger did and why he’s regarded so highly.

3. Tom Brady, Patriots

Winslow Townson for Sports Illustrated

Brady has dropped to third on this list for one simple reason: a deficiency with the deep ball that's made itself evident over the last few seasons. His numbers on passes 20 yards or more in the air have been nearly cut in half since his historic 2007 season, when he completed 32 such passes in 84 attempts for 1,245 yards, 11 touchdowns and eight picks. In 2014, he completed 21 such passes on 69 attempts for 649 yards, six touchdowns and three picks.

4. Andrew Luck, Colts

Bill Frakes for Sports Illustrated

Yes, he still throws too many interceptions—his 16 in 2014 pushed his three-season total to 43. But this is a guy who turned around a 2–14 team in his rookie season as completely as any rookie quarterback can. As a thrower on the run, only Aaron Rodgers is better on a consistent basis.

5. Tony Romo, Cowboys

Al Tielemans for Sports Illustrated

Romo has reduced the tendencies that once made him a boom-or-bust player. He's improved his interception rates over the last few seasons without losing his knack for the big play, which is how he led the NFL in 2014 in completion percentage (69.9%), touchdown percentage (7.8%), yards per attempt (8.5) and passer rating (113.2).

6. Joe Flacco, Ravens

Simon Bruty for Sports Illustrated

Lost in all the silly surface talk about whether Flacco is elite or not (an argument that should have been put to bed after Super Bowl XLVII) is the fact that two years after the Ravens won it all on the back of his 11–0 touchdown-to-interception differential in the playoffs, Flacco had his best overall season in 2014 following a disappointing 2013 season.

7. Philip Rivers, Chargers

John W. McDonough for Sports Illustrated

Rivers did a lot with very little in the run game to help him in 2014. Undrafted rookie Branden Oliver led the team with just 582 rushing yards, but Rivers still put up quality stats. The one metric that should be cause for concern, though, is his league-leading 18 interceptions. Rivers should have a better support system in 2015 with upgrades along the offensive line and the addition of first-round running back Melvin Gordon.

8. Peyton Manning, Broncos

Carlos M. Saavedra for Sports Illustrated

Did Manning's late-season regression in 2014 have more to do with his quadriceps injuries or the inevitable passing of time? If the 39-year-old quarterback makes a full recovery from his injuries and is able to plant and throw as he did in previous years, Denver might be able to get another great season out of him, albeit with fewer attempts and different concepts. But there is concern about Manning's future, and there should be.

9. Russell Wilson, Seahawks

John W. McDonough for Sports Illustrated

During last season’s playoffs, Wilson did a lot to prove that he can stand in the pocket and fire the ball downfield with the best of them. He led all quarterbacks with 12 completions on 19 deep attempts, for 422 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. If he can build on that with new targets Jimmy Graham and Tyler Lockett and maintain his threat as a read-option runner, Wilson may indeed prove to be worth the huge contract he wants. This is the year he has to prove it.

10. Matt Ryan, Falcons

Simon Bruty for Sports Illustrated

Ryan's name has gotten lost in the shuffle of late when the subject of great quarterbacks has come up. That has more to do with Atlanta's regression as a team than anything Ryan's doing wrong. In 2014, with a Swiss cheese offensive line, Ryan threw for nearly 4,700 yards, 28 touchdowns and 14 picks.