Moderatoren » Going into the final year of his rookie contract

NASHVILLE Jordan Scarlett Jersey , Tenn. (AP) — Marcus Mariota hasn’t changed anything about how he prepares for this season.That includes no talk of holding out or public demands for a new contract. The Titans quarterback and 2014 Heisman Trophy winner prefers to show up and work hard during the voluntary offseason program to be the best he can be.“Let it ride,” Mariota said Tuesday. “I mean no matter what still I get to come out here. I get to play a game that I love and I’m going to make the most of it.”Mariota’s injury history is the reason why the Titans have yet to sign the quarterback to an extension after picking up his option for 2019 at $20.9 million. He has missed at least one game a season and eight combined through his first four years, and he is coming off a season where he threw for a career-worst 11 touchdowns with eight interceptions.A revolving cast of coaches hasn’t helped.Coach Mike Vrabel is Mariota’s third head coach since being drafted No. 2 overall in 2015, and Arthur Smith is his fourth offensive coordinator and fifth play-caller. Vrabel promoted Smith from coaching tight ends to make the transition as smooth as possible — the only offensive change after coordinator Matt LaFleur was hired as Green Bay’s new head coach.“I hope that there’s a lot of carry-over,” Vrabel said of his offense.Both Mariota and the Titans have plenty of room for improvement on offense. Thanks to a dominant December by Derrick Henry running the ball, Tennessee ranked seventh in that category in 2018. They ranked 29th in passing offense, managing a mere 189.5 yards per game after losing Mariota’s top target — three-time Pro Bowl tight end Delanie Walker — in the opener.Mariota threw for more than 300 yards only once in an overtime win over Philadelphia, and the Titans had three games where they didn’t reach 100 yards passing. Mariota missed three starts, including the regular-season finale when a victory would’ve earned a second straight playoff berth.The Titans upgraded Mariota’s backup, trading for Ryan Tannehill in March. They also signed wide receiver Adam Humphries and new left guard Rodger Saffold to improve the offensive line while drafting another receiver in A.J. Brown to give both Mariota and the offense a boost.“I feel like as a team we’ve made some good choices, and hopefully they can bring something dynamic to the offense,” Walker said.Mariota wouldn’t bite when asked how little he needs Tannehill to play this season.“No matter what David Montgomery Jersey , I know he’ll be prepared if it comes to that and he’ll make the most of his opportunity,” Mariota said.The Titans made clear when they traded for Tannehill that Mariota remains their starter, though that hasn’t stopped speculation that Tannehill was brought in to push Mariota.“His job is not in jeopardy,” Vrabel said of Mariota.The quarterback and Smith know each other well having spent the past four seasons together through all the different schemes. Mariota said Smith also makes it easy for players to talk to him about what they like and don’t like.Mariota, who sat out the final game last season because of nerve issues affecting his throwing arm, looked fine on the second day of the Titans’ organized team activities in the final phase of the offseason program. Mariota threw short, mid-range and long passes.The quarterback said he wishes those health issues hadn’t happened, especially at the end of the season. He’s working to be healthier, having gained a few extra pounds to help. But he’s not going to worry about the concerns others have about his durability.“Other people’s opinions don’t matter to me,” Mariota said. “I just got to be the best I can be for this team.”NOTES: Walker, who broke his right ankle in the 2018 season opener, took part in practice even as he was limited to four snaps in a team drill at a jog. Walker said he felt good. “As a team, we talked about it Riley Ridley Jersey , and this is the plan they got for me,” Walker said. “So I’m happy with the plan. Just taking steps pretty much.” LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Mike and Maurkice Pouncey were among the first players off the AFC Pro Bowl practice field Thursday.They were trying to hustle to the locker room to shower, change and get on the road.They had people waiting. More than 50 of them, actually.“This is our family vacation,” Los Angeles Chargers center Mike Pouncey said.The tattooed twins grew up about 30 miles west of Disney World, won a national championship two hours up the road at Florida and have made a combined 11 Pro Bowls in 15 seasons. But they’ve haven’t practiced or played on the same field so close to home since their high school days in Lakeland, Florida.So they decided to go all out for friends and relatives at the Pro Bowl. They rented a spacious, nine-bedroom house for the week, secured two luxury suites for the NFL’s annual all-star game Sunday and doled out dozens of more tickets.“It means so much,” Pittsburgh Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey said. “It’s bigger than our family. It’s a community in Florida here that’s supported us for so long. We couldn’t be happier to have them out here and soaking it all in.”While the Pounceys appear to have the largest entourage on hand, they are hardly alone in treating the Pro Bowl as a family affair. Warm weather, VIP access to theme parks and a lax practice environment create an ideal vacation spot for those closest to the players.Retiring Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Kyle Williams Greedy Williams Jersey , who said he has no second thoughts about giving up the game after 13 seasons, brought his mom, his mother-in-law, his wife, their five kids, plus a niece and a nephew to town.“The opportunity to come out and kind of a last hooray so to speak with the game and being able to share the week with my family and go to Disney, do the whole thing, bring them to practice. It’s kind of a cherry on top. It’s a great way to go out.”Williams rented “the whole corner of the 15th floor at the hotel” for his group. They arrived a day early to make the first of two trips to Disney World. They also plan to visit Universal Studios.“It’s a big week,” Williams said. “Eighty degrees in January is hard to beat.”Tennessee Titans punter Brett Kern made his first Pro Bowl last year and watched veteran quarterback Drew Brees bring his three young boys to every event, including practice.“I saw Drew’s kids in our locker room asking Antonio Brown for jerseys and asking players for autographs, and the guys were open to it,” Kern said. “I figured if I ever get back, I’m going to bring my son around to everything Sione Takitaki Jersey , bus rides, all we do as a team.”Kern made it back, brought his wife and three kids and now has his 9-year-old son Bryce in tow for the week. Bryce brought about 50 player cards to get signed, but he spent Thursday’s practice playing football with Williams’ three sons and a few others, and then he worked as a team reporter for the Titans.The Pounceys have even more on their agenda.They have the usual Disney trips on tap along with nightly dance parties starring all the youngsters in the rental home.“We know after this is all over, the vacation is done and it’s back to work,” Maurkice Pouncey said.The brothers flipped a coin to decide who would take the first snap in practice Wednesday and they already have talked to coaches about getting to play side by side in the game. They got to do that during the 2015 Pro Bowl in Glendale, Arizona. It was the first time they shared a field since 2009.But this would be different because so many friends and family members will be on hand.“It’s awesome,” Mike Pouncey said. “This brings back so many great memories. Our Florida days were some of the best times of our lives. We had one of the greatest college football teams ever. To be back out here playing again on the same football field is moments we won’t forget.”They are considering a little trickery, too.They talked about possibly swapping helmets during the game. The identical twins both wear No. 53 and expect to have just their last name on the backs of their jerseys. So would anyone — even all those closest to them — even notice a quick switch-a-roo?“Maybe I’ll be a Charger for a play,” Maurkice Pouncey said. “You never know.”