Hardly any athlete is as familiar to the word “change” as Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota.
As he enters the fifth and final year of his rookie contract, Mariota is on his fifth offensive coordinator. In the span of time since he was originally drafted second overall in the 2015 NFL Draft, the signal-caller has also seen three different head coaches.
But as things have started clicking on both the offensive and defensive fronts, the Titans have shown a desire for continuity. One of the most obvious ways the team has shown this is by promoting former tight ends coach Arthur Smith to offensive coordinator after Matt LaFleur departed to Green Bay to accept a head coaching position with the Packers.
Smith has made it clear he wants to continue building upon the run game that running back Derrick Henry laid a strong foundation for toward the end of last season. Based on comments from the team throughout the offseason, it doesn’t sound like there will be any dramatic changes between the terminology and general concepts of the offense between last year and this year.
“The terminology is going to remain consistent, and in order for players to improve and develop, they can’t spend a whole bunch of time learning,” Vrabel said shortly after Smith assumed the position. “Even though the formation is going to be the same, the terminology may have changed, and it’s not going to change. When they hear a formation (this offseason), it’s going to be the same one they learned last April and that we used throughout the season.”
The Titans have had more than their fair share of changes within the roster and the front office over recent seasons, so the question for now is, will this sense of continuity in an upward direction remain for seasons to come?
That all comes down to how the team performs this year.
In order for this to happen, the offense must build upon its successes under Smith, the defense must perform at a consistently high level, Mariota has to show he’s the franchise quarterback and the team must record an overall record more impressive than 9-7.
If the Titans fail to accomplish this, expect the winds of change to continue to blow in Nashville.
