Titans QB Marcus Mariota (9.8.19)
Titans QB Marcus Mariota:
On the importance of staying patient offensively:
“That’s something we talked about throughout the week: stick to the game plan and trust what we’ve done throughout the entire offseason. Guys just made plays. It was fun to watch.”
On starting off the season with a win:
“It was a great win all across the board. Defense played outstanding. They gave us a bunch of opportunities in the red zone. Secondly, special teams did great. Offensively, I thought we did a good job. We had some times where we stalled, but guys just trusted what (Offensive Coordinator) Art was doing and we found ways to make plays.”
On his coordination with TE Delanie Walker:
“It was awesome. He’s another guy that whenever you get the ball in his hands, he makes plays. I appreciate the fact the journey he’s had and how long it took for him to get back. I’m glad he got a little redemption today.”
On the explosive plays in the passing game:
“I think it started up front. We knew we had a tall task up front. Our guys did a great job of handling that. From there, I know that if I can distribute the ball and let these guys run and make plays, they’re going to do it.”
On the hype around the Browns:
“We focused on ourselves. It’s all about us. You can’t control all of the outside noise and all of those things that people say. We don’t focus on it at all. We just have to build off of what we’ve done and look forward to next week.”
On the pass to RB Derrick Henry:
“I knew going in that we had an opportunity with that play. It just hit. I knew that if I could get the ball to Derrick, it was going to have a chance. Guys did a great job of blocking down the field. When you get that guy in space, he’s tough to tackle.”
On WR A.J. Brown’s performance:
“Honestly, he did a great job throughout camp. Everyone talks about that transition to the NFL, but he’s done a great job of buying in, listening and doing everything he can to make himself prepared. Across the board, our guys had an expectation of him to do well and that’s the standard. He’s got to continue to live up to that, and I think he can.”
On keeping composure in the first quarter:
“We talked about it all week. We had to handle the environment. Coach talked about controlling what we can control. We have to tip our hats to our guys for keeping composure, trusting the game plan in all three phases of the ball and being able to withstand an early storm. Offensively, we got a field goal and then defense came back and got a three and out. I think that was huge. I think if we continue to play complementary football like that, I think we can be pretty good this year.”
On the Browns penalties:
“We talked about taking advantage of opportunities. Our guys, throughout the off-season, would talk about taking advantage, being disciplined and understanding situations. Our guys did a great job of keeping their composure, especially in this type of environment. Tip your hat to our guys for what they did. We can obviously learn. We can do a lot more, but I thought our entire team had a great win today.”
On OC Arthur Smith’s first game:
“Art did a great job. Along with that composure amongst the players, I think they had that across the coaching staff as well. Art did a great job of keeping calm and telling us to stick to the game plan. Guys just made plays.”
On his offensive protection:
“They stepped up. We talked about it all week. We knew this front was going to be tough, and our guys did a great job of handling that. We found ways to change it up, and guys found ways to protect the line of scrimmage. We found ways to find holes in the running game. When you’re able to get in, it’s very manageable. It’s possible to create explosive plays, and you give yourself the opportunity to score points.”
On next week’s home game:
“I’m excited. We’re starting tomorrow. That’s our main focus. We’re getting back in and learning what we can do better from this game, and then getting ready for Indianapolis.”
On what RB Derrick Henry said to him on final play:
“I told him that I wish I hadn’t given him a cheap one like that. We were just messing around. He’s a great player. Throughout the week we talked about taking care of him. I’m sure he’s going to have a great season.”
On if he could tell that the Browns were frustrated with their penalties:
“You could see it. I think our guys did a great job of feeding off of that. When our offensive line is controlling the line of scrimmage and we’re creating running lanes and finding ways to make explosive plays in the passing game, we can score points.”
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