Titans QB Mariota may not play in preseason finale Thursday
Rookie is eager to keep learning
NASHVILLE — Marcus Mariota is ready to execute whatever the Tennessee Titans’ game plan is in their preseason finale Thursday night against the Minnesota Vikings.
Whether the rookie quarterback is a spectator or the starter.
Coach Ken Whisenhunt said Monday that he might not decide about Mariota until he wakes up Thursday.
“I think he’ll be prepared to play if we want him to play, and if we don’t play him, we don’t play him,” Whisenhunt said. “There’s just a lot going on as far as what we’re trying to get done in preparation for this week and even next week, so we’ll see how the week goes.”
Mariota, the No. 2 pick overall out of Oregon, has completed 70.4 percent of his passes and is 19 of 27 for 252 yards with one interception and no TD passes playing 68 snaps over three exhibitions.
“You always balance the factors of potential injury,” Whisenhunt said, “but that could happen on the practice field. That could happen stepping off of a curb.”
Mariota said he’d like to play in the preseason finale. He listed aspects of his game that could use work.
“Taking care of the football, making better decisions, hopefully putting our team in better spots to get first downs,” he said. “How to handle the play clock and different things like that. I thought we’ve handled it pretty well, but I can always get better at it.”
DEVELOPMENTS
Brady case undecided: A federal judge said Monday in New York that he will decide this week in the Deflategate scandal after the NFL and the Players Association representing Tom Brady failed to settle the case Monday.
U.S. District Judge Richard M. Berman met with both sides in his chambers for more than 45 minutes.
“We did not reach a settlement,” Berman said. He said both parties “tried quite hard.”
Berman said he expects to issue a decision by Friday.
Ex-ECS star battles for job: Heading into the preseason finale, the St. Louis Rams are unsettled at center.
Three players are competing for the starting spot that was vacated when the Rams released veteran Scott Wells in March.
Barrett Jones, a fourth-round draft pick in 2013 out of Alabama who played at ECS, has played in just 10 games but is listed on top of the depth chart heading into Thursday’s game against the visiting Kansas City Chiefs.
“Playing with a guy like Scott Wells, who was a veteran who knew what it took to play in this league and getting that experience from him was great,” Jones said Monday. “I don’t want to say I’ve gotten it figured out, but I know how to prepare.”
Jones is listed ahead of Tim Barnes, a fourth-year pro who has started four games in his career. The third candidate is Demetrius Rhaney, a second-year player. All three have split repetitions with the first-team offense.
Rams coach Jeff Fisher liked what he saw from Jones in last week’s 24-14 loss to the Colts.
“Barrett was good. He had the one issue, he had the one hold. Other than that, he was sliding well and communicating well,” Fisher said. “He did some things on the second level well. I was pleased with him.”
Briefly: Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo practiced Monday, with his left eye looking better after his second bout with a sty that kept him out of practice for a day early in training camp a month ago. “I guess the quirky nature of it is it keeps coming back,” coach Jason Garrett said. “But he’ll be fine.” ... Jacksonville Jaguars tight end Julius Thomas could miss multiple games to start the regular season. General manager Dave Caldwell said Monday that Thomas will get a second opinion on his injured right hand, and if he needs surgery, he would be out another four weeks. ... Buffalo coach Rex Ryan chose Tyrod Taylor as the Bills’ season-opening starter at quarterback Monday. The Bills also released veteran running back Fred Jackson. ... The NFL denied the appeal of second-year wide Steelers receiver Martavis Bryant’s fourgame suspension for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. ... Washington Redskins coach Jay Gruden has named Kirk Cousins as his Week 1 starting quarterback. “It’s Kirk’s team,” he said. Gruden had said before camp that Robert Griffin III would start, but Griffin hasn’t been cleared to play after a concussion. ... The Carolina Panthers have acquired wide receiver Kevin Norwood in a trade with the Seattle Seahawks for a 2017 draft choice. ... The Denver Broncos traded sixth-year tackle Chris Clark to the Houston Texans for a 2016 seventh-round draft pick.