Mariani returns to Titans, valued as kick returner
In the most surprising return of his career, the Titans on Monday welcomed back veteran wide receiver and kick returner Marc Mariani and released second-year wideout Tre McBride.
The move underscores the team’s values under first-year general manager Jon Robinson and coach Mike Mularkey. And it’s in tune with the reasoning behind fifth-round rookie Tajae Sharpe starting at wide receiver, while second-round picks Dorial Green-Beckham and Justin Hunter are no longer on the team, the former traded to the Eagles and the latter waived this weekend as the team cut to the maximum 53-man roster.
The Titans prize consistency over potential.
The 29-year-old Mariani was drafted by the Titans out of Montana in the seventh round in 2010, the same year Morgan was taken 16th overall. Mariani spent four seasons with the team, the last two on injured reserve, before being released and picked up by the Bears. He played in Chicago for two seasons before being cut this weekend.
Mariani went to the Pro Bowl and was named AllRookie as a kick returner his first season in the league, and has remained relatively consistent since, particularly on kickoffs, despite far limited opportunity. He averaged 26.1 yards on kickoff returns last season, the best mark of his career, but returned only 16 kicks, compared to 60 in his first season with the Titans.
Mariani has three career returns for touchdowns, two on punts and one on a kickoff, and has lost just three fumbles, two as a rookie and one last season.
“The return game, that’s the first thing, it’s ball security,” Mariani said. “Your job is to give the ball to the offense. That’s the first step, and the second step after that is to make plays. That’s a huge thing in my game. It’s really important to me. It’s something that I take very serious, ball security, and giving the ball back to the offense. I think that’s one of the real keys and reasons why I’ve been able to do it so long, is just because I take pride in it.”
The wide receiver also has 27 career catches for 324 yards, 22 of them last year with the Bears.
McBride, 23, spent most of last season on the Titans’ practice squad after being drafted in the seventh round out of William & Mary. He averaged 21.8 yards on five kick returns and 5.7 yards on three punt returns this preseason, far less than Mariani’s career averages of 25 and 9.5 yards, respectively.
Seventh-round pick Kalan Reed, who fumbled twice on punt returns in the preseason finale against the Dolphins, was released. Third-round rookie safety Kevin Byard was going to serve as the team’s punt returner entering the season, but he too was untested.
The Titans don’t need a return man to win a game. They need him not to lose it.
As for valuing consistency over potential, Mularkey was straightforward.
“Right now, absolutely. I know that about Marc. Jon does, our team does and we feel good,” he said.
Titans rookie running back Derrick Henry punished the opposition in four preseason games, carrying 34 times for 216 yards — the second-highest total in the NFL — and averaging 6.4 yards per opportunity. His three rushing touchdowns were tied for first among all NFL running backs. What may be even better news for Titans fans is that Henry wasn’t satisfied with his performance.
“I could have played better,” Henry said Monday. “But it was a good start. I feel like it was a good start for the whole team, not just for me. It starts up front with the guys that block.”
The San Francisco 49ers released tight end Bruce Miller on Monday, just hours after he was arrested for assaulting two men . ... Former Cleveland quarterback Johnny Manziel has re-enrolled at Texas A&M . ... Carson Wentz, the No. 2 overall draft pick, will start for the Philadelphia Eagles despite missing the final three preseason games due to a rib injury . ... J.J. Watt will play in Houston’s season opener Sunday . ... Chiefs coach Andy Reid says running back Jamaal Charles is “a stretch” to play in their season opener.
Tennessee will play better teams than Virginia Tech this season. But it might not play a team that will have required more preparation.
The Pilot Flying J Battle at Bristol venue itself poses problems. Bristol Motor Speedway wasn’t designed for football. Neither was the press box.
That’s why the Tennessee coaches wanted to check it out in the offseason. A football press box is as familiar as their office to them. This one will be different.
Saturday night’s opponent also is a challenge when it comes to preparation. You aren’t preparing for one of coach Frank Beamer’s teams. He resigned last year after 29 seasons on the job.
He was replaced by Justin Fuente, who became one of the hottest coaching prospects in the country after turning Memphis into a winning program.
Starting in the offseason, that meant Tennessee would have to prepare for Memphis’ offense as well as Virginia Tech’s personnel.
Fuente hasn’t had enough time with the Hokies to recruit to his system. And he doesn’t have quarterback Paxton Lynch, a first-round NFL draft pick after passing for 3,776 yards at Memphis last season.
Quarterback Jerod Evans, who is as new to Virginia Tech as the head coach is, won the starting job in preseason camp and responded by leading his team to a 36-13 victory over Liberty in the opener.
Rated as the nation’s No. 1 junior college dual-threat quarterback, he was originally recruited by Fuente at Memphis. He started out at Air Force in 2013, suffered a season-ending knee injury and transferred to Trinity Valley Community College in Texas before ending up at Virginia Tech.
So Tennessee’s defensive staff could have used video on three teams to prepare: Trinity Valley, Memphis and Virginia Tech. Tennessee coach Butch Jones said Monday that video from TCU also was relevant. Fuente was an offensive coordinator there from 2009 through 2011.
Amid all the newness surrounding Virginia Tech’s offense, the unit isn’t lacking in experience. The Hokies return eight offensive starters from a team that went 7-6 last season. That record is somewhat deceiving, though.
Two of the six losses were in overtime, including a four-overtime game. Four were by seven points or fewer.
Obviously, the Hokies’ chances of improvement will depend greatly on Evans’ play. But he at least has proven players around him.
Travon McMillian rushed for 1,043 yards last season. Tight end Bucky Hodges (6-foot-7, 245 pounds) is an NFL prospect. Wide receiver Isaiah Ford caught 75 passes for 1,164 yards, and wide receiver Cam Phillips caught 49 passes for 582 yards.
Ford had 11 catches for 117 yards, and Hodges had a pair of touchdown catches against Liberty. Evans’ potential also was evident in the opener.
He completed 20 of 32 passes for 221 yards and four touchdowns. He ran for another 46 yards on nine carries behind an offensive line that returned four starters.
That game against an overmatched opponent gave Tennessee a glimpse of how Fuente might fit that experienced talent into his wide-open system.
Preparation aside, this still could be a game of surprises for the Vols. They will be facing a new coach, a new quarterback and a football field in the middle of a racetrack.
volUNteer Notes
During Tennessee’s season-opening 20-13 overtime victory over Appalachian State, Tennessee fumbled the ball four times. The Vols recovered three, including the gamewinning score in the end zone in overtime. “I think since we have been here the ball has only been on the ground three times, and on Thursday night the ball was on the ground four times and that is inexcusable,” Tennessee coach Butch Jones said Monday about the team’s ball control issues.
ESPN College GameDay built by Home Depot will be on site at 8 a.m. at the Bristol Motor Speedway and the game itself will feature a live broadcast on ABC at 8 p.m. ET.
Virginia Tech and Tennessee will play on Saturday night before the largest crowd ever to watch a college football game in person. The “Battle at Bristol,” a game first discussed in 1997, is expected to draw a crowd of 155,000 or more to Bristol Motor Speedway.
Former USC football coach Steve Sarkisian — still locked in a legal battle with the school over his 2015 firing — will join Alabama’s staff as an analyst, the team announced Monday . ... No. 25 Florida’s coach Jim McElwain said Monday that receiver Dre Massey will have seasonending knee surgery . ... Tago Smith, who replaced Keenan Reynolds as Navy’s starting quarterback, will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury . ... North Carolina State seems to have settled its quarterback situation. Boise State graduate transfer Ryan Finley was listed Monday as North Carolina State’s starting quarterback for this week’s visit to East Carolina after completing 81 percent of his passes and throwing for two touchdowns against outmanned William & Mary in the opener . ... University of Tulsa linebacker Trent Martin has been named the American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week . ... LSU has suspended offensive lineman Josh Boutte for one game after his late hit Saturday in the final minutes of the Tigers’ loss to Wisconsin.