The organization sold the fans—even the fans sold the fans—on the belief that things could be so much better

Can the Titans Avoid a Hangover from Miami? In some ways Youth Quinton Spain Jersey , it was obvious after making sweeping changes to the coaching staff this off-season that the Titans would find themselves in this spot.Still, to anticipate a feeling is different than actually feeling it.Naturally, fair or not, the pressure on those given the opportunity to correct things would be immense from day one.If this isn’t a good season for the Titans, there will inevitably be those that boomerang back to join the very small minority that believe the decision to move on from Mularkey was the wrong one.It’s possible we will come to perceive Mularkey’s time here in a different light as it fades into our rear view.No matter what unfolds from here on out, though, the reality is: everyone—both those involved with the team and the fans—had to know.With so much that was unclear, the Titans were obligated to take the side of their young possible-franchise QB and place him into a control environment of sorts, so that they could properly evaluate him once and for all.At this point, everyone associated with Tennessee’s franchise is dependent on Marcus Mariota.The perception of Mike Vrabel, Matt LaFleur, Jon Robinson, Amy Adams Strunk, and the Titans’ entire roster is tied to Number 8.Robinson and Strunk have been afforded the chance to operate in relative good faith because of the presence of a promising quarterback on his rookie contract.Despite his aw-shucks demeanor, I’m confident Mariota understands all this.I’m sure he more than anyone wants things to go according to plan so that the team can enjoy success and he can be paid handsomely by and play out his career for the organization that drafted him.His humble and genuine personality has endeared him to most Titans fans and bought him ample time.A tick-tock is audible now, however.There are going to be more and more voices murmuring (or in the case of social media, screaming) when he has a bad game Kevin Byard Jersey , throws a bad pass, or gets dinged up.Titans media will begin to aim their scope at him, for real, for the first time.I don’t have a good sense of how he’ll react if and when that occurs.His typical cliche non-answers to reporters’ questions won’t pass the smell test any longer if things don’t improve.Sunday’s game in Miami was the worst football-watching experience I’ve ever endured.It was a summary of the last decade of Titans football presented in the form of a tragedy.The combination of an off-season’s worth of anticipation, multiple drawn-out weather delays, poor officiating, an initial high followed by ugly lows, and injuries ranging from unnecessary to gruesome left me feeling borderline existential and numb.The coaches and players surely rode a weighty emotional roller coaster of their own as the day progressed.Mike Vrabel may be just the coach to navigate these rough waters.He has a no-excuses attitude and played the bulk of his career under a coach, Bill Belichick, that simply does not allow his teams to crack under pressure.Vrabel must find a way to either spin this experience in the team’s favor on a dime or immediately evacuate it from their collective consciousness.Tennessee is staring 0-4 squarely in the eyes with games against their division rivals, Houston and Jacksonville, and last year’s Super Bowl champs, Philadelphia, on the horizon.Rest assured that if the Titans limp into any of those games, each of their opponents is equipped to embarrass them and two would delight in doing so.The problem with starting poorly won’t be the poor start itself, it will be the rising temperature associated with the poor start.Despite what the coaches and players would say or what some fans believe, it’s not mandatory that the Titans have a season to remember in terms of final record or post-season success.It is only mandatory that they use this season to show one thing: that Mariota is a bona fide franchise quarterback deserving of a big contract and capable of delivering said post-season success beginning in 2019.If that evidence isn’t fully presented until later in the season http://www.titansauthorizedshops.com/authentic-austin-johnson-jersey , so be it.The process won’t always be fun, but it will be worth it in the end.If the first quarter of the season is an unmitigated “show”, however, it will be increasingly challenging for the coaches, the QB, and the offense to dedicate their focus to that sole pursuit, due to the unrelenting questions and negativity they will be bombarded with.The onus is on Marcus Mariota himself to become the quarterback the Titans have bet on him becoming.That being said, at this moment it is Mike Vrabel’s, Matt LaFleur’s, and Dean Pees’ responsibility to stabilize the locker room and put the players they have remaining in position to be successful, based on what they’re capable of now within these new systems.If they cannot, Saint Thomas Sports Park will become a pressure cooker.Who’s hungry? Ben Roethlisberger believes his right arm feels as good as it has in years.The same goes for the rest of the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback's body, save for the occasional unwanted collision with a teammate.If the scariest moment Roethlisberger endures all season is the accidental blindside hit from right tackle Marcus Gilbert — who inadvertently knocked the wind out of Roethlisberger during practice last week, sending a brief scare through the organization and sending Roethlisberger into the concussion protocol as a precaution — the franchise's all-time leader in nearly every significant passing category will take it."Hopefully, the hardest hit I take all year is from Gilbert and we can laugh at it at the end of the year," Roethlisberger said with a laugh on Tuesday.Maybe, but nobody was laughing when Roethlisberger's familiar No. 7 was kneeling on the turf at Saint Vincent College. He took a pair of concussion tests and passed them both Authentic Derrick Henry Jersey , clearing him to make his lone preseason appearance on Sunday when the Steelers host Tennessee.It's been more than eight months since Roethlisberger last faced guys in different-colored uniforms, when he threw for a franchise playoff-record 469 yards and five touchdowns in a playoff loss to Jacksonville.Until the 2017 offseason — when he waited weeks before announcing his return — Roethlisberger said right away he would be back in 2018, an endorsement of both the coaching staff and the talent surrounding him in the huddle.Saturday will be the first time Roethlisberger will be hearing Randy Fichtner's voice in his headset during a game. The Steelers promoted the longtime quarterbacks coach to offensive coordinator in January.Though the low-key Fichtner carries himself differently than his predecessor — the fiery Todd Haley — Roethlisberger expects the offense to "pretty much stay the same."That's hardly a bad thing for a group that finished third in total yards while going 13-3 in 2017. The key to earning a fifth straight playoff berth will be turning all those yards into a few more points.Pittsburgh was eighth in the league in average points per game (25.4) due in part to some red zone issues. The Steelers finished a middling 18th in turning red-zone possessions into touchdowns (53 percent).Pittsburgh drafted former Oklahoma State star wide receiver James Washington in the second round, and Washington had a pair of touchdowns last week against Green Bay by outjumping the defender on a 50/50 ball.It's something they'd like to see more of this fall in general, including from second-year wideout JuJu Smith-Schuster. He wowed at times during his rookie season. Now comes the hard part as the firmly established No. 2 alongside All-Pro Antonio Brown: doing it again."The key for him is how can he bounce back and not just put together a good year like last year but be better," Roethlisberger said. "It starts with work and he put in a lot work, effort and time. I am looking forward to what he can do this year."Roethlisberger isn't quite sure how long he'll get a chance to be on the field with Smith-Schuster and the rest of the starting offense this weekend. A couple of scoring drives early would likely make Roethlisberger's appearance a mere cameo.A slow start might result in a bit of a longer stay. Regardless of how he feels, he still expects there to be some issues adjusting to game speed even entering his 15th season."It's live action," Roethlisberger said. "We have been at practice and everything gets a little faster, a little quicker. I hope I don't get hit, but it's always good to knock that rust off, too, at some point."NOTES: WR Eli Rogers was suspended for one week by the NFL for violating the league's substance abuse policy. Rogers is on the physically unable to perform list while recovering from a torn ACL. Rogers is not expected to be ready by the opening week of the season.