Coming off an historic NFL debut, Titans rookie quarterback Marcus Mariota apparently isn't wasting time marveling at his four-touchdown feat in Week 1.
“We had to lift weights first thing, and Marcus was in there back squatting, doing the trap bar deadlift, doing the things that quarterbacks don’t normally do,’’ receiver Harry Douglas said, per the team's official website. “The guy’s a worker. I mean, that is one way I knew he was different from the beginning. When we came the first day we had lifting in the offseason, he was doing heavy weights. I said, ‘See, he’s a different guy.’ But you love that about him, man. If you are in the weight room and your quarterback is doing stuff like that, it makes you want to go 100 percent even more for him."
Mariota is the first player since 1933 with a perfect passer rating in his first game and second player in NFL history to throw for four touchdowns in his first NFL start (Fran Tarkenton, 1961).
Coach Ken Whisenhunt liked what he saw from Mariota in Sunday's win against the Bucs, but he is also looking forward to what the rookie does in the future.
“I don’t think we are really focused on statistics right now,’’ Whisenhunt said. “That’s great. I know obviously from seeing it, there’s a couple of things that haven’t been done before. That’s great, and it’s great for him and his legacy, and he is certainly deserving of that, but I haven’t really thought about it.”