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The Titans have seen quarterback Marcus Mariota become a more vocal leader of the offense heading into his second season and they hope to see other things change on the field.

Mariota was sacked 38 times in 12 games last season and his chances of playing in every game in the years to come would be enhanced by avoiding some of those hits. The plan for cutting down on sacks has a few parts.

The Titans drafted tackle Jack Conklin in the first round to help with the protection, they’re asking for more from their wide receivers and they’re looking for Mariota to know when it is time to cut losses rather than get buried by a pass rusher.

“I’ve really emphasized getting rid of the ball instead of taking sacks,” coach Mike Mularkey said, via the Tennessean. “Marcus has been told an incompletion is OK. Live another down. But a sack can be catastrophic, so throw the ball away and move on to the next down.”

Fixing all that’s contributed to the Titans’ recent losing ways isn’t likely to happen overnight, but the process is likely to be both shorter and easier to watch as long as Mariota is running the offense.