Titans QB Mariota closer to 100 percent

Oct 19, 2017 - 12:57 AM NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- After a solid performance Monday night, where he had to stay in the pocket due to limited mobility, Marcus Mariota was back and practicing fully in practice Wednesday with his injured left hamstring.

With a bye week coming up, it appears that if Mariota can make it past the winless Cleveland Browns with his health and his hamstring intact, then the Tennessee Titans will have escaped their most serious issue of the season -- the health of their starting quarterback - with minimal damage.

Mariota missed the Titans' game against the Miami Dolphins -- a loss with Matt Cassel at the helm.

While he was unable to run Monday night and will be playing on a short week against the Browns, Mariota said he tries not to think about the hamstring issue when he is on the field. He even said he hopes to be able to have a little more mobility and be able to run when he needs to this week.

"I try not to think about it. Once you're out on the field, you've got to play the game. When the opportunity presents itself I'll just play, and I'm not worried about it," Mariota said.

Mariota said he had been a pocket passer a few times before in his career, and that he doesn't feel uncomfortable when he has to do that.

"I've done it before; my rookie season was kind of similar a couple times as well as even in college." Mariota said. "It's not something that's brand new. It is a little different, something that doesn't happen very often but that's part of the game. You've got to be ready to go. I thought the guys around me did a great job and I thought we did a good job of executing."

Titans head coach Mike Mularkey shortened practice for his team a bit on Wednesday, chopping about 10 to 15 minutes off the usual time to help his team collect itself.

Mularkey said of Mariota that the quarterback seems close to being back to 100 percent after watching him work in Wednesday's practice.

"If he continues to do what he did today he should be very close, real close. He's much further ahead," Mularkey said. "(He's) just real close. He did a lot today, so that was good, good to see."

Mariota also said that the hamstring has healed enough that it does not bother him to step into throws.

SERIES HISTORY: 65th regular-season meeting. Browns lead series, 35-29. The Titans barely won last year against the Browns, 28-26, at Nissan Stadium. That's not saying much, considering the Browns went 1-15 a year ago.

--The Titans will be facing a very familiar face in Sunday's game, as ex-Titans cornerback Jason McCourty signed in the offseason with the Browns after being a cap cut in April by the Titans.

McCourty struggled with health and his play seemed to fall off in his final two years in Tennessee, so the team released him rather than pay him $7 million in base salary in 2017.

The Titans were going to revamp the secondary anyway, but McCourty, in one sense, is having the last laugh. The Titans cornerbacks have just one interception this season, while McCourty already has three picks for the Browns (including a pick-six last week vs. Houston) and has forced a pair of fumbles in his first six games in Cleveland. The Titans expect a tough competitor on Sunday when McCourty faces his old squad.

"J-Mac is an explosive player, and he is doing it over there. You see him all over the place. He shows up on the runs, the passes. I think he's going to try to show up, especially going against us," Walker said.

--Linebacker Kevin Dodd has been a healthy scratch in all but one game thus far this season, prompting many fans to consider the 2016 second-round pick from Clemson a bust.

Dodd, however, remains confident in himself, and might even get a chance to suit up Sunday against the Browns, if starting outside linebacker Derrick Morgan is still bothered by an abdominal strain suffered in Monday night's win over the Colts.

Dodd professes confidence in his abilities, despite the lack of playing time.

"I can be that guy. That's why they drafted me here. I'm waiting to prove it," he said.

Dodd said his career hasn't gone as he had hoped, but he is trying to stay positive.

"There's a lot of ups and downs and not getting the opportunity to do what I want to do. You set yourself a high standard - that's everybody," Dodd said. "You want to see yourself be the guy, and sometimes it doesn't play out that way. Sometimes it happens slow, and sometimes it happens fast. And it's starting slow for me."

NOTES: QB Marcus Mariota went through his first full practice in more than two weeks on Wednesday, after having been limited in seven straight practices since suffering a left hamstring injury in Houston.

... RB DeMarco Murray did not practice Wednesday as he tweaked his hamstring Monday night against the Colts. Murray is day-to-day with the injury. ... LB Derrick Morgan did not practice Wednesday after sustaining an abdominal injury Monday night against Indianapolis and not finishing that game. He is day-to-day with the injury. ... WR Corey Davis remains out of the lineup with a hamstring injury and has already been ruled out for this week and won't return until after the bye, when the Titans face the Ravens on Nov. 5. ... S Johnathan Cyprien is out again this week, having injured his hamstring in the opener and not played since. He could return after the bye week when the Titans face the Ravens on Nov. 5. ... LB Brian Orakpo was held out of Wednesday's practice, but it was more to give the veteran pass rusher a rest and was not injury related. Orakpo has just one sack in six games thus far after leading the team in 10.5 a year ago.