mdi construction barKANSAS CITY, Mo. – Before he ran out of trouble on an option play and then on the iconic stiff arm run last week, Marcus Mariota as having trouble negotiating a collapsing pocket.

I marveled that Blake Bortles looked better stepping up than Mariota did.

The Titans quarterback often moves laterally when trouble arrives, and that gives him a better out in terms of throwing the ball away without fear of a grounding call.

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But I’d like to see him climb the pocket and maintain his downfield vision better. He got sacked from behind a few times against the Jaguars. Faring better earlier and more often stepping up could give the offense a boost at Arrowhead Stadium later today.

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Paul Kuharsky has covered the Tennessee Titans since 1996, first for The Tennessean, then ESPN.com and now independently at paulkuharsky.com. He is a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame selection committee and one of the longest-tenured Titans beat reporters in the franchise's history.

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