Mariota starts driving the Titans’ machine for real

Marcus Mariota’s latest sponsor, Nissan, handed him the keys to a shiny 2015 SUV Tuesday before a crowd of cheering employees at its North America headquarters in Franklin, Tenn.

Thursday, 22 miles away in Nashville, Mariota gets behind the wheel of the less gleaming, high mileage 2015 Tennessee Titans.

The Titans open training camp with a 90-man roster and the most celebrated of them, Mariota, the No. 2 overall pick of the NFL Draft, formally begins the considerable task of trying to steer the franchise to respectability after a six-year playoff drought.

With 45 days before the regular-season opener against Tampa Bay and No. 1 pick Jameis Winston — and just 15 days until the first preseason game at Atlanta — the future unfolds now for the Heisman Trophy winner from Saint Louis School.

Coming off a 2-14 finish that earned them the high draft pick, the Titans have made Mariota more than a four-year, $24.2 million investment. He’s become the smiling face of a franchise that looks to him to produce victories and ticket sales.

Though Mariota spent time at rookie camp, OTAs and minicap earlier this summer and has been studying the video from those sessions on his iPad since camp broke in June, Friday is when the pads go on at Saint Thomas Sports Park. That’s when the pace quickens, the hitting starts and it gets real.

That’s something Mariota says he’s been "looking forward to" since draft week in April.

So, too, have the Titans who immediately anointed him as the starter over incumbent Zach Mettenberger, right after Mariota was announced as their draft pick, complete with promotional "Aloha, Y’all" digital billboards across Nashville and environs. Even Mick Jagger gave him an in-concert shout out.

Their eagerness has been exceeded only by that of Mariota, who was back in Nashville July 18, after a scant five days at home. Since players weren’t allowed on team facilities until Thursday, Mariota and some of his receivers worked out at a private suburban Nashville facility.

Much of the discussion about Mariota’s move to the pros after a record-setting career at the University of Oregon has surrounded his ability to adapt to huddles, center exchanges and NFL defenses after three no-huddle seasons with the Ducks.

But the Titans will also be under the microscope for how they tailor their offense to take advantage of Mariota’s varied skill set.

"We’ll have a plan," head coach Ken Whisenhunt promised on draft day, one both he and Mariota have been tight-lipped on over the intervening three months. "Obviously there are some things he does well," Whisenhunt said. "We’ll incorporate those into what we are doing. It is going to be a little bit of a blend, but he’s a talented young man and he has a very good feel for the position and how to process those things."

Whisenhunt said, "I think the important thing that drives this is we’ve got a good player who can help us achieve our goal."

And, the keys are his.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@staradvertiser.com or 529-4820.