Imagine the surprise of Tennessee Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota when it was suggested that he seek the expertise of a … pitching coach?
And, why not? The coach, Tom House, spent parts of eight seasons as a relief pitcher in Major League Baseball spread across four teams, and was a pitching coach for two more, earning special mention in Nolan Ryan’s Hall of Fame induction speech.
But House did not suit up a single day in college or NFL pads, which can raise some eyebrows.
“Yeah, I think I was pretty skeptical,” Mariota acknowledged Monday. “I understand that a lot of guys are when they first go there.”
“There” being Golden West Junior College in Huntington Beach, Calif., where House runs his 3DQB operations.
House, who has a Ph.D in sports psychology, is described as a motion performance expert and has expanded his operations in recent years to NFL quarterbacks, including, his website says, Drew Brees, Matt Ryan, Tom Brady, Carson Wentz and Mariota.
“Really, after the first couple of days, whether it was taking care of my shoulder, the strength of my shoulder or my footwork, I started to realize how beneficial it was for me to be there,” Mariota said.
That was after Mariota’s rookie season in the NFL. This year he went back in March and hopes, after training in Eugene, Ore., to make another stop before reporting to the Tennessee Titans’ training camp July 22. “Hopefully, in the next few weeks I can get down there and make sure I clean it up,” Mariota said. “I want to make sure that when I get back (to Nashville) I can be as clean and crisp as possible, ready to go.”
It is part of why his stopover this week at home after organized team activities and mini-camp in Nashville, Tenn., has been so brief — barely a week long. And, why, once he leaves Saturday, his next return to the islands will be well into the NFL season.
“I want to spend some time with family and a few friends, try to get into the water a little bit and play some golf. Then, it is time to start getting into training mode,” Mariota said.
After suffering a broken leg in the penultimate game of the 2016 season, Mariota spent much of the 2017 offseason in rehab and didn’t make it to a 3DQB tutorial.
Now, following a 2017 season in which he uncharacteristically threw more interceptions (15) than touchdowns (13) for the first time in his career, and sustained his lowest quarterback rating (79.3), Mariota is dedicated to refining his fundamentals and becoming a more efficient passer.
Several times last year his often narrow footwork failed him in airmailing passes.
“It is important to get the timing and footwork so that I can throw from a good, solid (wider) base,” Mariota said of a plan encouraged by the Titans. “Then, I don’t have to think about it, I can just go out there and play.”
Mariota said the goal is, “A combination of both (timing and accuracy).”
Under a new head coach, new offensive coordinator and new quarterbacks coach where so much will revolve around and be demanded of him, Mariota said, “I want to be the best that I can, day in and day out, so that this organization has someone they know they can rely on.”
Even if it takes some visits to a pitching coach.