NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- For about a month early in the offseason, and then again in July, Marcus Mariota spent time with San Diego strength and conditioning coach Ryan Flaherty.
Their mission: Work to make the Titans' second-year quarterback less susceptible to injury.
Mariota had a fine rookie year but played in only 12 games as two separate knee injuries knocked him out of action.
Bad luck and bad timing can make some injuries unavoidable.
But Flaherty said Mariota worked hard on improving muscle groups that are important in stabilizing knees that might take lateral hits: Hips, gluteus medius (the muscle that’s on the outside of both sides of the pelvis) and VMOs (vastus medialis obliques), the tear-drop muscles above the kneecap.