Titans offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur wants to make sure Marcus Mariota is comfortable with Tennessee's new offense so he plans to call plays that best fit the quarterback.

Mariota is busy learning his latest NFL offense John Gibson Jersey , but any talk about what plays the fourth-year QB prefers will have to wait at least until he knows everything LaFleur is asking him to run.

"I'm just trying to grasp everything," Mariota said Tuesday. "You don't want to be opinionated on something that you have never run. I just try to go out there and execute, and do what they're asking me to do. When we come back and we have to determine some of these things, and determine what we like and what we don't like, I'll definitely express my opinion."

That's exactly what LaFleur expects, even if he's learning that getting the polite Mariota to speak up isn't always easy.

"He's an extremely bright guy," LaFleur said. "He's picked it up pretty quickly. Again, I think it's more or less just having that confidence in being able to go out there and not think so much when he's playing. So the more reps he's been getting, the better he's been doing."

The Titans wrap up their organized team activities this week, and their mandatory minicamp next week concludes the offseason where first-time head coach Mike Vrabel and his staff have been busy teaching and installing new offensive and defensive schemes. LaFleur, the third man to interview for the Titans' head coaching job in January, joined Vrabel as his offensive coordinator for the chance at calling plays in the NFL.

LaFleur's biggest challenge is making sure the Titans put Mariota in position to take advantage of his skills. Tennessee fired coach Mike Mularkey after winning the franchise's first playoff game in 14 years because they didn't get enough out of Mariota and the offense last season despite going 9-7.

The Titans tied for 22nd in the NFL with 33 touchdowns despite tying for second with 18 TDs rushing. Only four teams threw fewer passes than Tennessee (496) Frederik Andersen Jersey , and the Titans ranked 23rd averaging 199.4 yards passing per game. They also fell to 15th in the league running the ball for an average of 114.6 yards.

LaFleur joined Tennessee from the Los Angeles Rams who scored a league-high 29.9 points per game last season. What LaFleur wants from the Titans all starts with the run game and his very mobile quarterback.

"We're going to try to have a strong marriage between the run and the pass, so that to a defense it might look, 'Oh, here comes another run,' and it's play-action off that run," LaFleur said.

To rev up the run game, the Titans released veteran DeMarco Murray in March and signed Dion Lewis as a free agent to join Derrick Henry. LaFleur said he looks at the running backs as 1A and 1B.

In the end, the biggest key also is the most obvious: keep Mariota healthy for a full season for the first time in his career.

"When he's healthy, this offense runs smoothly and we've got to keep him that way," Pro Bowl tight end Delanie Walker said.

Notes: Left tackle Taylor Lewan and wide receiver Corey Davis were not at Tuesday's session. Vrabel said he had heard from the players not in attendance. ... Linebacker Kevin Dodd, the No. 33 pick overall in 2016, has been missing in action during the three organized team activity sessions open to reporters. Vrabel said Tuesday he could end the mystery because Dodd wasn't around. The upcoming minicamp is mandatory.

NEW YORK — Last season Authentic Daniel Sedin Jersey , New York Yankees right-hander Luis Severino credited things such as getting tips from Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez as a reason why everything came together after a difficult experience in 2016.

This year, Seattle Mariners left-hander James Paxton is joining Severino among the elite pitchers in the American League, and he credits improved conditioning to go along with an aggressive mindset in attacking hitters.

Paxton and Severino will oppose each other Thursday afternoon at Yankee Stadium when the Mariners and Yankees conclude their three-game series.

The Yankees are in position to get the sweep after rallying from five runs down and recording a 7-5 win on Wednesday on Giancarlo Stanton’s two-run homer in the ninth inning off Ryan Cook. The Yankees are 16-4 in their last 20 games and are going for their first home sweep of Seattle since May 23-25, 2008.

Seattle is on its second three-game losing streak after blowing its first five-run lead this season. Despite their worst collapse of the season, the Mariners are 13-6 in their last 19 games and 32-17 in their last 49 games.

Paxton heads into his first career start against the Yankees with a 6-1 record and a 3.44 ERA. After going 18-15 in his first 50 starts since making his debut in 2013, Paxton is 18-7 in his last 39, a stretch that includes a 99-pitch no-hitter last month in Toronto and six of his eight career double-digit strikeout games.

Last season, Paxton was 12-5 with a 2.98 ERA but only made 24 starts due to two stints on the disabled list with a strained left forearm and a strained left pectoral muscle. After five DL stints within the first five years of his career, Paxton refined his conditioning with a program to keep everything working. He described the program in detail while referring to the muscle activation technique.

“You need everything to be firing together at the right time and have all your muscles working together in order for them to be optimal strength and stamina,” Paxton said. “So, that’s what I did this offseason and I continue to work with those guys during the season to allow myself to stay healthy.”

Paxton enters his 90th career start with 115 strikeouts this year, 39 away from his total last season and sixth in the American League.

Paxton said the strikeouts are coming more often because of aggressiveness — resulting in numbers such as a .216 opposing batting average with runners on base Rick Nash Jersey , a .194 average with runners in scoring position and a .178 mark when getting ahead of a hitter 0-1.

“I think I’ve gotten more aggressive in the zone and stuff,” he said. I’m not picking around the corners as much. I tried to be a little too perfect I think in the past, got myself in bad counts, allowing guys to cheat on fastballs. I think when I get ahead of guys, it gives me more options, makes them think about more pitches I can throw and gets them off my stuff a little bit.”

Since the no-hitter on May 8 in Toronto, Paxton is 4-0 with a 3.48 ERA in his last seven starts, a number inflated due to his last start.

Paxton is coming off his shortest start of the season when he allowed five earned runs on six hits in 2 1/3 innings Friday against the Boston Red Sox in an eventual 7-6 win.

“He’s matured a ton,” Seattle manager Scott Servais said. “He knows how important he is for our team and how important it is for him to stay healthy.

“He’s changed a lot of his offseason workouts, his work in between starts, understanding to be able to take the ball every fifth day means so much to our team. He’s really put a priority on that, probably more so than actual pitch sequencing or pitch development.”

As for Severino Womens Samuel Girard Jersey , he can join Cleveland’s Corey Kluber as the second 11-game winner in the majors with a victory Thursday.

He is 10-2 with a 2.09 ERA after allowing three hits in eight scoreless innings in Saturday’s 4-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays. It was the fourth time he pitched into the eighth inning and fourth scoreless start.

“Obviously anytime he goes, I feel great about it,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “He’s a great pitcher. He’s clearly establishing himself as one of the best in the game.”

Severino was 14-6 with a 2.98 ERA last season after Martinez suggested some mechanical tweaks and encouraged him to include his changeup more frequently. Martinez’s advice took place after Severino finished 3-8 with a 5.83 ERA in 22 appearances in a 2016 campaign that featured a triceps injury and a demotion to the minors.

It has resulted in Severino being able to maintain velocity throughout games, such as Saturday when 23 of his 102 pitches were clocked at 99 mph or higher.

“I’ve played with him all the way through the minor leagues,” Yankees right fielder Aaron Judge said. “This is what I expect out of Sevy. Go out there and just dominate.”

The right-hander is 1-0 with a 2.84 ERA in two career starts against Seattle. He pitched seven scoreless innings in a 4-1 win at Seattle on July 20, 2017, and allowed four runs in 5 2/3 innings in a 7-1 home loss on April 15, 2016.

New York left fielder Brett Gardner missed his third straight game Wednesday with a swollen right knee and is day-to-day. If Gardner does not play, Aaron Hicks will likely bat leadoff.

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