Why saying no is paying off for Marcus Mariota

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Part of the reason it took Marcus Mariota so long to find his footing in the Tennessee Titans' new offense this year is that he's too polite.

Titans offensive coordinator Matt LaFleur, who arrived this year with new head coach Mike Vrabel and started Mariota on a new offense, said one of the problems they had early in the season was that they couldn't get Mariota to give honest answers when they asked him about plays he liked or didn't like.

"He's such a respectful guy, it was tough to get him to say, 'Nah, I don't like that play,'" LaFleur said.

But new things take time. The Titans stayed patient, and things started to click last Monday night in a victory over the Cowboys.…