Former Oregon quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota represents the Titans’ latest attempt to fill the void left when Steve McNair departed following the 2005 season. Vince Young and Jake Locker failed to live up to expectations.

-- Ap Photo/Eugene Tanner

The Tennessee Titans are overdue to get one right. For the third time in nine years, the Titans have spent a first-round pick on a quarterback, this time taking 2014 Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota with the second overall pick last May.

The Titans enter their training camp, which begins Friday morning at St. Thomas Sports Park, with an open practice for fans to get their first glimpse of the former Oregon star in a Titan jersey – albeit a red non-contact jersey.

Still, the presence of Mariota has given the Titans something they haven’t had in quite a while – hope.

And for a franchise that has had one winning season and no playoff appearances since 2008, the hope factor cannot be underestimated.

Mariota’s arrival in Nashville has been interesting in comparison to the landings of the Titans’ two previous franchise-saving – or so we thought – rookie quarterbacks, Vince Young is 2006 and Jake Locker in 2011.

Young brought his own fanfare with him from Texas, and for a short time had Titans fans and the NFL buying into him as the franchise’s future.

But Young’s fool’s gold lasted only a couple of years. His immaturity and lack of worth ethic caused his career to unravel far quicker than anyone could have imagined.

When the Titans chose Locker five years later, it seemed they had gone out of their way to choose the complete opposite of Young.

Locker never craved the spotlight and seemed much happier just blending in. But his undoing came not from too much hype, but too many hits that led to injuries and eventually an early retirement a few months ago.

Mariota might actually possess the positive qualities of both of his predecessors, in that he is humble like Locker but with some of the same aura and popularity that VY had early in his career.

Don’t think the Titans aren’t trying to capitalize on that combination, either. It’s clear they view the Heisman winner as a potential savior for a franchise that has descended to rock bottom, on and off the field.

With Mariota, the Titans are encouraging Nashvillians to rally behind the young, clean-cut Hawaii native with marketing slogans like “Aloha, Y’all” in an effort to revive a fan base that has split its emotions between angry and apathetic over the past few seasons.

It’s already paid off in one arena the NFL takes seriously – merchandise sales – as Mariota replica jerseys ranked No. 1 in May sales for all NFL players. He slid to No. 2 in June behind Giants receiver Odell Beckham Jr.

It’s no secret the Titans have hit a few public relations snags during the offseason that reach far beyond just the poor product the team has fielded the past few years.

There was the ticket scandal that extended the team’s faux sellout streak, along with complaints about the game day experience for those who bothered to show up and the troubles of even getting into the stadium and getting concessions in a timely manner.

And all that doesn’t even take into consideration the recent coup in the club’s ownership hierarchy or the persistent rumors that the club is for sale behind the scenes.

Add all that to a 2-14 campaign a year ago, and you see why the Titans are so eager to hitch their star to Mariota.

The first reading on how that plan is going can probably be gauged by fan attendance and reaction Friday morning when the gates swing open for the first training camp practice.

Terry McCormick covers the Titans for TitanInsider.com and is a blogger for 247 Sports NFL Insider.