Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota has shown consistent improvement during the preseason, and that’s what fans should continue to look for as the regular season begins Sunday.

-- Ap Photo/James Kenney

Don’t think for a minute that the schedule makers at the NFL office didn’t set this one up.

It is more than coincidence that Marcus Mariota opens his professional football career against fellow rookie Jameis Winston when the Titans face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.

For his part, Mariota has tried to deflect the inevitable focus on the matchup between the first two 2015 draft picks, who just happen to be the past two Heisman Trophy winners and who just happen to have played in the first college football playoff last year against each other.

“It’s about us. It’s about the Tennessee Titans. That’s all that matters to me,” Mariota says. “People are obviously trying to make debates and opinions about what’s going on, but I’m focused on what our team has to do in preparing for Sunday.”

Mariota knows the hype will be there, but that doesn’t mean he’s distracted by it.

“I don’t play defense. I don’t play against Jameis,” he adds. “Obviously, people are going to continue to make that debate, but you can’t focus on it. You’ve got to focus on what’s going on today and trying to get better.”

The most important aspect of this Week 1 matchup against the Bucs has less to do with Winston and more to do with this being the first step in a new era of Titans football.

What has to be remembered, though, is that this “new era” features a brand new quarterback and – Andrew Luck aside – most rookie quarterbacks take their lumps while they learn the NFL game. Even Peyton Manning led the league in interceptions as a rookie.

Mariota is even-keeled and proved calm under pressure during the preseason, and that should serve him well as he learns what life is like as a rookie quarterback on a rebuilding team.

Mariota admits he will have a few butterflies before kickoff on Sunday, but adds that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

“I’ll get nerves,” he says. “I get nerves before every game. It’s just a matter of getting that first play out of the way and focusing on what my job is.

“That’s kind of how it’s always been for me. I don’t really focus on what’s going on in terms of my terms, but I just focus on what’s going on in that particular play and going from there.”

What bothers him?

“Losing,” he state matter-of-factly. “Ever since I was kid, I’ve always been very competitive and I don’t take losing very well.

“I think that’s kind of what made me the player I am today. Going forward, there’s obviously going to be ups and downs, and you’ve just got to take it on the chin and go from there.”

Given that he is playing for a team that went 2-14 a year ago, Mariota might find himself bothered a lot more with the Titans than at Oregon.

But the Titans, Mariota and the fans should take a longer view and not place too much emphasis on how Mariota fares versus Winston this week.

Continued progress, as was shown throughout the preseason, is the biggest key to Mariota and the Titans in their search for long-term success.

Titans coach Ken Whisenhunt, while certainly wanting to see overall improvement from a year ago, seems to know that there will be good times and bad ahead with a rookie quarterback at the helm. Nevertheless, he is excited that the journey is about to begin.

“In my opinion, it’s tough for young players to be successful in this league. ... To me, it’s hard to play any position in the NFL,” Whisenhunt says. “Once you go from college to the NFL, quarterback is even more difficult.

“With that being said, we’ve been very impressed with how Marcus has been able to do it to date, and we’re excited to see how he’s going to progress as we go forward.”

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