The NFL has become a passing league over the last decade or so, but that hasn't stopped a huge influx of quarterbacks who can scramble and make plays with their legs in addition to throwing for 4,000-plus yards.
The New England Patriots are in Tennessee this week for joint practices with the Titans on Wednesday and Thursday before these teams play in Week 2 of the preseason Saturday night in Nashville.
Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota is among the best in the league at making plays on the run, and backups Ryan Tannehill and Logan Woodside are capable of executing those kinds of plays as well. This week's joint practices give the Patriots a chance to gauge how adept they are at defending quarterbacks who can escape the pocket and pick up positive yardage.
"It's a great opportunity. All three of these guys are very athletic," Belichick told reporters before Wednesday's practice in Tennessee. "(They) can do a lot of different things. They're involved in the run game, misdirection, moving pocket-type plays in the passing game but also can scramble and so forth. It'll be good work for us. We haven't really seen that type of quarterbacks this year."
Mariota has averaged 5.8 yards per carry in his four-year NFL career. He's also totaled 11 rushing touchdowns over that span. The 25-year-old quarterback had a 20-yard run against the Patriots in the Titans' 34-10 demolition of New England in Week 10 of last season.
The Patriots need the practice versus these mobile quarterbacks because they will play against many of them during their 2019 regular season schedule. New England has matchups with Ben Roethlisberger, Baker Mayfield, Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Deshaun Watson, Dak Prescott, Josh Allen (twice) and maybe Dwayne Haskins.
New England Patriots
The results of Saturday's preseason game won't mean much in the overall picture, but the reps in practice this week against Mariota and Co. should benefit the Patriots defense later in the season when it must defend quarterbacks capable of evading the pass rush and making plays on the move.
Click for where Patriots stand in latest Super Bowl LIV odds>>>
Click here to download the new MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your teams and stream the Celtics easily on your device.