NEWS » ts critics, Pallone said.The NFL denied Pa

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Marcus Mariota is feeling more comfortable with every game that passes with the Tennessee Titans.Considering how hes performed through just 22 career games, thats news the rest of the AFC South and NFL likely dont want to hear.Hes just getting better and better as we go, Titans wide receiver Rishard Matthews said Wednesday of Mariota. I think thats showing. I think hes going to continue to get better. I dont think weve even seen the best of him yet, so thats kind of scary actually.Mariota was chosen AFC Offensive Player of the Week Wednesday after throwing for 295 yards and four touchdowns in a 47-25 win over the Green Bay Packers -- his third such award.The quarterback credited tight end Delanie Walker and running back DeMarco Murray along with his offensive line with helping him put up such numbers.Im really just kind of a result of that, Mariota said.With his latest performance, Mariota became the first quarterback in NFL history to score four total touchdowns in six of his first 22 career starts. Its just part of the numbers the No. 2 pick overall out of Oregon in 2015 has been compiling.Mariota ranks fifth all-time for most TD passes (33) before turning 23 on Oct. 30, behind Drew Bledsoe and Fran Tarkenton (40), Jameis Winston (39) and Josh Freeman (35). Mariota already has two of the franchises top three games in terms of passer rating, a stat that doesnt include his perfect 158.3 rating in his NFL debut because he didnt throw at least 20 passes.He also has matched Warren Moons 1987 franchise record with at least two TD passes in six straight games, a mark Mariota will have a chance to take for himself Sunday when the Titans (5-5) visit Indianapolis (4-5).Inside an opponents 20, Mariota is second only to Brady (130.8) in passer rating at 116.4, having thrown 15 touchdowns. Only Drew Brees of New Orleans (19) has more.Yes, Mariota is getting more and more comfortable each week.Youre seeing things for a lot of times a second or third time, Mariota said. As I continue to grow, I think things will continue to slow down.Against Green Bay, Mariota completed his first 10 passes for 196 yards and two touchdowns. He finished with a 149.8 passer rating.Titans coach Mike Mularkey notes how Tennessee needs the quarterback playing at his best level. Mularkey explained how Mariota threw the ball away when needed and didnt try to do too much.Weve improved in a lot of areas that have helped him get to that point, Mularkey said.Mariota now has 17 touchdowns and three interceptions over his past six games, along with two TDs rushing. That gives him a 119 passer rating second in the NFL to Tom Brady (125.5) in that span. Colts coach Chuck Pagano saw Mariota Oct. 23 when Indianapolis pulled out a 34-26 win and called the quarterback a great game manager.He can beat you with his arm. He can beat you with his legs. Hes making great decisions ... Pagano said. And hes being efficient, hes taking care of the football, and theyre spreading things around. Hes playing with a great deal of confidence right now, as well as everybody around him.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFLCustom Dallas Cowboys Jerseys . Durant finished with 24 points and 13 rebounds, Jackson matched his career high with 23 points on 10-of-14 shooting and Lamb scored 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting, lifting the Thunder to a 94-88 win over San Antonio and snapping the Spurs 11-game winning streak. Fake Cowboys Jerseys . Miikka Kiprusoff had just announced his retirement after a decade-long run in Calgary and it would be up to Berra and Ramo to fill the void. https://www.cowboysjerseysale.com/ .C. at the helm of the top team in the Eastern Conference. His tenure as the GM in Vancouver was all too brief. Though he led the Canucks to what was then a franchise record-shattering campaign in just his second season, Nonis was gone and replaced one year later. Cowboys Jerseys 2021 . At a news conference Tuesday where it was thought that the fiery Schallibaum may be shown the door after a dismal finish to the Major League Soccer season, team president Joey Saputo said no decision has been made on whether the Swiss Volcano will be back in 2014. Cowboys Jerseys China . -- Quarterback Will Finch threw for 252 yards and three touchdowns, and Yannick Harou rushed in two scores as the No.WASHINGTON -- House Republicans on Thursday called for an independent review of allegations that the National Football League sought to improperly influence a government study into the link between football and brain disease.In a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services inspector general, GOP leaders of the Energy and Commerce Committee said that a thorough assessment is needed to ensure the integrity of the process for awarding research grants.The committees top Democrat said in May the NFL tried to strong-arm the National Institutes of Health into taking the project away from a prominent researcher that the league believed was biased.But the committees chairman, Rep. Fred Upton of Michigan, and other GOP members of panel said they dont have all the facts needed to reach conclusions. All the attention generated by claims the NFL tried to sway the study have tarnished the reputations of leading researchers into traumatic brain injuries and other medical experts, they said in the 21-page letter to the departments inspector general, Daniel Levinson.The lawmakers also said that based on the information they have, the institutes may have contributed to the breakdown of the structures and processes that exist to preserve the integrity of NIH research.The NFL said in a statement that it looks forward to cooperating with the inspector general. The NFL has never wavered in its commitment to advance the science and understanding of concussions and traumatic brain injuries, the league said.Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., initiated an investigation after ESPN reported in December that the league had agreed to donate $30 million to the NIH to fund brain research. But the league backed out after the institutes went ahead with a $16 million grant to Boston University researcherr Robert Stern, according to the sports networks report.ddddddddddddStern is a leading expert on the link between football and brain diseases such as chronic traumatic encephalopathy. He also filed a declaration opposing a settlement between the NFL and former players, fearing that deserving players would not be compensated.The NFLs critics say the league has downplayed the link between football and brain damage, alleging that an NFL committee on brain injury had ignored or minimized the link between repetitive head trauma and brain damage.Pallone said his probe confirmed the NFL inappropriately attempted to use its unrestricted gift as leverage to steer funding away from one of its critics, Pallone said.The NFL denied Pallones findings. The league at the time acknowledged it had raised concerns about the study and a potential conflict of interest involving Stern, but said it had communicated those concerns through appropriate channels.The league said in the statement Thursday that its $30 million commitment was never in doubt and said its unfortunate that the allegations have distracted attention from the broader goal of further traumatic brain injury science.Upton and other Republicans said if the NFL acted inappropriately, then NIH not only failed to identify and address this behavior, but rather encouraged ongoing discussion, thus creating a perception that the league had input on the use of (research) funds.There is little evidence to suggest, Upton and his colleagues wrote, that anyone affiliated with the NFL advocated on behalf of a specific research team or grant proposal.---Follow Richard Lardner on Twitter: http://twitter.com/rplardner ' ' '