Welcome to the NFL: Mariani is a Titan

If every young football player's dream is to one day see his name on an NFL roster, or on the back of an NFL jersey, then chalk that up to a growing list of dreams former Havre Blue Pony Marc Mariani has made come true.

While Mariani enjoyed, and made the most of his first NFL training camp and four preseason games with the Tennessee Titans, by no means was his goal for things to end when the Titans broke training camp.

And now, that dream won't end.

On Saturday afternoon, Mariani become an official member of the Titans' 53-man roster, and while final cut day was as nerve-racking and tense as anything he's been through in his football career, Mariani was, as expected, elated at the end of an otherwise stressful day.

"It's kind of crazy, you're at the facility all day and no one really comes and tells you you've made the team or really says anything to you. It's not announced or anything," Mariani said. "You just hope all day that they don't come and get you and tell you the head coach wants to see you. You see those guys come and get players and you just hope they aren't coming in your direction. So it was an intense day, but it all worked out in the end."

In the end, the Titans did waive two wide receivers in second-year man Dominique Edison and third-year wide out Paul Williams. Instead, Tennessee decided to keep two rookie draft picks in Mariani and third-round pick Damien Williams, and that reality really hit home for Mariani when he was back on the practice field Saturday evening.

"It's a great feeling," Mariani said. "The day was pretty long and stressful, but then all of sudden you're out on the practice field as one of the 53 guys who are left. That's when it really hit home and it's a great feeling.

"It's been a long, hard road for me, and it's taken a lot of hard work to get here," he added. "And I know by no means is it over, I still have a long way to go. But I'm just really excited, and I feel blessed and so fortunate that this organization believes in me and has given me the opportunity to help them win football games."

In all, Tennessee kept six wide receivers. At the top of the depth chart are veterans Nate Washington and Justin Gage, as well as a star in the making in 6-7 Kenny Britt. Lavelle Hawkins has also showed flashes in the preseason, while Williams is being looked at as one of Tennessee's go-to receivers of the future.

Mariani has played mostly in the slot in preseason and he led the Titans, and all of the NFL in all-purpose yardage in four exhibition games. He also led the Titans in yards per catch with a whopping 19.6 average.

But as much as Mariani has impressed at receiver in the preseason, he is still in a battle for the No. 1 punt and kick returner with his good friend, Damien Williams, and no decisions have been made as Tennessee approaches opening day. And he also knows, special teams is where he can help the Titans immediately.

So while elated at making the NFL's final cut, Mariani must immediately shift gears towards being a player the Titans can count on every Sunday, no matter where they use him.

"It's definitely a different mind-set now," Mariani said. "I've worked really hard to get to this point, but now this chapter is closed. Now it's a job, because at this point, it's the real deal. The regular season is here and now the real work begins.

"The little things like working hard every day, being as prepared as I can be, competing hard on every rep and continuing to get better, those things will never change, they can't," he added. "But it's true that now the mind-set goes from making this team to being as prepared as I can be to help this team win games. That's why they keep you and it's expected, so that's what I have to do now. I have to be ready to perform every time my number is called."

And there's no doubt Tennessee head coach Jeff Fisher and the rest of Titans' staff sees that Mariani can help them win football games right away. The NFL is a business and it can be a cutthroat business and if a player can't help a team, they won't be around after the roster is trimmed to 53.

But while Mariani gears up for his first regular season, one in which big things are expected out of the Titans in the AFC South, he is still mindful of where he's been, and just how good it feels to complete yet another magical journey in what has already been an amazing story.

"To make this team, to be a part of the NFL, for all of the hard work to pay off, it's really gratifying," Mariani said. "Every kid dreams of this but so few get to experience it, so for me to have that opportunity, it's almost hard to put into words.

"You wake up every day and realize you get to play football for a living now," he added. "And while it really is a job, it's also a dream come true."

The Titans open their season on Sunday against the Oakland Raiders at LP Field in Nashville.

Note: Fans can follow Mariani's rookie season with the Tennessee Titans all season long with the Havre Daily News and online at http://www.havredailynews.com.