MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- Nobody pays attention to the backup quarterback until something goes wrong.

Well, something went wrong and now the Tennessee Titans are left in a stage of offensive hopelessness. It's their own fault, a lack of proper preparation and a consequence of settling for comfort.

The result is having to count on 35-year-old Matt Cassel, a veteran who excels at providing mentorship but who is past his prime as a player. Six quarters into the 2017 Cassel experiment, it's clear the Titans didn't properly address the backup quarterback position.

This goes back to March, when the Titans decided to give Cassel a two-year, $5.25 million contract. It was safe, familiar and uninspiring. In turn, that's exactly how the Titans' offense looks as Mariota has to miss time with a hamstring injury.

Whether injury prone or just unlucky, Mariota has proven to be a safe bet to miss at least a game or two every season. So it would make sense to prepare for that in a league in which one game could be the difference between winning the AFC South and eating potato chips at the crib while the Houston Texans claim the division for the third consecutive season.

It's at least puzzling that the Titans didn't take a harder look at free-agent Colin Kaepernick, who seems to be a good fit in a Titans offense with plenty of read-option and run-pass option plays. Kaepernick appears to be a much better fit than Cassel, a pure pocket passer with little mobility.

Yet the Titans didn't have interest in Kaepernick this offseason despite him likely being an upgrade to their quarterback room. Even when Mariota suffered his hamstring injury against the Texans, Kaepernick wasn't one of the four quarterbacks the Titans brought in to work out.

Yes, there would have been a lot of media attention and maybe even outrage from a fan base with plenty of folks who would disagree with his protest centered on his stance against police brutality and racial injustice. But I thought this was the NFL, where winning is truly the most important thing.

And if Kaepernick was never going to happen, why not allocate a draft pick or a little more money on a higher-profile backup as a protection for your franchise quarterback's nicks and bruises?

It's not hard to predict that the Indianapolis Colts' Jacoby Brissett, the Minnesota Vikings' Case Keenum and even the Oakland Raiders' EJ Manuel, all quarterbacks replacing injured starters on potential playoff teams, would have won Sunday's game for the Titans if in the place of Cassel and given adequate preparation.

Kaepernick, Keenum, Manuel, Landry Jones, Geno Smith, Nick Foles, Blaine Gabbert and Robert Griffin III were free agents this offseason. Brissett became available via trade. Nathan Peterman and Josh Dobbs were among Day 3 draft options available.

But familarity with Cassel, and a lesser, thinly reasonable connection with Brandon Weeden, led the Titans to their backup quarterback conundrum.

Tennessee's offense is largely dependent upon the health of Mariota -- which is true about most teams' starting quarterbacks -- but the backup position should have been a higher priority for a franchise that has seen each of the past two seasons end with Mariota injured.

Cassel can't make all the throws anymore, he doesn't have the awareness to find the hot route or get rid of the ball consistently, and defenses don't respect him, often putting eight in the box to stop running backs DeMarco Murray and Derrick Henry.

"That's not all on Matt," Titans coach Mike Mularkey said. "We've got to do some things to help Matt, even coaching-wise we've got to do a better job."

If you've got to change your scheme more to help Cassel, why couldn't they do that for someone with more talent?

That oversight could cost the Titans in the end, especially if Mariota has to miss more time whether next Monday against the Colts or in the future with a different injury.