1st Quarter Awards
OFFENSE:
MVP:
Matt Hasselbeck wins this award and it isn’t even close. Hasselbeck has assimilated seamlessly into the Titans locker room and instantly became an upgrade at the position in more ways than one. Bringing him in might be one of the best free agency decisions the Titans have ever made. Keep up the good work!
Most improved player:
Again this is an easy choice. Nate Washington has stepped up and continued to make plays for the Titans this year, finally fulfilling expectations when he was acquired from the Pittsburgh Steelers. His production became instantly more valuable when Kenny Britt went down with an ACL injury. We are going to need Washington to continue his playmaking while other younger wide receivers step in to fill the void left with the loss of Britt.
Biggest disappointment:
Despite CJ’s struggles, I am picking the offensive line as a whole here. The line’s disappointing play in the run game is particularly troubling considering the presence of both Bruce Matthews and Mike Munchak. Getting better production from this position will be a key element in winning the division and advancing in the postseason.
DEFENSE:
MVP:
This was a terribly difficult choice as there are several players deserving of this award. Jason McCourty, Will Witherspoon, and Shaun Smith deserve this award. Truthfully, it should probably go to Will Witherspoon whose solid efforts on 3rd down have been game changers. However, I am going with DE Derrick Morgan for one simple reason. We are a completely different defense when that guy is on the field. I am starting to see teams game around him and he has been double teamed on more than one occasion. While this is also true of Witherspoon as well I still think Morgan is deserving of the award.
Most improved player:
Not to take away from his play last year but Will Witherspoon has simply been outstanding this year. He has been a difference maker on defense and the LB position looks completely different this year in large part due to his play.
Biggest disappointment:
I am not going to single out any player in particular but there are simply too many defensive penalties. If the Titans expect to compete and advance in the post season they simply have to stop being so undisciplined. You can’t commit these stupid penalties against good teams and expect to win.
SPECIAL TEAMS:
MVP:
Tommie Campbell has been outstanding for a rookie on special teams and certainly deserves to be in the mix. However, Tim Shaw has simply been outstanding and in my opinion deserves this award. Not only is he a leader out there but he is constantly around the ball making plays. I was critical of him at times last year but his play this year has convinced me he is the real deal. In fact, while I certainly hope it doesn’t happen I have confidence this year that he would be fine at linebacker when last year I just wasn’t so sure. Kudo’s to him.
Most improved player:
This was a hard category to pick but Patrick Bailey has continued to play well on special teams and could have been in the mix for MVP.
Biggest disappointment:
Well there are two choices here with the return game being fairly pedestrian and the punting not being as good as it was last year. I will go with punting since the changes to the rules have clearly affected the return game. This is not so much a knock on Kern as a recognition that he punted better last year. I think he will be fine and the punting game will get better.
