Tennessee Titans: Nate Washington Deserves Team MVP Honors

Even though the Tennessee Titans fell short of the postseason for the third straight season, there were a lot of players who stepped up big in 2011.

Matt Hasselbeck came into a new atmosphere and, for the most part, played like the veteran the Titans were expecting him to be.

Hasselbeck did some great things, but backup rookie quarterback Jake Locker stepped in at times and looked just as good, if not better.

Key rookies like Colin McCarthy, Jurrell Casey, Akeem Ayers and Karl Klug played well beyond their years to keep the Titans relevant all the way through Week 17.

Both Rob Bironas and Brett Kern played solidly at their respective positions throughout the season. Marc Mariani also had another solid year as a return man.

However, no one made a bigger difference for the Titans down the stretch than Nate Washington, as he tried to fill the gigantic shoes of Kenny Britt.

Hands down, if Washington didn't step in and play as well as he did, the Titans could have easily fizzled out to another five- or six-win season, leaving Titans fans singing a much different tune in Music City.

For the first time in his six-year career, Washington chose to step in as the No.1 receiver for the long haul. There was simply no other Titans receiver that was going to be able to even come close to replacing the production of Britt.

This is no knock on the other young receiving threats the Titans have, like Damian Williams, Lavelle Hawkins and tight end Jared Cook. The fact is these guys are still finding their way as NFL players, which placed all of the responsibility on Washington's shoulders in the receiving game.

It's safe to say Washington did a pretty good job despite getting all of the opposing secondary's attention. He finished with 74 receptions and 1,023 receiving yards, both career-best numbers. Not to mention his eight total touchdowns, seven of them receiving.

Washington's 74 receptions is the highest number the team has seen since 2004. That number may seem modest, but in a conservative offensive system like the Titans run, that number is actually really impressive.

Let's not forget how hobbled Washington was over the last month of the season after he hurt his left ankle in a win over Buffalo. He played with a ton of pain and still managed to put up 130 yards and a touchdown the following week in a close loss to New Orleans.

Head coach Mike Munchak has even been on record stating how surprised he was to see Washington not miss a game due to how tough he has been.

Along with Hasselbeck, who obviously threw him the ball on most occasions, Washington played a huge role in improving the Titans' passing offense from 25th to 12th in 2011.

Now the Titans have something to build off of heading into next season. They know that they're set at wide receiver, assuming that Britt can stay healthy for a full season, and that these young receivers continue to show improvement.

The future is bright for the Titans, and Washington should remain a big part of that, along with Britt lining up on the other side.