Titan Sized Staff Predicts Regular Season Standouts

MVP: Marcus Mariota (2 votes)

Being declared the Most Valuable Player is the most coveted of all awards handed out at the end of the season. An MVP puts the team on their back and carries them to victory, sometimes singlehandedly. When the chips are down, teams can always turn to this franchise cornerstone for a tide-changing, game-breaking miracle of a play.

In the last 20 years, only six non-quarterbacks have earned the title of “Most Valuable Player”. For this reason, it seems like almost a foregone conclusion that our writers would select Marcus Mariota for the award, but in reality, voters were split several different ways with no other player receiving more than one vote.

Some of our voters admired the consistency of players like Jurrell Casey and Delanie Walker, who are certainly two of the best players to don the two-tone blue in the last decade. Casey and Walker may not seem like the splashiest of picks after contributing at a high level for several years with the team, but our voters anticipate a whole new level for each player in 2018.

Of Casey, Sanders noted his physical style of play and burst off of the line, saying, “I expect double-digit sacks and numerous tackles for loss this season.” Elsewhere on the defense, Steinmann anticipates Kevin Byard to be the team’s Most Valuable Player for arguably the second year after he spent 2017 making plays all over the field.

However, in the end, Mariota eked out a victory with two votes. Detractors might say that this is just wishful thinking and optimism with the Titans needing him to take a big step forward this season, but Mariota has had several signature moments that reveal how he can carry this team to victory. Who could forget iconic moments like his huge stiff arm against the Jags in Week 17, his block against the Chiefs to spring Derrick Henry for a long gain, or his touchdown pass/reception earlier in that same game?

Lombardi captures this notion perfectly and succinctly in his MVP prediction:

"“So Marcus goes, so the Titans go. With an offense custom made for him, Marcus reaches the potential us Titans fans have been dreaming of for the past 3 seasons.”"

Should Lombardi prove to be correct and Mariota plays at an MVP level this season, the Titans will be a team that nobody wants to be playing against in January.

Also Received Votes: Delanie Walker (1), Kevin Byard (1), Jurrell Casey (1), Derrick Henry (1)