The Titans are likely going to open up the competition at QB for the 2012 season but that doesn’t change the fact that Matt Hasselbeck turned in a very solid season for the Titans in 2011.  Hasselbeck led the Titans to a 9-7 record as they just missed the playoffs.  He played in 16 games (all starts) for the Titans last year and he completed 319 of 518 passes (61.6%) for 3,571 yards with 18 TD passes and 14 INTs (82.4 QB Rating).  He also carried the ball 20 times for 52 yards (2.6 ypc) last year.  Hasselbeck has now played in 186 games (147 starts) in his NFL career so far and he has completed 2,891 of 4,797 passes (60.3%) for 33,150 yards with 194 TD passes and 142 INTs (82.2 QB Rating).  He also has carried the ball 326 times for 1,191 yards (3.7 ypc) with 8 TD runs so far in his NFL career.  He is now 78-69 (53.1%) as a starting QB during the regular season in his NFL career.

23-year old rookie QB Jake Locker looked outstanding as a relief pitcher for the Titans in 2011.  He played in 5 games (0 starts) in which he completed 34 of 66 passes (51.5%) for 542 yards with 4 TD passes and 0 INTs (99.4 QB Rating).  Locker also carried the ball 8 times for 56 yards (7.0 ypc) with 1 TD run.  Locker has a great throwing arm and he has outstanding mobility and isn’t scared to take off running the ball.  He will compete with Matt Hasselbeck for the starting QB job in 2012.

28-year old WR Nate Washington has turned in a very solid 2011 season for the Titans.  He has played in 15 games for the Titans so far and he has caught 70 passes for 931 yards (13.3 avg) with 6 TD grabs.  Those are career high numbers in receptions and receiving yards for Washington.  He has also tied his career high in TD receptions so far this year with one game left to play.  Washington has been consistently good without really dominating as he only has eclipsed 100 yards receiving twice so far this year.  Washington has now played in 95 games in his first six years in the NFL and he has caught 263 passes for 3,892 yards (14.8 avg) with 30 TD grabs.  He has definitely responded to the challenge of being the Titans’ #1 WR in 2011.

The Titans are getting solid work out of 22-year old Akeem Ayers and 23-year old Colin McCarthy so far this year.  Ayers has played in 12 games for the Titans so far this year and he has 53 tackles, 4 tackles for a loss, 2 sacks, 1 fumble recovery and 2 passes defensed.  McCarthy has played in 9 games for the Titans so far this year and he has 42 tackles, 6 tackles for a loss, 2 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries, 2 passes defensed and 1 interception.  The Titans’ are playing better defense than most “experts” thought they would and Ayers & McCarthy are a big part of that.

26-year old RB Chris Johnson has been playing a lot better lately for the Titans.  In his last three games, Johnson has carried the ball 62 times for 333 yards (5.4 ypc) with 1 TD run.  He has also caught 8 passes for 62 yards (7.8 avg) in those three games.  Johnson has now played in 11 games for the Titans this year and he has carried the ball 183 times for 699 yards (3.8 ypc) with 2 TD runs.  He also has caught 39 passes for 268 yards (6.9 avg) without any TD catches this year.  Johnson has now played in 58 games in his first four years in the NFL and he has carried the ball 1,108 times for 5,297 yards (4.8 ypc) with 36 TD runs.  He has also caught 176 passes for 1,276 yards (7.3 avg) with 4 TD grabs so far in his career.  The Titans need Johnson to get back to the RB he was in his first three years with the team.  He is starting to show signs of breaking his year long funk, and it would be perfect timing as the Titans are trying to chase down the Texans in the AFC South.

36-year old QB Matt Hasselbeck is a little banged up right now, but he will remain the starting QB for the Titans.  He has played in 10 games for the Titans so far this year and he has completed 206 of 337 passes (61.1%) for 2,357 yards with 14 TD passes and 8 INTs (86.1 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 10 times for 55 yards (5.5 ypc) so far this year.  With Matt Schaub going down with a season ending injury, the Titans think they might be vulnerable, which is a big reason for them to keep starting Hasselbeck.  23-year old rookie Jake Locker is getting close to ready to start in the NFL according to what I saw last Sunday against the Falcons.  He has played in 3 games for the Titans so far this year and he has completed 10 of 21 passes (47.6%) for 152 yards with 2 TD passes and 0 INTs (103.7 QB Rating).  He also has carried the ball 1 time for 11 yards so far this year.  He has a good arm and he’s a good runner too.  His future is very bright for the Titans, but he will have to wait a little while longer before he gets his shot.

24-year old cornerback Jason McCourty is the leading tackler for the Titans so far this year as he is really stepping up.  McCourty has played in 9 games for the Titans so far this year and he has 74 tackles, 2 interceptions, 6 passes defensed, 1 forced fumble and 1 sack.  He has now played in 36 games in his first three years with the Titans and he has 150 tackles, 4 interceptions, 16 passes defensed, 1 sack, 2 forced fumbles and 2 tackles for a loss.  McCourty keeps getting better and that gets the Titans excited.

51-year old head coach Mike Munchak is doing a solid job as the Titans are playing better than most “experts” thought they would.  He has also set up a perfect mentoring system at QB as Matt Hasselbeck is showing rookie QB Jake Locker the right way to do things.  I am a tad surprised that Munchak has not got his offensive line blocking well in the running game, as he was a awesome lineman in his playing days.  The Titans are only averaging 70.0 yards rushing per game and only 3.1 yards per carry, and that is pathetic.  It will be interesting to see how well the Titans play in the second half of the season under Munchak.

24-year old WR Marc Mariani has only caught 4 passes for 18 yards (4.5 avg) so far this year (the only catches of his NFL career), but that is not where he excels.  The is an outstanding return man for the Titans.  He has returned 10 kickoffs for 244 yards (24.4 avg) and 15 punts for 144 yards (9.6 avg) so far this year.  Teams have been kicking away from him a lot this year, which is smart and understandable as he was a gamebreaker in his rookie years in 2010 for the Titans.  Mariani has now played in 23 games in his first two years with the Titans and he has returned 70 kickoffs for 1,774 yards (25.3 avg) with 1 TD return.  He has also returned 42 punts for 473 yards (11.3 avg) with 1 TD return so far in his career with the Titans.  Mariani is a big time asset for the Titans as he usually gives the offense good starting position.

Rookie QB Jake Locker is going to be holding a clipboard for a long time if 36-year old Matt Hasselbeck keeps whipping the ball around the field like he is right now.  Hasselbeck has played in all five games for the Titans so far this year and he has completed 117 of 181 passes (64.6%) for 1,414 yards with 9 TD passes and 4 INTs (95.9 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 5 times for 15 yards (3.0 ypc) so far this year.  The most impressive thing about Hasselbeck this year, is the success he’s having without much ground support from Chris Johnson.  The Titans hope that Hasselbeck keeps up the good work as he has his team tied for first place with the Houston Texans in the AFC South.

Veteran QB Matt Hasselbeck is starting to look for the TE a lot more when he’s passing the ball.  24-year old Jared Cook has a huge upside.  He has played in all four games for the Titans so far this year and he has caught 7 passes for 149 yards (21.3 avg) with 2 TD grabs.  27-year old Craig Stevens has also been making big plays down the field so far this year.  He has played in all four games for the Titans and he has caught 4 passes for 73 yards (18.3 avg) with 1 TD grab.  32-year old Daniel Graham is #3 in line at TE for the Titans this year.  He has played in all four games for the Titans so far this year and he has caught 1 pass for 4 yards with 1 TD grab.  The Titans have gotten 12 receptions for 226 yards (18.8 avg) with 4 TD grabs out of the TEs already in four games this year, look for Hasselbeck to continue throwing the ball to them until defenses stop them.