In the surprising story of the 2019 Tennessee Titans, bruising back Derrick Henry and reinvigorated quarterback Ryan Tannehill took the lead roles.
However, as the Titans rallied into the playoffs and then pulled off a pair of stunning upsets, their dazzling rookie receiver A.J. Brown impressed all the same.
Among rookies, Brown's 1,051 yards receiving were the best and they were accompanied by five 100-yard games, 52 catches, a staggering 20.2 yards per catch and eight touchdowns.
Despite those numbers and the Titans' run to the AFC Championship Game, Brown wants more for himself and his team going forward.
"I fell short of my goals, but that's the good thing about it," Brown said, via the team website's Jim Wyatt. "I am blessed to be able to come back next year and try again and set higher goals. I am going to set higher goals and go to work.
"And as a team, we want more."
Brown's lofty first-season goals were 1,500 yards and 15 touchdowns, according to Wyatt. For the record, had Brown reached those numbers he would have led the NFL in TD catches and been second in yards. Lofty goals, indeed.
Just as the season flew by -- despite it being 19 games, including the playoffs -- so too did Brown, leaving defenders skating backward trying to tackle the big-bodied 6-foot, 226-pound wideout after the catch.
Along the way, Brown learned just as he played.
"I learned to adjust on the fly," he said. "In the NFL, there's a lot of good players. You are going to learn new things every week to get an edge."
Though Brown wanted more and is vying for such going forward, he still realizes how special his rookie campaign ended up being.
"It is definitely a blessing," Brown said. "I definitely came a long way. There were certain times that were really hard, and I fought my way through that. I am really blessed to be in this situation and even make it to the AFC Championship Game."
Tennessee faces some huge questions in the offseason, most notably the futures of impending free agents Henry and Tannehill. However, Brown's just getting going. He's aiming for a little rest before getting right back at achieving more success in the seasons to come.
"I am really going to enjoy this offseason -- it has been a long season," he said. "But I am going to get back to work and try and take this thing to another level."
