Titans' George Wilson takes pride in playing game right

Safety George Wilson has always taken pride in playing the game the right way.

The Titans noticed. Wilson is among 32 player nominees for the first NFL Sportsmanship Award.

Each NFL team nominated one of its players for the award, which will recognize outstanding sportsmanship on the field.

"Just to be up for consideration for something like that, it means I've been recognized for how I play the game and how I go about doing my job,'' Wilson said. "I certainly don't consider myself to be a dirty player. I'm a guy who tries to play within the rules. Play cleanly, but play competitive as well. Just to be able to balance all of that. I just want to be able to preserve the game for the next generation of players to come through. I want to show them you can play with an edge, but play with some sportsmanship as well."

The winner will be determined by a vote of current NFL players. An overall winner will be announced during the nationally televised annual NFL Honors show on Jan. 31, the night before Super Bowl XLIX.

Wilson continues to play well. Defensive coordinator Ray Horton recently named the ninth-year pro as one of the most consistent performers on the unit. Wilson has played in all 13 games with seven starts. He has 48 tackles and an interception.

Wilson is in the final year of his contract with the Titans, but he has no plans to walk away from the game any time soon.

"By all means my plan is to continue to play beyond this season,'' Wilson said. "I still enjoy the process, not just playing the game but going through the season and training camp. There's not an aspect of the job that I dread going through. I enjoy the camaraderie with my teammates, and just going out there and learning more about yourself and learning life skills by being part of a team. That is something I have taken great pride in and something I definitely don't take for granted."