AFC South Preview

1. Indianapolis Colts (14-2)

Surprise, surprise, the Colts winning the AFC South. As long as Peyton Manning is around, there’s no reason to assume anyone else taking their place atop the division. The only two games I have the Colts losing on the road to Houston and on the road to New England. The Colts didn’t do a whole lot to improve this season, although not much was necessary. Adding linebacker Pat Angerer out of Iowa was a key acquisition however.

2. Houston Texans (11-5)

The Texans are going to be a very good team this year. Unfortunately, they have to look up to the Colts in their division. The Texans do make the playoffs for the first time in franchise history this year. Andre Johnson is no longer holding out and has returned to OTAs and voluntary mini-camp. That’s good news for Matt Schaub, who is the most underrated quarterback in the league. The biggest question for the Texans is their defense. The offense is obviously going to put big points up on the board, but can the defense step up this year? If so, the Texans might even find themselves getting out of the first round of the playoffs.

3. Tennessee Titans (8-8)

Vince Young made great strides last year towards becoming a solid NFL quarterback and Chris Johnson is arguably the best halfback in the game. However, Young has been very inconsistent throughout his career and there is nothing that shows his success from last year will bleed onto this year. As for Johnson, he hasn’t reported to any voluntary workouts or mini-camps and probably will not play unless the Titans pay him big money. Last year the defense was one of the worst in the league, but the Titans have done very little to improve.

4. Jacksonville Jaguars (5-11)

The Jaguars are in some real trouble. Their performance on the field has steadily declined since David Garrard took over the starting quarterback job. Their attendance is worse than any other team in the league. Many Jaguar’s fans wanted Jacksonville to select former University of Florida quarterback Tim Tebow in the draft. Tebow would have been a homegrown product who, if nothing else, could have sold some tickets. Of course, the Jags still have Maurice Jones-Drew, but how far can he carry the team on his back?