NFL Preview Part 3: AFC South

Here we are again....

1. Indianapolis Colts (11-5)- I just can't seem to pull the trigger on Jacksonville...so I'll stay with the pat answer....The Colts still have all that firepower on offense with Manning/Addai/Wayne/Harrison/Clark forming the most completebattery in all of football (sorry New England, Laurence Maroney isn't Joseph Addai....same with Ben Watson).... The O-Line has significant questions for the first time in a long time...and I've never been a huge believer in this defense, especially when Dwight Freeney is one-dimensional AND hurt at the same time.... I think the offense will stay potent even with the slight decline/availability issues of Marvin Harrison (mostly because Anthony Gonzalez would be a solid #2 option if necessary) and their is depth at RB with Mike Hart and Kenton Keith behind Joseph Addai....Too many questions elsewhere for me to put them in the Super Bowl hunt...but they'll stay atop the South....
2. Jacksonville Jaguars (10-6)- First of all, I'm a big fan of what Jack Del Rio and company have put together here.... there are just a tick more questions with them than Indy and all things equal, I'll take Peyton Manning and Reggie Wayne over David Garrard and Reggie Williams any day.... The offensive X-Factor is the acquisition of one-time 1000-yard receiver Jerry Porter who should, in theory, fill the WR gap just a little bit...but it really depends on which Jerry Porter they actually are getting.... The formerly stout run D has taken a few hits, namely the loss of Marcus Stroud and the use of smaller, pass-rushing DE's via the draft....The defense should be more complete, but more pressure will be put on that vaunted front 4 than ever and they need to get Top 10 pick DE Derrick Harvey into camp sooner rather than later or they'll be playing 240 lb. Quentin Groves on 1st and 2nd down..ouch....Alot of talent and they'll be in the mix for the playoffs again, but I can't see them getting over the hump....
3. Houston Texans (8-8)- Here come the Texans...this should be the best team the franchise has ever yielded (not saying all that much) behind Matt Schaub and the boys....the defense has tons of young talent in the form of Mario Williams, Amobi Okoye, and under-rated LB Demeco Ryans....if they can get a full season out of the Schaub/Andre Johnson duo and any sort of consistency out of whoever emerges at RB between Ahman Green, Chris Brown, and Steve Slaton....they'll be in the playoff hunt....but that's too many if's for me....I'm a fan of the defensive side of the ball, but too many injury questions/consistency issues on offense to be a serious threat...but hey...even the stars align sometimes....
4. Tennessee Titans (6-10)- I just don't see what the fuss is about with Tennessee....the offense, both on paper and live, is just unacceptable to a playoff contender....I'm a fan of what I've seen from rookie Chris Johnson, but he seems more like a big-play once in a while type of guy rather than an every-down beast....and then you have the Passing game....Vince Young has been, and will forever be a below average passer in this league....and it certainly doesn't help him to be without really any semblance of a go-to guy in the passing game....He can move...he can create....he can throw down the field...but you have to have someone to go to...maybe Alge Crumpler will help as a safety valve? I have no idea....the defense is above-average...but they'd have to be stellar to get this team to the playoffs...and I don't see it outside of Albert Haynesworth and maybe Kyle Vanden Bosch.....Cellar dwelling in the Volunteer state....