Questions A-Plenty In The AFC South

To say the Indianapolis Colts have dominated the AFC South would be like saying Michael Jordan was an OK basketball player.  In the 7 years since the NFL divisions were re-formulated, the Colts have claimed the South title 5 times.  From 2003 to 2007 the banner "AFC South Champions" hung from the rafters of the RCA Dome.

With the opening of Lucas Oil Stadium, the Colts were expecting another division championship.  Things would be much different though in 2008, as the Tennessee Titans jumped out to an NFL best 10-0 start, behind the revitalized arm of Kerry Collins.  Although the drama surrounding Vince Young and Collins added some nice intrigue to the 2008 Titans, it wasn't the signal callers who led Tennessee to a 13-3 record.  That came from rookie Chris Johnson and LenDale White who combined for 2,001 rushing yards on the year.

The question for the Titans this year will be all about the play makers.  In their season ending 13-10 loss to Baltimore last season, the Titans couldn't seem to muster the offense to become a real threat.  Jeff Fisher countered this problem by drafting WR Kenny Britt with the 30th overall pick in the draft. Defense has never been the question for the Titans, but the offense has.  

2009 success will occur with solid quarterback play from either Kerry Collins or Vince Young.  More importantly though, the Titans need their play makers to do just that...make plays.  Can Kenny Britt come in right away and work with Derek Mason to provide a solid receiver core?  Have defenses solved the "Thunder and Lightning" combination of White and Johnson?  Last but not least, has Jeff Fisher learned how to win the big game?  These are all questions that will be answered in the 2009 season. 

Speaking of teams with plenty of questions, the Jacsonville Jaguars fall squarely into that category.  A great rushing attack that featured Maurice Jones-Drew and Fred Taylor now only features Jones-Drew.  Taylor has departed for the NFL's pre-retirement stop in New England.  Taylor hopes that Bill Belichick's system gives him a couple touches and maybe ring number one.

At the beginning of every year it seems like Jacksonville is the consensus pick to finally push through that barrier.  Then again, the whole AFC South is that way besides the Colts.  The Jags can't seem to put all the pieces together.  The Titans can't win the big one and Houston seems content to win 8 games every year.

In order for the Jags to finally "make it," they will need Gerrard to find the end-zone more often (only 35 touchdowns all of last year).  Turnovers were another major problem as  Jacksonville finished the year with a -7 turnover ratio.

It's no secret that Jacsonville will continue to run the ball as their number one option and the draft reinforced that point.  Their first two picks went to players on the offensive line.  Maybe more than anything else, head coach Jack Del Rio might be staring at a pink slip if the Jaguars do not make a significant improvement from last years 5-11 record.

Down in Houston, things seemed to be primed and ready for a break-through season last year.  Matt Schaub was in his second season with the team and Andre Johnson was widely regarded as one of the best wide-outs in the game. 

Third-round pick Steve Slaton also became a dangerous weapon.  While being over-shadowed by Chris Johnson and the more successful Titans, Slaton was busy leading all rookies with 1,282 rushing yards.  With the secret now fully out about Slaton and his explosive abilities (5 rushes of 40 yards of more), it will be interesting to see if AFC opponents stack the box against the Texans.

That brings us to the Colts.  An usually slow put them behind the 8-ball and in an unfamiliar position in '08.  Indy sat at 4-4 through 8 games, and had already racked up two conference losses to Jacksonville and Tennessee.  Then Peyton Manning became Peyton Manning after fully recovering from what we now know were two off-season knee surgeries.  Bob Sanders couldn't stay healthy, Marvin actually looked old and for the first time in years, the Colts had lost their swagger.

So that brings us to this year.  If I were a betting man (which I am not), I would say without a doubt the Indianapolis Colts will regain their title atop the AFC South.  Yes, Jim Caldwell is a different name at the head coaching position, but as long as number 18 is running the show, how can you pick against them? I mean really.  Is Kerry Collins going to have wonder year number two again?  Will the Texans put it together for once? Will Jack Del Rio actually be able to say he is the Head Coach of the Jags at the end of the season?  I would answer NO to all of those questions, which means the ho-hum Colts will gladly step in to the role they are most used to...winning.