Tennessee Titans Tackle a Revitalized AFC South

In years past, the AFC South was defined by the Colts and the expansive gap between them and the other teams. In 2009 though, this dynamic shifted as the Titans ran away with the division crown after unforeseen stumbles by the Colts and Jaguars.

After personnel purges and roster reconciliations, the battle for the division title is as wide open.

Below, we examine the teams vying to topple the Titans in ’09.

Jacksonville Jaguars

After their playoff run in 2008, many expected the Jaguars to make the leap and contend for a Super Bowl in ’09. But things unraveled quickly following the arrest of Matt Jones and the tragic shooting of Richard Collier.

Their misery continued with numerous injuries along the offensive line compromising the Jaguars' running attack. This, in turn, put undue pressure on a receiving group incapable of carrying the offense.

The signing of Torry Holt should be an effective salve to this problem, however. Though he is on the downward slope of his career, Holt is still capable of commanding defensive attention and his professionalism should rub off on the likes of Williamson, Jarett Dillard, and Mike Walker.

Jacksonville addressed the shallow depth on their offensive line with the selections of Eugene Monroe and Eben Britton in this year’s draft, which should solidify the Achilles’ heel of last year.

How Does This Affect the Titans?

While the Jaguars seem to have the receiving threat they’ve been missing since Jimmy Smith, their defense is a unit in transition.

Derrick Harvey, Reggie Hayward, and Quentin Groves will be the keys at defensive end and their ability to collapse the pocket will be the biggest variable in the defensive scheme.

Houston Texans

The Houston Texans march into ’09 with the same high expectations as in year’s past, but with an owner tired of waiting for results.

Steve Slaton’s emergence as a top-level running back finally gives the offense the kind of diversification needed opposite Andre Johnson.

The offensive line has been a study in patience but with the addition of Duane Brown through the draft, the Texans should be able to competently protect their quarterback for the first time since their inception.

With all that being said, the season’s prospects begin and end with Matt Schaub’s health. With Sage Rosenfels’ departure to Minnesota, the Texans now list Dan Orlovsky (cue stepping out of the back of the end zone joke) as the primary backup. The sound you just heard was a collective shudder throughout Houston.

The Texans are hoping that Brian Cushing will enable the defense to take the leap out of the NFL’s defensive ranking basement. His inclusion with DeMeco Ryans and Mario Williams should help form a solid front seven.

How Does This Affect the Titans?

The Texans continue a gradual improvement, but there is no evidence that they will be making a division championship-size leap this year. The offensive line’s ability to protect Schaub will largely determine how far the Texans can go.

Indianapolis Colts

The Colts enter ’09 in uncharted territory. With the losses of Marvin Harrison and Tony Dungy this offseason, the face of the franchise has changed, but its essence continues to be Peyton Manning.

After stumbling to a 3-3 start, the Colts rallied to finish with a 12-4 mark riding squarely on the back of their quarterback. The rest of the league shouldn’t hold their breath for another stumble out of the gate as the Colts have retooled and reloaded their offense through the draft.

With the departure of Dominic Rhodes, the draft yielded running back Donald Brown as the newest member of the backfield. Given Joseph Addai’s season-long slump (and savage murdering of many fantasy teams), Brown could see significant playing time if he’s a quick study on blitz pickups.

The selection of Austin Collie could provide the Colts with a much-needed infusion of talent. Should he sync with Manning early, the slot position could be his for the taking.

The defense returns mostly intact under new defensive coordinator Larry Coyer and should closely resemble the same scheme and execution of previous seasons.

Just as Manning drives the offense, Bob Sanders is equally critical to the performance of the defense. His ability to stay healthy and thus maintain his reign of terror throughout the secondary will determine how effective the defense can be in stopping the run.

How Does This Affect the Titans?

Without question, the Colts will be the most serious challenger to the Titans’ hopes of repeating as division champions. Should they be found wanting in their quest to unseat the Titans, it will be because of an inability to stop that which is Tennessee’s bread and butter; the running game (with LenDale obviously representing the butter component).