AFC South : The Indianapolis Colts Expect To Stay On Top In 2010

The Colts are a franchise that have had quite a journey, though it is broken up over time.

The teams NFL roots actually trace back to the New York Yankees. The Yankees were first founded by Hall of Fame running back Red Grange in 1927. Grange has also started a league, the first American Football League, as a retort to being upset over moneys owed by Chicago Bears founder and Hall of Famer George Halas.

The AFL and Yankees folded after the 1928 season, and the franchise stayed dormant until 1946 when the All-American Football Conference was born. The AAFC Yankees had Hall of Famer Ray Flaherty as their head coach, Hall of Fame quarterback Ace Parker, and star players Spec Sanders and Buddy Young.

The team won their division in three of the four years that they played in the AAFC. During that time, there was a Baltimore Colts franchise that won 11 games over four years and had Hall of Famer Y.A. Tittle as their star.

In 1949, one year before the AAFC folded, the Yankees folded and merged with the NFL New York Yanks, which came from the New York Bulldogs franchise, who had started as the Boston Yanks in 1944 and lasted one year as the Bulldogs. The Yanks roster was also made up by many in the Yankees previous roster as well. This team lasted until 1951 before they became the Dallas Texans in 1952.

The Yanks last move was to trade first round draft pick Les Richter to the Los Angeles Rams for 11 players. Richter, an eight-time Pro Bowl linebacker, is in the College Football Hall of Fame and is now a Senior Finalist for the 2011 class of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The Texans lasted one year, and won one game. Hall of Famers Artie Donovan and Gino Marchetti started their careers with the Texans.

The Texans lone year is a woeful reminder of society at that time. They featured a backfield of stars Buddy Young and George Taliaferro, two African-American players. Dallas was a city bereft in bigotry, so the team drew small crowds and a lot of anger and hatred.

The Texans lack of attendance left them in dire straits financially. Owner Giles Miller handed his team to the NFL after seven games and had the league run the team. The leagues front office moved the team to Hershey, Pennsylvania and made them a travelling team. 

The Texans last two home games were played in Akron, Ohio. One resulted in their lone win, against the Chicago Bears on Thanksgiving Day, when quarterback Frank Tripuka ran for a touchdown late in the game. Chicago had played many reserves in the game because Halas was convinced his backups could beat the Texans starters.

Carroll Rosenbloom then bought the franchise, but asked his team start new. The NFL complied and stripped all of the history tied to the franchise, even though several Texan players went with the team to Baltimore to become the Colts.

The Baltimore Colts were extremely popular and successful for awhile. Ten of the franchises 11 Hall of Famers played with the team during a dominating run between 1958 to 1970. They won four NFL championships during that time.

The team was also close to their fans, living and working in the city. Rosenbloom then swapped teams with Rams owner Robert Irsay in 1971, a season after the team won Super Bowl V. Rosenbloom died eight years later in a suspicious drowning accident.

Irsay wanted to move the team out of Memorial Stadium, but was met with resistance by local politicians unwilling to ask residents to foot the bill on a new stadium. The city of Indianapolis was so actively seeking a franchise, they started building a stadium years before they actually procured a team.

When a meeting between NFL owners gave Irsay permission to move his team, he enacted the infamous "Midnight Move" that still angers many Baltimore residents to this very day.

Now the Indianapolis Colts, the team has had just eight losing seasons since they came into town in 1984. The modern day Colts are led by future Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning, who has one Super Bowl win under his belt.

The team has made the playoffs 12 times since 1995. Since 2002, they have won their division every year but one, and appeared in two Super Bowls.

This year will be difficult for them to stay on top of the AFC South, thanks to the improvements of the Houston Texans. The Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars also expect to be in the conversation.

Here is how things could shake up in 2010 :

1. Indianapolis Colts

Pros : Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning, Multiple weapons at Manning's disposal, A roster full of veterans who know how to win 

Cons : Questionable depth virtually everwhere. Mediocre, at best, defensive tackles. Below average special teams return game. 

Players To Watch : Peyton Manning, Joseph Addai / Donald Brown, Pierre Garcon / Austin Collie / Anthony Gonzales, Dwight Freeney 

Key Games : Week 1 @ Houston, Week 2 New York Giants, Week 9 @ Philadelphia, Week 10 Cincinnati, Week 11 @ New England, Week 12 San Diego, Week 13 Dallas 

Predicted Finish : 12 - 4

2. Houston Texans

Pros : Effective offense, especially in the passing game. Nice defensive line. Decent depth at wide receiver. Above average return game. 

Cons : The four game suspension of 2009 Defensive Rookie of the Year Brian Cushing hurts the defense and linebackers corp. Questions in the secondary, especially at cornerback. Offensive line worries, especially inside. 

Players To Watch : Andre Johnson, Arian Foster, Mario Williams, DeMeco Ryans, Matt Schaub 

Key Games : Week 1  Indianapolis, Week 3 Dallas, Week 8 @ Indianapolis, Week 9 San Diego, Week 11 @ New York Jets, Week 17 New York Giants 

Predicted Finish : 9 - 7

3. Tennessee Titans

Pros : Strong running game. Developing quarterback with good legs. Strong offensive line on right side. Solid placekicker. Iconic head coach 

Cons : Mediocre defense. Average wide receivers. Lack of big play types on both sides of the ball. Mediocre return game on special teams. 

Players To Watch : Chris Johnson, Vince Young, Cortland Finnegan, Rod Baronas, Kenny Britt, Jake Scott 

Key Games : Week 2 Pittsburgh, Week 5 @ Dallas, Week 7 Philadelphia, Week 8 @ San Diego, Week 12 @ Houston, Week 14 Indianapolis, Week 17 @ Indianapolis 

Predicted Finish : 6 - 10

4. Jacksonville Jaguars

Pros : Up and coming young offensive tackles. Strong play at halfback. Improvement at linebacker. Underrated cornerbacks. 

Cons : Questions at interior on both sides of the trenches. Mediocre safeties. Lack of a deep / home run threat. 

Players To Watch : Maurice Jones-Drew, Mike Thomas, Aaron Kampman, Kirk Morrison 

Key Games : Week 2 @ San Diego, Week 3 Philadelphia, Week 4 Indianapolis, Week 8 @ Dallas, Week 15 @ Indianapolis 

Predicted Finish : 3 - 13