This is the Texan-centric AFC South preview we (Texans Bull Blog) wrote for
www.zoneblitz.com:
AFC South
Texans 11-5
Colts 10-6
Titans 8-8
Jags 5-11
AFC East: Miami
AFC North: Baltimore
AFC West: SD
Wild Card: Indy
Wild Card: NyJets
NFC East: NYG
NFC North: GB
NFC South: N.O.
NFC West: SF
Wild card: Dallas
Wild card: Atlanta
AFC Champ: Texans
NFC Champ: GB
Superbowl Champ: GB
The Texans, not counting their kickers, have one 30+ year old player on the entire 53 man roster. That kind of youth hurt the team in big moments last season. However, this group has now been through those moments and now has the depth on the roster to compete with the NFL elite. The Texans turned a major corner on defense last season with the acquisitions of Brian Cushing, Bernard Pollard, and Antonio Smith, along with an infusion of youth at cornerback (Glover Quin, Brice McCain). Talent aside, those additions brought to the defense a physcality and aggressiveness it had lacked in previous seasons. Second year defensive coordinator, Frank Bush, will be able to implement much more of his attacking style defense now that the group has been together for a season. Bush comes from the Buddy Ryan coaching tree and believes in downhill, attack-style defense. On offense, the Texans sought to repair an ailing running game with the drafting of Ben Tate and the addition of needed depth on the interior offensive line. Despite Tate's ankle injury, the Texans are thrilled with the development of Arian Foster (2nd year UDFA from Tennessee). The Texans added Derrick Ward in free agency and will use Steve Slaton in a 3rd down role this season. A huge key to the run game is the loss of Alex Gibbs. While he certainly earned his reputation as a zone blocking guru, his militant stubborness and refusal to incorporate misdirection or man blocking in the run game allowed teams to scheme the run game to a hault. Rick Dennison (former OC and OL coach in Denver) has taken over the offensive playcalling and the run game. He has already showed his willingness to counter the defense with some misdirection and imagination in the run game and I believe it will have an enormous impact on the success of the offense. The Texans and the rest of the AFC South face a difficult NFL schedule this year and it is unlikely any of them will be able to break from the pack early.
The Colts are the clear choice of many to repeat as division winners. However, they have suffered a number of losses and have clearly (despite recent W-L totals) fallen back to the pack in recent seasons. Tom Moore is no longer running the offense and Howard Mudd is no longer working with the patchwork offensive line. The Colts have an atrocious situation at offensive tackle and Jeff Saturday (center) is aging and is likely to miss the first couple weeks of the season with a leg injury. The Colts have looked out of sync this preseason and it is likely attributable to the coaching changes and offensive line woes. Furthermore, while the Colts certainly have a number of playmakers on defense (Freeney, Mathis, Sanders), the success of that defense is dependent on the offense controlling the scoring and created constant pressure for the opposing offense. If opposing offenses have an opportunity to stick to the run deep into the game, the undersized front seven of the Colts will wear down... not only for the game but also over the course of the season. Factor in the age of those players as well as the extra football they have played the past five seasons in the playoffs, and one can expect them to physically breakdown. Freeney and Mathis both struggled with nagging injuries late last season. Peyton will continue to perform his magic, I am sure. However, as his supporting cast dwindles, it is unlikely that they can continue to replicate the gaudy win totals of the past few seasons.
Tennessee is a well-coached team with a great running back. However, they do not have an NFL-caliber passer. Vince Young can certainly make plays. Perhaps he is even a good leader. However, he will never be a successful passing QB. He simply doesn't have the tools. Special athletes at the QB position often find early success, but just as often, the NFL figures them out and they become ineffectual: Randall Cunningham, Mike Vick, Dante Culpepper. Young's greatest asset to the Titans is his ability to threaten the bootleg in the run game, which creates unnaturally large running lanes for Chris Johnson. I just don't think that is sufficient offense in the NFL. Defensively, they are in decline as well. Jevon Kearse, Keith Bullock, Kyle Vandenbosch all left this off-season. While they were all aging and declining players, they were effective playmakers and veteran leaders that the coaches and team relied on. Jeff Fisher is an excellent football coach and has enough talent to keep them competitive but the Titans do not look like a playoff team to me.
Jacksonville is a disaster! They have no homefield advantage. The have a very young offensive line, poor wide receivers, a very mediocre QB, and one of the most underrated RBs in the NFL. Maurice Jones-Drew is a great player and a joy to watch. However, he is not enough to make this collection on offense anything beyond average. Defensively, Jacksonville has a nice group of LBs, attempting to make plays in front of a poor secondary and a dreadful defensive line. Years of first round draft pick misses (Quinten Groves, Derrick Harvey, Matt Jones, Reggie Nelson, Reggie Williams, among others) have left this team talent-depleted. Jack Del Rio has been a successful motivator in the past but I think his act has worn thin with many of the players. This is a basement team in the AFC south, without much doubt.