AFC South preview...

Indianapolis Colts: The Colts lost Tony Dungy which is huge but they were prepared for it and had already named Jim Caldwell as the heir apparent. But the ship will always be right in Indianapolis as long as Peyton Manning is the quarterback. The Colts let go of half the greatest QB/WR combination in NFL history in Marvin Harrison but he played very little last year due to injuries so replacing will not be hard for this team. Reggie Wayne had a Pro Bowl season last year and he returns along with Anthony Gonzalez. Gonzalez has yet to step up like the Colts have hoped for but he will be thrust into the spotlight with no other threat at the wideout position. Dallas Clark is always reliable and he provides the true #2 option for Manning when Wayne can't get open. The Colts drafted Donald Brown due to Joseph Addai's inability to stay healthy, but can he be relied upon to block on third downs and pick up the difficult blitz packages that will be thrown his way? The offensive line was banged up last year with Ryan Lilja missing the entire 2008 season and Jeff Saturday missed the first 5 games of the season, but they are both healthy and are ready to return. The injuries to Saturday and Lilja should prove to be beneficial because the guys who filled in for them are now backup with a lot of experience if someone else goes down. On the defensive side of the ball the Colts line is anchored by the quick sack master Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis but the rest of the line is inexperienced and they lack the big play capabilities that are needed to free up the linebackers. Gary Brackett mans the middle of the defense, but he missed the last 5 games of the season, and he is flanked with Clint Session but the rest of the group is really young and inexperienced. The most dangerous group of the defense is the secondary lead by Bob Sanders who is an animal at the safety position but he hasn't been able to stay healthy lately. Antoine Bethea mans the other safety spot and the cornerback spots are filled by young but talented players like Marlin Jackson and Kelvin Hayden. This team will make the playoffs every year as long as Manning is around but the question is how will they handle losing such a great coach in Tony Dungy, once again the Colts will make an early playoff exit. Key Games: The Colts have home games with the Seahawks in Week 4 and the Patriots in Week10. Indianapolis travels for road contests with Miami in Week 2, Arizona in Week 3, Baltimore in Week 11, and Buffalo to wrap up the regular season. 2009 overall record: 12-4, Division winner, #2 seed

Tennessee Titans: The Titans lost Albert Haynesworth to the Redskins and they plan on using a committee to replace him. On offense the Titans re-signed Kerry Collins and they upgraded at the wide receiver spot. Collins is backed up by Vince Young who has rededicated himself to the team and the game of football but he will not get a chance to show himself off unless Collins gets injured or has a horrible start to the season. Since they lacked quality receivers last year they went out and signed Nate Washington to stretch the field for Collins and they drafted Kenny Britt to be their red zone threat that is big and strong. Justin Gage is back for the Titans but he has yet to prove himself as more than just a third option at receiver. Thunder and Lightning is back but Lightning(Chris Johnson) wants to make a name for himself so that leaves Thunder(LenDale White) out on his own. I'm sure they will be able to coexist this season but the writing is on the wall for White to be gone by the start of the 2010 season. The Titans had one of the best offensive lines last year and they return all starters including Pro Bowler Kevin Mawae at center. On defense the departure of Haynesworth leaves a huge void that the Titans hope will be filled be a rotating cast of at least four. Tony Brown, Jovan Haye, Sen'Derrick Marks, and Jason Jones make up the group to replace Haynseworth but none of them have the size or overall playmaking ability to completely make up for the loss of the 100 million dollar man. Kyle Vanden Bosch and Jevon Kearse will bring the heat off the edges once again but they only combined for 9 sacks last year, so they will also need to step up for the loss of Haynesworth. The linbacking group(Keith Bullock, David Thornton, and Stephen Tulloch) will probably benefit the most from Haynesworth's departure, since he made a lot of plays in the backfield, but that may not lead to many wins for the team. The secondary was dangerous last year and they will only get better with experience but Chris Hope, Michael Griffin, Nick Harper, and Cortland Finnegan will need to be better because offenses will have more opportunities to attack them with the big fella not being around. The Titans will be a good team without Albert Haynesworth but ultimately they will miss him too much and they will not dominate like last season. Key Games: The Titans host home games with the Bills in Week 10, the Cardinals in Week 12, the Dolphins in Week 15, and the Chargers in Week 16. Tennessee will go to Pittsburgh to open the regular season, New England in Week 6, and Indianapolis in Week 13 for road games. 2009 overall record: 10-6, Wild card, #6 seed

Houston Texans: This is a big year for head coach Gary Kubiak who has posted back-to-back .500 seasons and it is time for this team to take the next step. Matt Schaub has yet to step up and show that he is a winner but he has all the weapons in place to help him take that step. Steve Slaton had a tremendous rookie season but will he hit the sophomore slump? And who will replace him if he gets hurt or doesn't live up to expectations? Andre Johnson has been a beast at the wide receiver position for the last few years and Kevin Walter has proven to be a more than reliable #2 option opposite Johnson. Owen Daniels has stepped up and has been a reliable option at tight end but his health is a question since he played hurt a lot last year. The offensive line returns all of last years starters which should be huge for this team and they should help Schaub take the next step in his progression. The Defense is young and nasty and is lead by Mario Williams who is coming off of a Pro Bowl season with 12 sacks. Antonio Smith will bring over some championship experience from Arizona for this young team but will he be able to help take the pressure off this young group. Amobi Okoye and Travis Johnson anchor the middle of the defense but Okoye has yet to live up to his hype coming out of college. The linbackers are very young with rookie Brian Cushing joining DeMeco Ryans(4th season), and Xavier Adibi(2nd season), but they are all very talented players and it will only be a few seasons before these guys become household names. Duante Robinson is the leader of the secondary along with Eugene Wilson but the rest of the group lacks big play making abilities. The Texans are a good team but Schaub is not a winner at QB, he is more of a fantasy QB than anything else, and the team has yet to get a signature win to prove they can take it to the next level. Key Games: The Texans have home match up versus the Seahawks in Week 14 and the Patriots in the season finale. Houston will have road contests with Arizona in Week5, Cincinnati in Week 6, Buffalo in Week 8, and Miami in Week 16. 2009 overall record: 8-8

Jacksonville Jaguars: The Jaguars main problem last year was the offensive line and their inability to stay healthy, so the Jags drafted lineman to help with their depth up front. David Garrard is back once again and he actually has someone to throw the ball to in Torry Holt who was released by the Rams. Troy Williamson was brought over to stretch the defense but he has yet to live up to the hype that got him drafted in the first round by Minnesota. The Jags released Fred Taylor and re-signed Maurice Jones-Drew to huge a contract for everything he does but he is not the answer at the running back spot. Greg Jones and Chauncey Washington will help MJD pick up for the loss of the veteran Taylor. Tony Pashos and Tra Thomas were the only starters to play all 16 games last season but Brad Meester made it back for the last 10 games. The line will be joined by the rookie Eugene Monroe who is listed as the back up to Thomas but he will be in the starting lineup before the end of the season. The defense is not what it was a few years ago but these guys can still get it done. John Henderson is the power on the d-line but Quentin Groves, Derrick Harvey, and Reggie Hayward bring the heat off of the edges. The d-line is filled with good young players but none of them have shown the brilliance that got them drafted so high. The linebackers are the weak link for the defense with Justin Durant, Daryl Smith, and Clint Ingram being a bunch of no-namers who would be fighting for a starting job just about anywhere else. Reshean Mathis is back at the cornerback spot but he will have to step up since the defense is lacking so much elsewhere. Reggie Nelson has stepped up at the safety job and he will be joined by Sean Considine but Considine has not had a chance to start until he landed in Jacksonville. I've never felt the that the Jags were that good of a team and they have been held up by their stout defense which has been decimated by free agency, so now it will rest on the offense to step up and lead the team but they don't have enough to do that. Key Games: The Jaguars host home games with the Cardinals in Week 2, the Bills in Week 11 and Miami in Week 14. Jacksonville will have road games with Seattle in Week 5 and New England in Week 16. 2009 overall record: 7-9