2010 NFL Previews - AFC South

In 2009, the Indianapolis Colts returned to their throne in the AFC South. The Colts return largely the same team that made the Super Bowl last season and anything less than a Super Bowl this year will make the Peyton Manning doubters grow louder. The Titans rebounded from a horrific 0-6 start last season on the shoulders of surprise redeemed hero QB Vince Young. Young has to prove that he can be just as good when the expectations are high. The Texans finally had their first winning season and now must make the playoffs if head coach Greg Kubiak wants to keep his job. The Jacksonville Jaguars suck and no one cares about them.

1. Indianapolis Colts

2009 Record: 14-2, 1st place AFC South, Super Bowl Runner-up
Head Coach: Jim Caldwell (2nd season Indianapolis, 16-3 career)
Key Additions: DE Jerry Hughes
Key Losses: QB Jim Sorgi, G Ryan Lilja, FS Marlin Jackson

2010 Outlook: The Colts were having a dream season, sitting at 14-0 and just two games away from a perfect season. Then management decided a perfect season didn't matter, winning a Super Bowl was the goal. The Colts ended up coming a game short, falling apart in the second half and losing to the New Orleans Saints. Peyton Manning went from being anointed perhaps the greatest QB to ever play the game, to people once again wondering about his ability to win on the biggest stage. The Colts are largely the same team that played so well last year and has been so consistent for the last decade. Their passing game has gotten even better with the emergence of Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie to complement Reggie Wayne and TE Dallas Clark. WR Anthony Gonzalez will also be back this year. They will need to improve their ground game, where they ranked last in the NFL in 2009. In order to do this the Colts attempted to bolster their offensive line, signing Adam Terry and Andy Alleman. Defensively, the Colts have improved by leaps and bounds over where they were a few years ago. The key is for defensive end Dwight Freeney to stay healthy as without him the defense is not nearly as effective. The Colts won't flirt with a perfect season this year but will once again run away with the AFC South.

Prediction: 13-3

2. Tennessee Titans

2009 Record: 8-8, 3rd place AFC South
Head Coach: Jeff Fisher (17th season Tennessee, 141-116 career)
Key Additions: DE Derrick Morgan, DE Jason Babin, LB Will Witherspoon
Key Losses: TE Alge Crumpler, P Craig Hentrich, C Kevin Mawae, DE Kyle Vanden Bosch

2010 Outlook: It was a tale of two seasons for the Titans. Under old QB Kerry Collins they looked listless and lifeless, starting the season 0-6 and losing to the New England Patriots 59-0. Jeff Fisher finally inserted Vince Young as the starter and the Titans took off, winning 8 of their last 10 games. Young will now have expectations again, much like he did a few years ago when he had a melt down and caved under the pressure. The big question on offense will be, has he matured to the point where he can now handle those expectations? The Titans have arguably the best running back in football in Chris Johnson, who rushed for 2,006 yards last season. Johnson has been doing a lot of talking and says he will break the all-time single season rushing record this year. The receiving game continues to be average at best, although Kenny Britt showed some potential last year. The Titans spent the majority of their off-season trying to improve their defense. For as much of a headache as he has been for the Redskins, there is no denying that the Titans missed Albert Haynesworth last season. The Titans will look to replace Kyle Vanden Bosch with Derrick Morgan, whom they drafted out of Georgia Tech. The Titans pass defense was atrocious last year and must improve for them to return to the playoffs. The Titans seem like an every other year type of team, and year should get them back to playoff contention.

Prediction: 10-6

3. Houston Texans

2009 Record: 9-7, 2nd place AFC South
Head Coach: Greg Kubiak (5th season Houston, 31-33 career)
Key Additions: CB Kareem Jackson, FB Justin Griffith, K Neil Rackers
Key Losses: QB Rex Grossman, RB Ryan Moats, CB Dunta Robinson

2010 Outlook: The Texans continue to be just good enough for Gary Kubiak to keep his job but not good enough to make the playoffs. If that doesn't change this year, I will be shocked if Kubiak keeps his job. The Texans have seemingly found their man at QB, with Matt Schaub having a fantastic season last year. He developed quite the rapport with one of the best WRs in football, Andre Johnson, and also has a great weapon in TE Owen Daniels, who will be returning from injury. The running game remains a concern, with Steve Slaton regressing badly last year after a stellar rookie campaign. Defensive backs is the Texans weakest area as a team and because of that, they have been unable to get their past their nemesis, the Colts. They lost CB Dunta Robinson to Atlanta, making the secondary even younger than it already was. I think the Texans will have another winning season, but it will be another of the just barely variety.

Prediction: 9-7

4. Jacksonville Jaguars

2009 Record: 7-9, last place AFC South
Head Coach: Jack Del Rio (8th season Jacksonville, 58-57 career)
Key Additions: DT Tyson Alualu, DE Aaron Kampman
Key Losses: WR Torry Holt, DT John Henderson, DE Quentin Groves

2010 Outlook: What a boring team. Their own fans don't care about them, their owner would rather get his money worth out of mediocre coach Jack Del Rio, then fire him and admit he made a mistake. They could have drafted QB Tim Tebow and actually become somewhat relevant but instead drafted DT Tyson Alualu out of Cal, who almost everyone agreed was a huge reach. Their QB, David Gerrard is average. He completes his passes but mostly of the dink and dunk variety. Their wide receiving corps remains underwhelming, although Mike Sims-Walker looks like he could be the real deal. By far their most exciting player is RB Maurice Jones-Drew. I didn't think he could handle the load as the every down back but he definitely proved me wrong last season. Where the Jaguars will struggle is their weaknesses on the offensive and defensive line. Gerrard was hit a ton last year and the defense was unable to replicate that on opposing teams quarterbacks. Aaron Kampman should improve the defensive line a bit, but he is a question mark coming off of an injury. The Jaguars brought in a ton of new, young players this off-season. While that might provide hope for the future, it won't do much for this year and will mean the end of the road for Del Rio.

Prediction: 4-12