NFL Preview 2006 - AFC South

2005 Standings – AFC SOUTH
Indianapolis -------- 14-2
Jacksonville -------- 12-4
Tennessee ----------- 4-12
Houston ------------- 2-14


2006 Outlook:

Indianapolis (12-4) – The Colts ended 2006 with the best record in the NFL at 14-2. They finally had a good defense to go with their monster offense and it almost got them to the Super Bowl. Unfortunately for them, kicker Mike Vanderjagt cracked under pressure in the playoffs against the eventual Super Bowl Champions, the Steelers. Well, Vanderjagt is gone and they now have the most clutch kicker in football, Adam Vinatieri. The only other big change is the loss of RB Edgerrin James to free agency. The Colts will have to rely on veteran Dominic Rhodes and rookie Joseph Addai to pick up the slack. Indianapolis still has a high-powered passing attack and that should allow them to run the ball effectively. They are still the team to beat in the AFC.

Jacksonville (10-6) – Jacksonville surprised a lot of people last year by winning 12 games and giving Indianapolis a challenge for the division. This year will be more of the same. The Jaguars have lost top WR Jimmy Smith to retirement and RB Greg Jones to injury. These losses may not be as big as they seem. Jacksonville has a few young WR’s eagerly awaiting to replace Smith (keep an eye on Matt Jones). Greg Jones was the starting fullback and backup RB for “Fragile” Fred Taylor. They still have LaBrandon Toefield to backup Taylor but the FB position will be filled by Derrick Wimbush. Jacksonville is a young team with talent, but not enough to pass the Colts.

Houston (3-13) – The AFC South is like 2 separate divisions. You have the Colts and Jaguars fighting for 1st place, and then you have Houston and Tennessee struggling for wins at the bottom. Houston has a ridiculous schedule starting off with 6 playoff-caliber teams. It’s possible they don’t get their first win until Week 8 at Tennessee or Week 11 vs. Buffalo. The Texans had the #1 draft pick this offseason and surprised everyone by passing on Reggie Bush which they may regret now that RB Domanick Davis can’t seem to get healthy. Still, the Texans are starting to put together a good team, but they still have a lot of holes. They’ll give Tennessee a run for their money for 3rd place.

Tennessee (2-14) – Like Houston, the Titans have a rough schedule. If they don’t win against the Jets in Week 1, they could also be fighting for their first win in Week 8. With the loss of QB Steve McNair to Baltimore, the Titans are having trouble finding someone to step up this preseason. Veteran Billy Volek isn’t getting the job done and it may be too early to throw rookie Vince Young to the wolves. So, the Titans have signed Kerry Collins to challenge Volek, and he will probably become the starter. Tennessee is also having the same problem at RB. No one is taking charge and the starting job has been handed to Travis Henry for now. That probably won’t last. I may not be giving them enough credit, but Tennessee will be at the bottom of the division this year.