AFC South Areas of Concern
INDIANAPOLIS COLTS
One area of concern for the Colts is OB Peyton Manning. Most people view him as the best QB in the NFL. If you need a QB to lead your team for the first 16 games of the year then Peyton Manning would be the best person for the job. If you need a QB to win playoff games then Peyton Manning would not be in my top 10. When analyzing Peyton Manning I always concentrate on what he has to work with on his team. The Indianapolis Colts have the best WR tandem in the NFL, they had a top 5 RB in Edgerrin James before he left for free agency, DE Dwight Freeney is the best pass rusher in the NFL, the Indianapolis Colts defense was 15th vs. the pass, 16th vs. the run and second in the NFL in sacks. If Peyton Manning refuses to sit in the pocket an extra second or two instead of playing erratic when there is pressure on him the Indianapolis Colts will not advance to the Super Bowl. In four NFL playoff losses Peyton Manning has 2 TD’s and 7 interceptions.
The Indianapolis Colts can’t expect to lose a RB with the talent that Edgerrin James had and still expect to be the same explosive offense. RB’s Dominic Rhodes and James Mungro were great when they only had to perform a limited amount of times per game. There was a reason why they did not start ahead of James. Rookie RB Joseph Addai is the most talented back on the roster but can Addai be counted on to pick up blitzes in pass protection in his first season?
JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS
The Jacksonville Jaguars will miss WR Jimmy Smith’s production. Jimmy Smith was among the best WR’s in the game during his NFL career. Despite the Jaguars adding to their receiving core the last few years, Jimmy Smith still remained the go to guy and the best WR on the team. The Jacksonville Jaguars have some of the tallest, most physical and fastest WR’s in the NFL. Reggie Williams, Matt Jones, and Ernest Wilford must show up for every snap and be consistent throughout the entire season. The three of them combined for 112 catches. That lack of production from those three players will not be enough to get the Jags back to the playoffs unless those numbers improve. It is time for Jacksonville to stop talking potential and start producing.
RB Fred Taylor has always been injury prone and his numbers have been declining the last few seasons. If healthy he is still the best RB on the roster and among the best in the NFL. Taylor finished with 787 yards last season. Backup RB Greg Jones rushed for 574 yards. It is unlikely that coach Jack Del Rio is counting on Fred Taylor to play the entire year. The Jaguars will go with a RB by committee consisting of Fred Taylor, Greg Jones and rookie RB Maurice Drew who can also be used on kickoff and punt returns and passing downs.
TENNESSEE TITANS
The Tennessee Titans need a lot of help at the cornerback position. Last years first round pick Pac Man Jones did not live up to expectations. Jones must play more aggressive this season and rid himself of his tentative tendencies in pass coverage and run support. Reynaldo Hill was a seventh round pick and he is the other starter at CB. CB Andre Woolfork has yet to fulfill his potential. In this past years NFL Draft the Tennessee Titans failed to address their CB position until Round 7. All three CB’s combined for four interceptions.
WR is another concern for the Tennessee Titans. The addition of WR David Givens will help. David will find out quickly that he does not have a Tom Brady on this roster to deliver him the ball. WR Drew Bennett is a very underrated WR in the NFL who is very productive. The past two seasons Bennett had 138 catches and 15 touchdowns and averaged just over 14 yards per catch. With the Titans eventually going with Vince Young at QB there is no WR on the roster who has the ability to make Vince look better by out jumping opposing CB’s or adjusting to poorly thrown balls.
HOUSTON TEXANS
The Houston Texans gave up 68 sacks a season ago. The Texans have had one of the worst O-lines in the NFL for the last couple of years. It should not be a surprise that they drafted two offensive linemen in Charles Spencer and Eric Winston and added C Mike Flannagan and OG David Laverne through free agency. At this point it is hard to gauge David Carr’s progression because the O-line has been so bad. The Houston Texans front office believes that by switching to the west coast offense more three step drops will cut down on the number of sacks that Carr takes until the line has a chance to gel.
RB is an area of concern for the Houston Texans who came under a lot of scrutiny by not drafting Reggie Bush and letting a GM run the draft that is no longer the teams GM. No matter what the Houston Texans say a player of Reggie Bush’s caliber would have instantly made Carr a better QB, Andre Johnson a better WR, the Texans a better offensive team and opponents would have feared the Texans as a whole on the offensive side of the ball. RB Dominick Davis is a solid RB but he does not have hall of fame potential. Davis rushed for 974 yards and 4.2 yards per carry. Bush would not have taken away from Dominick’s numbers he would have improved them. Now Texans DE Mario Williams will be compared to Bush and so will Davis.
