Division by Division: AFC South

OK spots fans. It's time to begin my division by division NFL previews and we're starting with the AFC South. Here's how these are going to work. I'm going to give a bit of a take on each of the four teams in the divisions, some players to watch and then cap it off by predicting the standings with an explanation. I'm sure you'll disagree, so be sure to comment and bookmark this so you can come back to it during the season to tell me how far off I was. Haha.

AFC South
Houston Texans
The Texans have gotten stronger and stronger in the last few years and this could be a good year for them. Only problem is, I'm not sold on the durability of Matt Schaub at quarterback. Andre Johnson (and my fantasy team) rely on him being around for the majority of the season. Steve Slaton should avoid the sophomore slump and be a solid piece as the feature back.
The only problem is, I'm not sold on the defense being able to stop the other teams in the division (namely Indy and Jax). Couple that with a Shaub injury and Houston could have problems (I avoided the obvious pun on purpose).
Most important player: If Matt Schaub can go at least 14 games these team can be a player and try to unseat Indianapolis.

Indianapolis Colts
Tony Dungy is gone. So is Marvin Harrison. But Peyton Manning is still around. That's the common theme in everything I've read on this team. It won't be the same Colts team of old, but with Peyton and Reggie Wayne still around, the Colts will still be a force offensively. If the defense partially shows up, they will be a force within the divison. Joseph Adai staying healthy will be key in that, too. As Peyton will probably be asked to hand off more than usual so long as the Colts have the lead.
Most important player: Peyton is the obvious choice, but I'm going to go with the entire defense here. With a schedule that plays the AFC East and NFC West this year, they are going to be key in stopping some potent passing games and maybe even help in winning some low scoring games.

Jacksonville Jaguars
David Garrard got a big-time passing threat in Tory Holt to go along with Maurice Jones-Drew in the backfield. That could mean big things for Garrard who could make his first Pro Bowl if things go his way.
If things go south, Jack Del Rio might join his fellow suit toting coach in Mike Nolan and going home. The offense definitely has some power to compete with the rest of the division and will make things interesting.
Most important player: He's not even a player, but a coach. This is a must-win year for JDR. He must make the playoffs to keep his job. With Peyton and Shaub and the power running game in Tennessee, it comes down to how well the defense he's known for performs.

Tennessee Titans
Jeff Fischer is the Jerry Sloan of the NFL. Yes that's a compliment, believe it or not. He just finds ways to win. This year is going to be a trying one for the Titans as the loss of Albert Haynesworth might prove too much for their defense to overcome. I love Kyle VanDenBosch, but dude is getting old and not sure they still got what it takes to be the last team without a loss again.
Plus, LenDale White dropped 30 pounds this offsseason by not drinking Patron. Not sure that was the best idea for him. Yeah, the same people that were busting on him for being chubby are going to say that was a bad idea.
Most important player: With Kerry Collins leading the offense and LenDale's weight setting him back, Chris Johnson will carry the load. He's lighting fast with the rock and will be a force. Plus, he's a viable option out of the backfield to turn his speed on. Could be interesting.

Standings time:
Indianapolis 12-4 --Earns bye week in AFC playoffs
Jacksonville 10-6 -- Wild Card winner saves JDR's job
Tennessee 8-8 -- Loss of Haynesworth too much for the D
Houston 7-9 -- Shaub's durability puts Rex Grossman under center (Predictable outcome follows)

There it is. Let the comments and E-mails begin!

Here's the schedule for the rest of the division previews. I'll update with links as time follows.
Sept. 1: AFC South (Today)
Wednesday, Sept 2: AFC West
Thursday, Sept. 3: AFC East
Friday, Sept. 4: AFC North
Monday, Sept. 7: NFC South
Tuesday, Sept. 8: NFC West
Wednesday, Sept. 9: NFC East
Thursday, Sept. 10: NFC North
Friday, Sept. 11: Playoffs and Super Bowl XLIV picks

While we're on the topic of NFL, came across this in my daily reading today. The Vikings No. 4 is the top selling jersy in the NFL. Jay Cutler remains in the No. 2 spot. Take a look for yourself. Even Mike Vick is on the list.

Random bits....
Found this today in my Twitter combings... Thank me later! ... She made the CNBC Twitter sports list for the month.

Found this next bit while combing around on Twitter. This video has over 2.7 million views and might be one of the greatest things I've seen. Took 1,500 hours to take all the pics of those Legos. That makes it worth a look.



Now for today's Nussie Hunter. The U.S. Open started this week in New York. Roger Federer is set to steamroll through the men's bracket. And the women's bracket is dominated by the sisters Williams. That leaves it up to the eye candy for fun on the girls side. That's where Russian Maria Kirilenko comes in. She's certainly worth a couple of looks. These from CoEd Magazine aren't bad, either.

Playoffs in August?

Hold on. Let me go check my calendar. I knew it was cold, but I didn't think it was... Wait, it's still August. I knew it. So this is still preseason?
Yep, last night was perhaps the loudest and craziest preseason game EVER. Yeah, I said it. Some I know don't like Peter King of Sports Illustrated, but he's been covering the sport for 25 years and he called it the wildest preseason game he's seen in his years working the sport.
As King said in that story I just linked to, Jay looked great in that game. Sure it's preseason, you can take a little bit from this one. What the Bears are taking out of this one is Jay's ability to lead the offense 98 yards to close the first half. Had it been in any other stadium without any of the pressure and intensity it would not have mattered, but with the atmosphere of a December showdown, Cutler's ability shined and may be starting to stick with this Bears offense.
The 15 of 21 for 144 yards and a touchdown to Matt Forte (which capped the aforementioned drive) which led to a 106.1 passer rating (safe to say the decibel level was higher) only tells part of the story. Take a look at this.
This one wasn't just about Cutler though. It was the third preseason game, which as any knowledgable NFL fan knows is the most important of the preseason, and the rest of the team shined, too. The defense gave up three early points, but after that, clamped down and put pressure on former mate Kyle Orton. The key to that was Tommie Harris, who looks to be healthy, which will be a key for the sesaon. One guy that doesn't know if he'll be ready for Green Bay is Charles Tillman. Not so sure this is what I wanted to hear.
Then there's the special teams. Robbie Gould and Brad Maynard were their normal selves, but it was the return of Mr. Anytime, Devin Hester that was the biggest news. His 54-yard return set up the first Bears TD of the game (a Forte leap). It was the first game he had returned punts and may have earned his job back.
Finally, here's a look at some Bears who hurt themselves and helped themselves as some cuts came down today.

To keep on an NFL tip, I'm going to break down each division of the league over the next two weeks in each day and cap it off by picking the playoffs and Super Bowl winners. With each one, I want to hear your thoughts. Note I saved the NFC North for last. That will give me time to read as much as I can to try to get my bias out of the way because right now I could make a case for the Bears, Packers and Vikings.
Here's the sched:
Tuesday, Sept. 1: AFC South
Wednesday, Sept 2: AFC West
Thursday, Sept. 3: AFC East
Friday, Sept. 4: AFC North
Monday, Sept. 7: NFC South
Tuesday, Sept. 8: NFC West
Wednesday, Sept. 9: NFC East
Thursday, Sept. 10: NFC North
Friday, Sept. 11: Playoffs and Super Bowl XLIV pics

Heard this today on the Covino and Rich Show. Rachel Ray can bake me a dish anytime. She's something special.



Continueing the Covino and Rich tip to day, the Nussie Hunter has it on good word this next girl is going to grace the cover of Maxim next month. Miss Aubrey O'Day be some piece of work. Who knew she was best friends with Jenna Jameson? And she's a porno freak? Whoa!
Take this!

(Edit: This is the third time I've updated the photo. The fine folks at Photobucket keep saying it violates their terms of use. But the same guy that has it when I search there still has it.)