Nfl Preview - Afc South

[Return2005]

Here is part 3 of the series.

Houston Texans 7.5 u-125

The Texans are slowly getting better as their young players are coming of age. They do play in a competitive division which is a reason why the Texans will once again have a hard time making the playoffs. This is a team that i have seen on a rise, and this year it will be extremly hard to move forward.

SCHEDULE: Division (6 games), NFC WEST (SF, STL, SEA, ARZ), AFC NORTH (BAL, PIT, CIN, CLE), KC AND BUF.

DEPTH CHART: Jamie Sharper is in Seattle and there goes the only great defensive player they had last year. Phillip Buchanon is in at CB and is needed as they need some talented experienced players as they have a lot of young and less talented players. Offense is stable. David Carr had a decent season last year and he has some weapons to work with. Andre Johnson and Jabar Gaffney will be the go to receivers and Dominick Davis is stable. He ran a lot last year, but only averaged 3.9 per carry. There TE position is weak and nothing to write home about with the O'Line.

Prediction: They do get to play the Browns and 49'ers and Titans twice which can get some wins (But that is 2-3 just there) and they do have no defense. This team is going to have problems and will not win 7 games.
4 star play on UNDER 7.5-125

Indianapolis Colts 11.5o-120

Peyton Manning last season had a career year (336/497, 67.6%, 4557 yards, 49 TD, 10 INT, 13 sacks allowed and a league shatering 121.1 QB rating). This was easy enough to give him MVP. Will he do this again. Well Manning is a phenominal athlete. He can call plays at the line better than any QB i have seen. He is great at the play fake. He has arm speed and accuracy like no other with all the weapons he needs to work with him.

SCHEDULE: Division x2, NFC WEST, AFC NORTH + San Diego and New England.

DEPTH CHART: They lost Pollard to the Lions this year and Stockley could miss the first game or two due to injury but if you are a Colts fan do not get worried. Manning has 3 of his normal offensive linemen with him and are going to have to work with two rookie guards which could cause small problems. However with having Glenn, Saturday and Diem that is strong. Harrison, Wayne, Stockley are great recievers and their backup receivers (Moorehead and Troy Walters are decent). James is a great back to have who does a great job in the receiving game. If you think that the Colts will miss Stockley well you will be right they will, but not as much as you think. Dallas Clark is in the lineup and he is an amazing receiving tight end. He should catch for at least 600 yards and maybe even around 800. On Defense, which has been their weak point is going to better than you think. DL is young and weak. However its not that weak when you have the best DL there is with Dwight Freeney. He is fast and can get to the QB in a hurry. 16 sacks last season and 40 in his career going into this his 4th campaign. LB strength is below average. They have three solid players, but no one to write home about. The Colts will be run on. On the DB side of the ball they have Nick Harper who is a good corner, but after that it is young and inexperienced. Strickland (3rd year), Jackson (1st round rookie), David (2nd year), Bacon (2nd year), Hayden (rookie, 2nd round). This to me is a good spot for this team. These guys are fast and with youth comes improvement in most cases. At safety more of the same with young talent with 3rd year Mike Doss and 2nd year Bob Sanders. They may have the best kicker in the league and play in a dome.

PICK. OVER 11.5-120 (4.5 stars). Manning will stay on fire and this time the Colts will get home field advantage.

Jacksonville Jaguars 8.5o-120

The Jags shown signs of inconsistancy last season as they look to turn things around this year. They are to be battling in a division which should be owned by the Colts.

SCHEDULE: NFC WEST, AFC NORTH and Denver and the Jets

DEPTH: Leftwich will have some work cut out for him as this is the year that 2nd year WR Reggie Williams will have to make in impact after a poor rookie campaign. Jimmy Smith will stay the go to guy but Williams has to do well this year if they have any chance to not only make the playoffs, but cover the 8.5 spread. Fred Taylor is an experienced back, but with only 2 TD's last year we will see how that affects him this year. He did carry for over 4.5 so that is good. On "D" their DL is average at best. LB is good led by Mike Peterson who is a great LB. They have a great CB in Mathis and with Darius and Grant at safety they are in good shape there.

PLAY: UNDER 8.5 (2 STAR PLAY)

Tennessee Titans 6.5u-120

This team is in transition and are now in the re-building stages of their franchise. They had a severe injury which many had thought could have finished McNair's career however that is not the case and he will start at QB this year.

SCHEDULE: NFC WEST, AFC NORTH, Oakland and Miami

DEPTH: There isn't much there. They lost Mason and Rolle in the offseason to the Ravens and their starting tailback is Chris Brown and even though he put some good yards on the board, he does have fumbling problems we will see if they get over come. The running game will not be as solid as they will not have a strong passing game. The defense is not in great shape either with a weak D' Line, only Bullock at LB for great talent, DB's are young and the upcoming. Rookie Adam Jones and youngster Woolfork may have troubles as they may get exploited and the safeties are decent.

PICK - Oakland, Miami, SF, Clevelend, Houston x2 all are on the list and with that weak sched its only an opinion on the under.

Within' the next three days i'll finish up the AFC with the east division.
Are the Patroits going to get 3 in a row? I'll tell you.