2013 Division Preview: AFC South

Division Winner - Houston Texans

Most Dominant Player - Andrew Luck

1.  Houston Texans                 11-5
2.  Indianapolis Colts               9-7
3.  Jacksonville Jaguars            8-8
4.  Tennessee Titans                 4-12

Andrew Luck is a future MVP in the NFL

     The Houston Texans have emerged as one of the up-and-coming franchises in the NFL over the last two years. But in the same breath, you have to mention that both exits from the playoffs came at the hands of Tom Brady and the Patriots. So, what have the Texans done to become a better team than the Patriots this Fall? For starters, they drafted Nuke Hopkins in the 1st round, which will make him an instant #2 receiver behind Andre Johnson. Having two solid receivers, Owen Daniels at TE, and Matt Schaub at QB will make life much easier for Arian Foster. Look for the former Tennessee RB to rush for over 1,500 yard this fall and get around 500 yds receiving. If you think the Texans have had a great play-action game in recent years, stay tuned for MANY big plays in 2013. On the defensive side of the ball, the franchise added Ed Reed in free agency. Reed won't be 100% but he will still make enough plays to make his presence felt. At LB, Brian Cushing is coming off a torn ACL but he should post double digit sacks. And did I forget to mention for 2012 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, J.J. Watt? Houston should boast a top 5 defense in the league as long as Wade Phillips is coaching this talented bunch.It's funny how Gary Kubiak went from being on the hot seat back in November of 2010 to having one of the best teams in the NFL on a consistent basis.

     Indianapolis will take a backseat to the Texans this year, and within the coming years if they don't improve their defense. Adding a nice quality RB would help Vick Ballard because this season he is doomed to have a down year. Donald Brown and Delone Carter are too injury prone. But for the Colts, there is no need to worry because they have the division's best player in Andrew Luck. I believe JJ Watt will make less of an impact this year and Luck will emerge as a top 5 QB in the NFL. Not only does he have highest IQ of any signal caller around, he is the most physical QB and can kill you outside the pocket with his feet. The return of future Hall of Famer Reggie Wayne, Dwayne Allen, T.Y. Hilton & Coby Fleener will help Luck make the transition into an MVP calibur QB in the Pass-Heavy NFL. On defense, I'm not fully sold on Paul Kruger but the Colts did draft Bjoern Werner in the 1st round this year...so, it doesn't matter how well Kruger plays. Indianapolis also still has 5 time Pro Bowler Robert Mathis at OLB and Vontae Davis at CB. This team has playmakers on their new 3-4 defense but it still lacks the star-power at NT that can stuff an opponent's running game. Therefore, I am picking the Colts to finish 2nd in the AFC South for the 2nd year in a row.

By adding Luke Joeckel at RT, the Jags are committed to building a solid franchise

     When Jacksonville was bought by Shad Khan everyone knew that there were going to be big changes. But what everyone didn't expect was for the changes to be this significant, that being in a positive way. When I was making a mock draft two days before Round 1 began, I had the Jags taking Luke Joeckel at #2 for several reasons. I never published my mock draft because I only got through the middle of the first round, but I still had 4 of the first 5 picks correct. The Jags SHOULD be committed to the run, and the best way to execute that plan is by drafting the most versatile lineman on the board. I don't see a QB on the Jags roster that can lead them to the playoffs so there was no reason to put them ahead of the Colts this year. In fact, even with a great O-Line the Jaguars will be having Maurice Jones Drew back off a lisfranc injury. Having playmaker Denard Robinson will help, but not enough to make the Jaguars have an elite running game this year. At receiver, they have the troublesome Justin Blackmon and journeyman Cecil Shorts...bleh. At TE, Marcedes Lewis...bleh. Their quarterbacks will have time to throw and the backs will have lanes to run, but this offense lacks the firepower to win a division at the moment. Defensively in 2012 the Jaguars finished 30th overall out of 32 teams. There is nothing worth writing about when you have a defense that bad...it can only improve under new coach Gus Bradley.


     The Tennessee Titans have one of the worst signal callers in the NFL with Jake Locker behind center. Unless he completely changes his game around I see Locker having another down year and eventually being supplanted by Ryan Fitzpatrick on the depth chart. Chris Johnson will once again be the focal point of the offense, which he should be...but you can expect plenty of turnover on this side of the ball. The Titans boast a horrific defense after giving up a league high 55 touchdowns. Nothing else to write about here either...just an all around bad team that is going to get worse.