A conversation about the 2015-16 AFC South

The following discussion previews the AFC South.  Earlier previews include: AFC East, AFC West, NFC East, NFC West. 

"Seriously? The same helmet every week?!"

Tennessee Titans

NFL Playoffs: Divisional Round Preview

The Divisional previews below were put together by Russ Morris, with Bryan Harvey (Teach) adding in his two cents after Russ did most of the work.

AFC South Division Preview 2009

In the past, we broke down every team in detail before the start of the season, but this year we decided to view each division as a dysfunctional American family and base our predictions off their family trees.

Family Portrait:

Place of Residence:

While it sounds cliche, "home is where the heart is." This family's most traditional roots are the nation's interstate system. The family member to start this tradition was Bob Irsay, who moved the family's home from an east coast car garage to one in the midwest, and it was continued by Bud Adams when he left Houston for Tennessee, by motorcycle. The grandkids, not having any real roots or an identity, were free to settle anywhere. Wayne Weaver settled in Jacksonville and decided to make a living raising Jaguars in a climate better suited for Gators and Seminoles. This business endeavor has relied on sales gimmicks and pinball machines. Bob Mcnair, longing to reverse the family's tendencies toward mobility, settled in Houston, in an attempt to make good on the promises Bud Adams left broken. His efforts, so far, have resulted only in the death of David Carr.

The family's lack of a hometown has left this family personality driven, rather than relying on historical landmarks and local customs to define them, which could explain the polar extremes of Peyton Manning's drive as a salesman and Vince Young's feelings of isolation, and this lack of deep roots could also be why journeymen and hobos find themselves waking up on the family's front porch like stray dogs.

Vacation Spot:

The family's constant moving never really gave the family the feelings of being trapped at home and needing to get away. Even in retirement, the patriarchs of the family, like Tony Dungy, feel the need to help out underprivileged youth find a better home. Many believe Dungy feels this way because he comes from a family that never really had a traditional home. One AFC South family member tried to go on vacation, but it ended tragically.

Favorite Pastime:

Because of the family's constant movements, no one in the family has possessed the sound foundations to do anything of real accomplishment. When the family does get together, which is rare because the geographical separation has left them with few real connections, they sit around and listen to Peyton yarn war stories. He is, after all, the only member of the family to go into the trenches and come out alive.

Teach's Prediction:

I'll be honest, I don't really know what to make of this division. Tennessee won it last year and went to the playoffs with home field advantage, but no one, outside of Tennessee, ever really believed they were the team to beat. Does the addition of Alge Crumpler on offense make up for the loss of Albert Haynesworth on defense? This team won with defense, and Crumpler's probably peaked. I think I just talked myself out of taking the Titans, which leaves the Colts as the only logical team for me to pick. Call it a belief in Peyton, and me trying to do my part for always taking the wrong side in all those New England-Indianapolis matchups--the Colts really were the better people.

Jacksonville is as unpredictable as hurricane season, but I think their window as the perennial AFC dark horse closed with last year. The receiving core has questions, and Garrard throws almost as many TD's as Int's. Houston is worth keeping an eye on. The schedule looks favorable, with New England as the only game one looks at without any hesitation and says Houston probably can't win that one.

Langston's Prediction:
The question every year in the division is who will challenge the Colts. The Texans have a good young defense and two of the best offensive weapons in the league. However, Matt Schaub's health is always a worry, and with Rex Grossman and Dan Orlovsky as the backups that worry becomes that much more prominent. The Jaguars have a good core defense along with the offensive threats of MJD and Torry Holt, but after those two, there isn't much else, which will impede their ability to contend.

The Titans have the defense, a healthier Kerry Collins, a slimmer and faster Lendale, and new receiving threats. Still, they replaced the defensive player of the year with Jovan Haye. Who?

The Colts also have their issues. With a regime change, Tony Ugoh's bustiness, and the ever-injured Bob Sanders. Yet, they are the most balanced team in the division. They drafted running back Donald Brown, who should help keep Addai healthy. The regime change should go along smoothly, afterall Peyton Manning has been the offensive coordinator for years now. The only question remaining for the Colts is how will the defense hold up. If they do, then the Colts should be on their way to another division crown.

LCB NFL Power Rankings: Week 14

The Texans were expecting improvements this year, but they didn't come. With injuries to key players like Matt Schaub, Ahman Green, and Chris Brown the Texans have struggled to a 5-7 record. But with those injuries came one major positive, they allowed rookie Steve Slaton to move up the depth chart and into the spotlight. Among the rookie backs of the NFL he is currently 3rd in rushing, 2nd in rushing touchdowns, and 2nd in receiving, despite having less carries than his rookie counterparts. The 5'9 back out of West Virginia is averaging an impressive 5 yards a carry and is on pace to run for 1200 yards. He is also becoming one of the reasons the Texans have any semblance of a chance to make it to the playoffs.

At the end of the season, it is probable that he won't receive the same amount of recognition the other rookie backs like Matt Forte and Chris Johnson are getting. But in a couple of years he may end up being the best of the group.

1: (1) Giants 11-1-0
2: (2) Titans 11-1-0
3: (4) Steelers 9-3-0
4: (5) Panthers 9-3-0
5: (6) Buccaneers 9-3-0
6: (3) Jets 8-4-0
7: (8) Falcons 8-4-0
8: (9) Ravens 8-4-0
9: (11) Cowboys 8-4-0
10:(12) Colts 8-4-0
11: (7) Cardinals 7-5-0
12:(10) Patriots 7-5-0
13:(13) Redskins 7-5-0
14:(14) Dolphins 7-5-0
15:(17) Vikings 7-5-0
16:(19) Broncos 7-5-0
17:(15) Bills 6-6-0
18:(16) Bears 6-6-0
19:(18) Saints 6-6-0
20:(21) Eagles 6-5-1
21:(20) Packers 5-7-0
22:(22) Texans 5-7-0
23:(23) Browns 4-8-0
24:(24) Chargers 4-8-0
25:(25) Jaguars 4-8-0
26:(26) 49ers 4-8-0
27:(27) Raiders 3-9-0
28:(28) Seahawks 2-10-0
29:(29) Rams 2-10-0
30:(31) Chiefs 2-10-0
31:(30) Bengals 1-10-1
32:(32) Lions 0-12-0

2008 NFL Season Previews: # 20 Houston Texans

Team: Houston Texans
Division: AFC South
Last Years Record: 8-8
Head Coach: Gary Kubiak
Assistant Head Coach: Alex Gibbs
Offensive Coordinator: Kyle Shanahan
Defensive Coordinator: Richard Smith

Key Losses:
LB Danny Clark
DB Roc Alexander
LB Shawn Barber
TE Jeb Putzier
RB Ron Dayne
WR Jerome Mathis
S/LB Michael Boulware

Key Additions:
CB Jaques Reeves
LB Kevin Bentley
RB Chris Brown
S Nick Ferguson
C Chris Myers
LB Chaun Thompson

Breakdown of the offense: The Texans are coming off their best season in their short existence, and hope to continue the improvements this season. Matt Schaub came in last year and led the offense more effectively than David Carr could of wished for. The offense finished the season ranked 14th in total offense and the sack numbers dove from 42 to 22. That can be mostly attributed to the chemistry Matt Schaub has with Andre Johnson but the o-line needs to be credited as well. For the Texans to keep improving Matt Schaub needs to stay healthy. He missed a total of five starts and left 4 games early due to injuries. They still have Sage Rosenfels as his backup who routinely came in and played like a starter(1684 yds 15 td's and 12 ints). The Texans also added Quinn Gray as an third stringer.

The Texans once again look good at running back, but they do every year until half of their core goes down with injuries. Ahman Green will be the starter, but is coming off of a knee injury. Chris Brown comes in from the Titans, and is a good #2 running back when healthy (which is almost never). They also drafted Steve Slaton of West Virginia, he will be their third down back. He has fantastic speed and can cut on a dime, but is a little small for their ground and pound running game(5'9, 197).

Andre Johnson is a top 5 wide receiver, even with a knee injury he still had a productive season in 2007(851 yds, 8 tds). Andre' Davis was resigned, which means their entire core is back and making it the most consistent group on the team. Jacoby Jones will improve a lot coming into his sophomore season and Kevin Walter has proven he is a solid starter in the league. With this group of receivers, opposing defenses will not be able to key in on Johnson. Making his output more likely to shoot up in 2008. Tight end Owen Daniels is a great target for Schaub but he needs to hold onto the ball better. Mark Bruenner is the backup and is primarily used a blocker in two tight end sets.

The offense will change a little with the departure of assistant head coach/offensive coordinator Mike Sherman, now the coach at Texas A&M. Instead of using some of Green Bay’s gap scheme and Denver’s zone blocking scheme, the Texans will go completely to the zone-blocking scheme. Assistant head coach/ offense Alex Gibbs will oversee the development of the offensive line, which is sure to help improve the blocking in the run game.

Breakdown of the defense:
Super Mario Williams had a breakout year in his sophomore campaign, tallying 14 sacks. The team must be effective rushing the quarterback. If the Texans are unable to apply adequate pressure, the secondary will be exploited, especially in the first half of the season when it will be without corner back Dunta Robinson. Amobi Okoye, needs to improve greatly in his second year if the Texans are going to apply pressure consistently. The Texans will continue to use the 8 man rotation for the defensive which should help keep the pressure on the QB and keep their line fresh.

DeMeco Ryans has emerged as the leader of this defense and has a knack for getting to the ball. He is good is pass coverage and tough against the run, but needs to improve his pass-rushing skills. Morlon Greenwood returns to play alongside Ryans, they work well together and complement each other as Greenwood is a solid run-stopper. At strong-side will be a new face, at this point it looks like Zach Diles job to lose. Rookie Xavier Adibi looks to contend with Diles for the starting gig.

The defensive backs present the most questions for this team. After injuries hit the position hard last season, the backups overachieved and played well. With Dunta Robinson out for atleast the first half of the season and no upgrades at the position their young players will need to step up once again. Fred Barnett and Jacques Reeves will start at corner back, hoping to fill the void left by Dunta. DeMarcus Faggins and Jamar Fletcher will compete at nickel back. Faggins struggled last year and must show improvement in order to win the job. Rookie Antwaun Molden will likely wind up as the fourth corner back. At safety, C.C. Brown and Will Demps return to the starting roles. Glenn Earl is looking to come back from a Lis Franc fracture that held him out for the entire season. He will push to regain a starting spot. Brandon Mitchell, Brandon Harrison, and Dominique Barber with youth, speed, and athleticism will try to win a roster spot.

Special Teams Breakdown:

Kicker Kris Brown connected on 25-29 field goal attempts, punter Matt Turk landed almost half of his punts inside the 20, and long snapper Bryan Pittman has only one botched snap in his five-year career. The entire group returns and should help out the team in a big way. Andre Davis who returned 3 kickoffs for touchdowns will take the departed Jerome Mathis' spot as kick returner and Jacoby Jones will return punts.

Position Grades(with explanations):
QB: B, Matt Schaub is a good starter, just needs to stay healthy. Sage Rosenfels has turned into one of the most reliable backups in the NFL.
RB: C, The Texans have not had any luck keeping starters on the field at running back over the last three seasons. With Ahman Green and Chris Brown being the go-to guys, I don't see any reason why that will change this year.
Wr/TE: B+, Andre Johnson is great even when hampered by injuries, and the rest of the cores improvement will just make him even more dangerous.
O-Line:C-, The loss of Mike Sherman is huge, hopefully Alex Gibbs can get this group to play well in the Denver system.
D-line: B-,Mario Williams is living up to the hype and Amobi Okoye needs to improve, if he does this group has a great future.
LBs: C+, DeMeco Ryans may be the most underrated defensive player in the league and will continue to just get better and better with every year he has in the league.
DBs: D-, Other than Dunta Robinson there is a not a lot of talent in this group, and he won't be back until November. If the d-line can't penetrate consistently, this defense is in a for a long year.

Schedule:
Week 1: Sep 07 @ Steelers 1:00 PM CBS
Week 2: Sep 1 Baltimore 4:15 PM CBS
Week 3: Sep 21 @ Tennessee 1:00 PM CBS
Week 4: Sep 28 @ Jacksonville 1:00 PM CBS
Week 5: Oct 05 Indy 1:00 PM CBS
Week 6: Oct 12 Miami 1:00 PM CBS
Week 7:Oct 19 Detroit 4:05 PM FOX
Week 8: Bye
Week 9:Nov 02 @ Minnesota1:00 PM CBS
Week 10: Nov 09 Cincinnati1:00 PM CBS
Week 11: Nov 16 @ Indy 1:00 PM CBS
Week 12:Nov 23 @ Cleveland 1:00 PM CBS
Week 13:Dec 01 Jacksonville 8:30 PM ESPN(Monday Night Football)
Week 14:Dec 07 @ Green Bay 1:00 PM CBS
Week 15:Dec 14 Tennessee 1:00 PM CBS
Week 16:Dec 21 @ Oakland 4:05 PM CBS
Week 17:Dec 28 Chicago 1:00 PM FOX

Season Outlook: 8 wins, being a good team in a division full of great teams means another year of mediocrity for the Texans. I don't trust this team to contend on a weekly basis with the likes of Indy and Jacksonville, but they can battle it out for third with the Titans. They will need to shore up the defensive back situation if they are going to push for a playoff spot. At least Mario knows how to make it rain.