notthatbluestuff Posted September 10, 2022 Share Posted September 10, 2022 (edited) Too long has the AFC South been written off as a non-entity in the NFL, devoid of discussion and attention except among fans in its inner ranks. That has to change. In the northernmost corner of the "south", you have the Colts attempting to find a permanent fit at QB in the form of former MVP Matt Ryan - a fit they've been searching for since the untimely retirement of Andrew Luck. As such, reigning rushing champion Jonathan Taylor stands behind a savvy QB who knows when to throw and when to hand off. They've bulked up on defense with key additions and look to wash away the stink of last season's wet fart of an ending. A few states below, the Titans bring back Derrick Henry for a hopefully healthy campaign in which they attempt to prove that their #1 seed of the previous year wasn't a one-hit wonder. With AJ Brown in pastures new and Malik Willis eagerly waiting in the wings behind a suddenly under pressure Ryan Tannehill, can they do it? In the Deep South, the Texans return Davis Mills after seeing enough from his rookie campaign to proclaim a tentative hope that he's the one to put Deshaun Watson's heady Houston heights in the distant past. With Lovie Smith taking the reigns of a relatively talent-poor roster from David Culley, will the Texans show a measure of progress? Or are they in play for the first overall pick in 2023? And just beyond the Florida Panhandle, a head coach with Super Bowl-winning pedigree attempts to correct course on the botched takeoff of "generational talent" Trevor Lawrence's preordained ascension to the upper echelons of elite quarterbacking. They've thrown cash and band-aids at the roster to make top wide receivers across the league (and Christian Kirk) significantly richer. Travis Etienne will play his long-awaited first season of professional football. Lawrence can also throw to Zay Jones and Evan Engram with Brandon Scherff in protection. Travon Walker, Devin Lloyd, and more are new additions on defense. The question is: have the Jaguars helped Lawrence? Or do we still have to wait to assess him for yet another year? Jags fans will tell us that - it all depends on how he plays. The AFC South is not a joke - miss these games at your own risk. Edited September 10, 2022 by notthatbluestuff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BayRaider Posted September 10, 2022 Share Posted September 10, 2022 Interesting division from a development standpoint… the Jags and Texans are fun builds to keep an eye on. From a competitive standpoint? Hard to imagine more than one winning record. I think the Jags could surprise people and finish around .500 though. Next year this division will be superrrr fun though. The Jags rebuild complete and playoff bound. A competitive Colts team looking for a Super Bowl in possibly Matt Ryans final year. And a Malik Willis led Titans…? Also we’ll see if Mills is legit or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NYRaider Posted September 10, 2022 Share Posted September 10, 2022 39 minutes ago, BayRaider said: From a competitive standpoint? Hard to imagine more than one winning record. I think the Jags could surprise people and finish around .500 though. Tennessee and Indy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BayRaider Posted September 10, 2022 Share Posted September 10, 2022 39 minutes ago, NYRaider said: Tennessee and Indy? I think the Titans are a .500 team this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NYRaider Posted September 10, 2022 Share Posted September 10, 2022 2 minutes ago, BayRaider said: I think the Titans are a .500 team this year. So either 8-9 or 9-8, lol. I don't see how it's hard to imagine the Titans and Colts both winning 9-10 games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter2_1 Posted September 10, 2022 Share Posted September 10, 2022 Leonard being out makes this more interesting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soko Posted September 10, 2022 Share Posted September 10, 2022 It’s still mostly a yawner, tbh. Comparatively, anyway. And this isn’t a pot-kettle thing. The AFCE isn’t going to break any ratings records anytime soon in their divisional games either. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CP3MVP Posted September 10, 2022 Share Posted September 10, 2022 The colts are one of the most overrated teams in the league. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaguarCrazy2832 Posted September 10, 2022 Share Posted September 10, 2022 10 minutes ago, CP3MVP said: The colts are one of the most overrated teams in the league. I dont think they are really rated that highly its just they play in this division so they basically are given a 50:50 chance at winning the division/making the playoffs 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaguarCrazy2832 Posted September 10, 2022 Share Posted September 10, 2022 If Houston had their long-term answer at QB it would be very interesting. Also I'm curious if we see Malik Willis much this season. Vrabel is such a good coach its tough to count out Tennessee even without AJ Brown Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ttitansfan4life Posted September 10, 2022 Share Posted September 10, 2022 41 minutes ago, CP3MVP said: The colts are one of the most overrated teams in the league. Thank you!!! Like Matt freaking Ryan is any better than Wentz. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notthatbluestuff Posted September 10, 2022 Author Share Posted September 10, 2022 29 minutes ago, ttitansfan4life said: Thank you!!! Like Matt freaking Ryan is any better than Wentz. Is this a joke? 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ronjon1990 Posted September 10, 2022 Share Posted September 10, 2022 It's an interesting bad division. That's a good thing though. Indianapolis is the only team I see being competitive right now, and I'm still not totally sold on them. Probably a 10 win quality team that could win a few more by default. Tennessee has been hit and miss, but I think they've greatly benefitted from Houston and Jacksonville being afterthoughts, and I'm not quite sure what their long term outlook is. Probably a 8-9 win team right now that could surprise in either direction. Houston and Jacksonville are absolutely riveting watches right now. In Jacksonville, they brought us the 2021 Warhol disaster. They have the pieces that are "supposed to be good". They brought in a stabilizer HC. They've moved a ton of parts around and poured money into the roster. By contrast, Houston is (for now) building around pieces that are wild cards. They brought in a stabilizer HC of their own. They really don't seem to have gone on a shopping spree. Both appear to be fairly equal in footing right now and there's no telling how it works out yet. Very different approaches to the rebuild so far, and I think both have the capability to surprise in various ways this year. My own team aside, the AFCS is my favorite division to monitor right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FinSting Posted September 10, 2022 Share Posted September 10, 2022 Division trade: you get Bills and Patriots, AFC East gets Texans and Jaguars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nabbs4u Posted September 10, 2022 Share Posted September 10, 2022 4 minutes ago, FinSting said: Division trade: you get Bills and Patriots, AFC East gets Texans and Jaguars. No no no. Tua has to earn the Division Title,not have it gift wrapped for a decade. 😎 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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