This is my third of eight NFL division previews. While there are still a couple months until training camps, most of the rosters are complete. There could be a few minor changes after some June 1st cuts. There could be some injuries prior to the opening of training camp. However, this is how I see things playing out after the free agency period and the draft. My plan is to focus on one division every Wednesday until I complete the 8 divisions in the NFL.  Here are the links to the other divisions that have already been completed.

a) AFC East 

b) NFC East 

c) AFC South 

d) NFC South 

e) AFC North 

f) NFC North 

g) AFC West 

h) NFC West

The AFC South was among the most competitive divisions in the NFL. The Colts finished with the 2nd best record in the AFC at 13-3. The Jaguars were one of the hottest teams in the NFL to close the season and won an epic playoff game in Pittsburgh. The Titans made the playoffs as the AFC's 6th seed. Finally, the Texans had their first .500 season in the history of their franchise. With so many talented teams the AFC South figures to be a slugfest again in 2008.

Here is how I see the 2008 season playing out in the AFC South.

1) Jacksonville Jaguars
07 Record: 11-5
Points Scored: 411 (6th)
Points Allowed: 304 (10th)
Playoff Result: Lost in Divisional Round
2008 Strength of Schedule: 143-113 (.559) (3rd in NFL)

Strengths: The 2007 Jaguars looked to be in disarray before Week 1 even began. The first team offense was not performing in the preseason and Jack Del Rio decided that the Jaguars needed to go in a different direction at quarterback. He released Byron Leftwich and turned the quarterback reigns over to David Garrard. Garrard responded by posting the third highest QB rating in the NFL with a 102.2. He threw an amazing 18 touchdowns to just 3 interceptions.

While the Jaguars started slowly with a 5-3 record, they won 6 of their last 8 games and became the first team to win 2 games in Pittsburgh in the same season, including their epic 31-29 victory in the NFL Wildcard Round. The Jaguars played the Patriots tough in New England, but ultimately fell to the Patriots 31-20.

While Garrard played at a very high level, the strength of the Jaguars offense was clearly the running game. Fred Taylor earned his first Pro Bowl appearance, as he was selected as the alternate. He rushed for 1,202 yards. Maurice Jones-Drew also had a solid campaign, rushing for 768 yards and racking up 407 receiving yards. He had 9 rushing touchdowns. That combo gave the Jags the 2nd most rushing yards in the NFL, second only to the Minnesota Vikings.

The Jags also did very well on defense. They finished 11th in rushing yards allowed, 15th in passing yards allowed, and 10th in points allowed. The Jags allowed less than 20 points in 10 of their 16 contests. They also ranked 4th in the NFL with 20 interceptions and 9th in the NFL with sacks at 36.

However, they weren't able to generate that same production against the more explosive offenses in the NFL. The Patriots, Colts, Steelers, and Saints were able to torch the Jaguars. They averaged 30 points per game in 6 contests. If the Jaguars are going to make the jump to the elite level of the NFL they will have to force more turnovers and sacks on defense against the elite NFL offenses.

Weaknesses: The Jaguars had two main weaknesses in 2007. First, their receiver production was unacceptable. Earnest Wilford led the receivers and tight ends in receptions with 45. Dennis Northcutt led the receivers and tight ends with 629 yards. That production is not acceptable from a NFL receiving core.

David Garrard should be better just from having completed his first season as the Jaguars number one guy. The Jaguars also made a number of improvements in the receiving core. They allowed Wilford to go to Miami. They replaced him with Jerry Porter who looks
for a fresh start coming from Oakland. They also acquired Troy Williamson from the Minnesota Vikings.

Neither have been productive in recent years do the quarterback situations they had with their respective clubs. Jerry Porter has proven he can put up numbers if given a solid quarterback. Williamson has proven nothing, other than that he can drop balls while in the open. If either of those guys can emerge as a go to target and Reggie Williams can duplicate his 10 touchdown catches from 2007, and Mercedes Lewis can continue to improve; the Jags should be able to generate more offense in their passing game.

Regardless the Jaguars had big guys at receiver that didn't possess breakaway speed. Adding Porter and Williamson was huge in the fact that it gives them a more speed and a more diverse receiving core.

The other area the Jags needed to improve was putting pressure on the quarterback. The Jags had 36 sacks, which ranked 9th. That is a little misleading. Their leading sacker on defense, Paul Spicer recorded 8 sacks. Also consider that the Jags recorded 16 less sacks than the league leading New York Giants, but recorded only 5 more sacks than 19th ranked New Orleans. There was not a lot of separation from 10 through 20 in terms of quarterback sacks.

Furthermore, The Jags must improve in that area if they want to compete against the elite offenses in the NFL. If an elite quarterback is allowed unlimited time, he will destroy the best coverage units in the NFL. In 2007 the Jags just didn't have that one player on their defense that offensive coordinators spend time game planning against to keep away from their quarterback.

They made that their number one priority in the NFL draft. They moved up to the 8th pick in the draft and selected Derrick Harvey. They also selected Quentin Groves out of Auburn. He is a player that can play both defensive end and linebacker. Both players should help the defensive front put pressure on Peyton Manning and the other elite quarterbacks on their schedule. The Jaguars will need those players to contribute immediately to make up for the losses of Marcus Stroud, Grady Jackson, and Bobby McCray. Also, don't be surprised if the Jaguars don't continue to pursue Jason Taylor via a trade. There is clearly a riff between Taylor and the Dolphins front office and while a trade will not be as easy to make as prior to the draft, I would not rule that move out. He would be a huge addition to the Jags defensive line.

Prediction: I think this is finally the year the Jaguars put everything together. Fred Taylor is 32, but has not been worn out in recent years with the emergence of Jones-Drew. He should still have another couple good years left in him. The two form one of the premier running back duos in the NFL.

I expect David Garrard to be more effective in his second year as the full time starter. It will also help him to have Jerry Porter. Porter has a lot of talent and needed a change of scenery. While he alone doesn't make this one of the top-receiving units in the NFL, he doesn't have to. It just needs to have the respect of the NFL defenses. They have more speed this year and should be able to stretch defenses and gain more yards through the air.

The fact is that the Jaguars had a good offense last year. They averaged 30.4 points per game in their last 10 games of the season and averaged 25.5 points per game in their 2-playoff games. This team has come a long way since 2005 when they averaged 22.6 points per game and were held to 3 points in their Wildcard Round loss to New England. Garrard gave them another dimension in the passing game and should benefit from having started a full season. This is his first offseason knowing that he has the job.

They key for me was what the Jaguars did in the postseason and what they did in the draft. This is a team that needed to do well in the postseason to prove to themselves they could play with the top powers in the AFC. They beat the Steelers in Pittsburgh and played the Patriots tough in New England. The one thing they came away with was that they needed to put more pressure on the QB. That was addressed this offseason, even though they didn't acquire Jason Taylor.

I didn't like the fact that they gave up 7 picks to get their two top picks. In the long run that could come back to haunt them and could be key for the Baltimore rebuilding effort. What I did like is they added two players that can put pressure on the quarterback and will have a solid system and players to help them do that. These guys don't need to save the defense. They need to use their strengths to put them over the top.

The Jaguars do have a tough schedule in terms of last year's winning percentage, but some of that is deceiving. I think they made a lot more improvements than Tennessee and Houston. They don't have to play the Patriots or the Chargers, two teams the Colts face. They draw Denver and Buffalo instead. The NFC North is a division with some question marks. Brett Favre retiring means the Packers are probably not a 13-3 team in 2008 and while the Vikings appear to be on the rise, the Lions and Bears have a lot of questions. While Pittsburgh and Cleveland will offer challenging games, Baltimore and Cincinnati should not be very difficult.

What this means is that I think Jacksonville is in position to unseat the Indianapolis Colts as division champs. Furthermore, I look for them and New England to have the best records in the AFC, with the Jags winning the Conference's Number 1 seed.

Jacksonville Jaguar's Record: 13-3 - AFC South Divisional Champion; AFC #1 Seed

2) Indianapolis Colts
07 Record: 13-3
Points Scored: 450 (3rd)
Points Allowed: 262 (1st)
Playoff Result: Lost in Divisional Round
2008 Strength of Schedule: 152-104 (.594) (2nd in NFL)

Strengths: The Colts have been a powerhouse on offense since 1999. Other than 2002, the Colts have ranked no worse than 4th in points scored and no worse than 5th in yards gained. The leader of the offense since 1998 has been Peyton Manning. He has posted a 4,000 yard passing season 8 of his first 10 seasons in the league and has posted consecutive 31 touchdown pass seasons in 2006 and 2007. Last season was his first season where he failed to break the 100.0 rating since 2003. He still had a solid 98.0. His first 10 years in the league have been as productive as any quarterback in the history of the NFL.

The Colts have always had great wide receivers. Last year Marvin Harrison was injured for most of the season. Reggie Wayne stepped to the forefront as the team's number one wide receiver. He posted 104 catches for 1,510 yards and 10 touchdowns. Dallas Clark also had a stellar year with 58 catches for 616 yards and 11 touchdowns. Joseph Addai added balance to the running game with 1072 yards rushing and 12 rushing touchdowns to go with his 41 receptions for 364 yards and 3 receiving touchdowns. Anthony Gonzalez showed promise as a rookie. The Colts may need a bigger contribution if Marvin Harrison's legal problems spill into the regular season. While that situation is bizarre at this point it does not appear to be a major issue given Marvin's strong track record in regards to personal conduct and the information from the investigation that has been made public. I am much more concerned that Marvin Harrison is turning 36 years old and coming off an injury plagued season. He must show that the injuries that plagued him in 2007 are behind him.

The Colts have excellent depth at running back. Kenton Keith had a solid year filling in for Addai and Dominick Rhodes is back with the Colts after playing for the Raiders last season. He is familiar with the offense and should provide good depth behind Addai. Unlike their 2006 Super Bowl season when the Colts ranked 23rd in points allowed, 21st in yards allowed, and 32nd in rushing yards allowed; the 2007 Colts were one of the best defensive units in the NFL. The 2007 Colts ranked 1st in points allowed, 3rd in yards allowed, and 15th in rushing yards allowed. Bob Sanders was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year. The Colts were ranked 2nd in interceptions with 22.

Weaknesses: The Colts are a veteran roster that has won 12 games or more every year since 2003. That is an amazing accomplishment. Still, they do have some question marks headed into the 2008 campaign.

The Colts were not able to put a lot of pressure on the quarterback last season. Their twenty eight quarterback sacks ranked 26th in the NFL. Part of that was due to the season ending injury suffered by Dwight Freeney in the Patriots game. If he is able to comeback healthy the Colts should be able to improve in that department. Still, the Colts are a small defensive unit that is built for speed over strength. They have to rank in the top part of the league in sacks if they are going to justify being that small. If they are giving up a lot of rushing yards and failing to register sacks that is not a good combination.

Losing Jake Scott was also a big loss. He has started 16 games at guard every year since 2005. Not only did they lose him, but also they lost him to a division rival in Tennessee. The Colts did a good job at replacing the retired left tackle Tarik Glenn with Tony Ugoh last season. They will need to do the same thing this season.

The other area the Colts need to worry about is depth at the receiver and tight end positions. Ben Utecht was lost to the Cincinnati Bengals. Bryan Fletcher will have to assume a bigger role in 2008. Other than Harrison and Wayne the Colts lack proven talent at wide receiver. Gonzalez and Moorhead will have to step up their contributions in 2008, especially if Harrison is not at full strength.

The Colts did not have a first round pick, so they were not able to upgrade any of those areas in the draft with a top prospect. They will need to do what they have been so good at since 2003. They need to improve from within and hope that they hit some homeruns in the later rounds of this year's draft.

Prediction: I think the Colts window is slowly starting to close. Drafting so late since 2003 will do that to any team. They are in good shape at running back and while Peyton Manning is 32 years old, he is showing no signs of slowing down. Marvin Harrison is starting to get up there in age, Tony Dungy appears to be nearing the end of his coaching career with the Colts, and it is uncertain that the Colts have the talent in place on defense to maintain their stellar showing last season.

The other difficult thing for the Colts is the 2nd toughest schedule in the NFL. It is brutal. They play the Patriots, Chargers, Steelers, and Jaguars twice. Those are five of the toughest games you could ask for. They also face Green Bay, Minnesota, Cleveland, and Tennessee twice. Those teams aren't nearly as good as the first list, but still very formidable opponents.

I think the Jaguars are closing the gap and the main difference between the clubs was Peyton Manning. While the Jaguars are never going to be better than the Colts in that regard, I think they have closed the gap and are poised to overtake the Colts in a very competitive division. That said, the Colts are extremely talented on offense and have a good enough defense to win a lot of games. I think the Colts still get to 12 wins this season and secure the top wild card position.

Indianapolis Colt's Record: 12-4 - AFC South 2nd Place; AFC #5 Seed

3) Tennessee Titans
07 Record: 10-6
Points Scored: 301 (22nd)
Points Allowed: 297 (8th)
Playoff Result: Lost in Wildcard Round
2008 Strength of Schedule: 139-117 (.520) (9th (t) in NFL)

Strengths: The Tennessee Titans were a surprise team in 2007. Despite adding little at the skill positions and having an offense that struggled to score points, Vince Young was able to manage the offense in only his second year. Behind a defense that was very stingy against the run, the Titans won 10 games and sneaked into the playoffs on the last day. That good fortune was partly the result of the Bengals upsetting the Browns in Week 16 and partly the result of the Colts resting all their players on the final game of the season Regardless, the Titans progressed very well in year 2 of the Vince Young era and played San Diego tough in the wild card round. They belonged on that stage.

The Titans allowed only 92.4 rushing yards per game, which ranked 5th in the NFL. A major reason for that was Albert Haynesworth. He is currently the team's franchise player and has yet to work out a long-term deal with the club. A training camp holdout may be in the future. This is big for the Titans, because this was not the same team without him. They gave up over 30 points a game in Weeks 10-13, including 35 points to the Cincinnati Bengals. All three games were losses and almost kept the Titans out of the playoffs.

The Titans also ranked 10th in passing yards allowed at just 199.2 passing yards allowed per game. They were excellent at putting pressure on the quarterback with 40 sacks, which ranked 7th in the NFL. If Javon Kearse can stay healthy he should help them increase that number in 2008. Their 22 interceptions tied the Colts for 2nd in the NFL.

On offense the Titans had an excellent rushing attack. The Titans ranked 5th in the NFL in rushing yards, led by LenDale White's 1,110 yards rushing and 7 rushing touchdowns. Jake Scott was an excellent signing at guard and could help them open up even bigger holes in their running attack. It will be interesting to see how speedster Chris Johnson will fit into the Titans rotation. They also have speedster Chris Henry, who saw limited time in 2007.

Weaknesses: The one are the Titans struggled with was the passing game. That was the main reason the Titans ranked 22nd in the NFL in scoring. Vince Young had a very poor season in that regard. Vince Young ranked 26th in QB rating with a 71.1. His 9 touchdown passes ranked tied for 24th. His 17 interceptions were tied for 7th, despite the fact that he only threw 382 passes. Jon Kitna led the league with 20 intercpetions, but threw the ball 561 times. Young threw an interception once every 22.5 pass attempts. While he is a great leader and has all the intangible things needed from a star NFL quarterback, he has to improve his passing numbers if the Titans are going to advance deeper in the playoffs.

Part of that problem was the targets that Vince Young had in 2007. Roydell Williams and Justin Gage were their leading receivers. They both had 55 catches. Gage got the better in receiving yards with 750 to 719, while Williams had 4 touchdown catches to Gage's 2 touchdown catches. There are quite a few teams that got better production out of their #3 receiver. If Vince Young is going to take the next step, the Titans have to get some playmakers around him.

The problem is they didn't add any playmakers. I thought the Titans did very well in free agency, but failed to upgrade their receiving core in the draft. If the Titans fail to improve on their 2007 season, I think they will look back to their failure to add playmakers in the draft. The best receiver they added was Lavelle Hawkins, who the Titans selected in the 4th round out of California. The transition from college to the NFL is very tough for a receiver and it is doubtful he will make a huge impact in his first season.

Prediction: The Titans have a very difficult road in 2008. The Jaguars made a lot of improvements in the draft and free agency and the Colts have a very high-powered offense. The Titans went 2-2 against the top of the division in 2007. One of those wins was on the final day when the Colts backups hung in against the Titan starters until the final minutes. It is difficult to see that they have caught up with Indy and Jacsonville given the events of the offseason. They also play Pittsburgh and Cleveland, which could be tough as well.

I messed up on this team last year, because I didn't respect their defense and running game enough. I picked them to finish under .500 and last in the division. The Titans are among the best in the league in those areas and that should be enough to win a lot of games. They were able to win without a potent passing game in 2007, and I am not going to let that fool me in 2008.

That said, I don't see how they did enough to pass Jacksonville and Indianapolis and as the 6th seed. They finished tied with Cleveland in 2007, so it isn't like they had much room to spare. Cleveland has made a lot of improvements in the offseason. I think the Titans finish 9-7 in 2008 and fight it out with Cleveland for that last playoff spot. This season I think the Browns get the better end of that deal.

Tennessee Titan's Record: 9-7 - AFC South 3rd Place; No Playoffs

4) Houston Texans
07 Record: 8-8
Points Scored: 379 (12th)
Points Allowed: 384 (22nd)
Playoff Result: N/A
2008 Strength of Schedule: 140-116 (.543) (6th (t) in NFL)

Strengths: Imagine how the Colts would have done in 2007 had Joseph Addai missed 11 starts, Marvin Harrison had missed 7 starts, and Peyton Manning had missed 5 starts? That is what happened to the Texans with Schaub, Green, and Johnson.

Now, I'm not saying that the Texans trio is on par with what the Colts have in Indy. What I am saying is that the Texans did very well to score 379 points and finish 12th in the NFL in scoring despite having their starting quarterback, number one receiver, and number one running back missing significant time. When you combine that with the division they played in it is amazing that they finished 8-8.

If the Texans are going to compete in this division, they are going to have to keep those guys healthy. That is going to be a difficult task. Andre Johnson has already had offseason knee surgery and will not be participating in team practices before training camp. Ahman Green is 31 years old and has not been consistently healthy and effective since 2004.

The Texans addressed their running back depth in the draft by signing Chris Brown from the Titians and selecting Steve Slaton. While his stock dropped this year, he is going into a perfect zone blocking system for his abilities. Still, the Texans ranked 22nd in rushing yards gained in 2007. If all 3 can stay healthy, the Texans have a good rotation and should be able to improve on that number.

On defense the team is still improving. Mario Williams had 14 sacks in his second season and is still 23 years old. Amobi Okoye had 5.5 sacks as a rookie defensive tackle and is just 21 years old. Those two are developing into what could be a dominant defensive line for years to come. Demeco Ryans played in his first pro bowl and is quickly becoming a solid middle linebacker. He is just 24 years old. If their young defenders continue to progress, they should be able to improve on their 22nd ranked scoring defense.

Weaknesses: The Texans have a number of areas in which they need to improve. They have a lot of good parts, but they need them to perform better in terms of the production they get from their units.

Take the pass rush. As I said earlier, Williams and Okoye is an excellent tandem. But the Texans recorded only 31.0 sacks, which ranked tied for 21st. That means those two combined for 63% of the team's sacks. They have to get more sacks from the rest of their defensive line and linebackers. That lack of pressure also explains why the Texans finished tied for last in interceptions with 11. They drafted Antwaun Molden and Dominique Barber in the draft to help improve the secondary.

The receiving game is another example. Johnson was only 5 catches of the team lead in receptions. He had 60 receptions and Walter had 65. He led the team in receiving yards (851), and receiving touchdowns (8); despite missing 7 starts with a knee injury. They need to get more production out of their other receivers.

The offensive line is also a big concern. That was the main motivation for drafting Duane Brown, an offensive tackle out of Virginia Tech. They will need him to make an immediate impact to protect Schaub.

The Texans just need to find more consistency with their young players if they want to take the jump in this very tough division. It is hard to make strides when the other 3 teams in the division all made the playoffs last year.

Prediction: I like what the Texans are doing, but I still think they are a year away. Their good players are still very young on defense, and while they have good skill position players on offense, they need to get better blocking out of the offensive line if those players are going to realize their full potential.

The Texans have some winnable games on their schedule. They play the Dolphins and Raiders. The Lions and Bears could produce victories. Baltimore and Cincinnati are winnable. The problem is the beginning of their schedule. They play at Pittsburgh, Jacksonville, and Tennessee in 3 of their first 4 games, with their sole home game being against Baltimore in Week 2. Then they play Indy in Week 5. They could easily be 1-4 to start the season. Then in Week 11 they begin a 4 game stretch at Indy, at Cleveland, Jacksonville, and at Green Bay on December 7th.

In the end I look for Houston to have a similar year to last season. They will play people tough and continue to improve, but they are still probably a year away from breaking through in the AFC South.

Houston Texan's Record: 7-9 - AFC South 4th Place; No Playoffs

That is how I see the NFC West playing out in 2008.  I am taking my summer vacation around July 4th and will resume releasing articles sometime in the middle of July.  I plan on releasing my playoff predictions and Super Bowl winner on Wednesday, July 23, 2008.  Thank you to everyone that has followed these previews.  You have made writing these a lot of fun.

As always these articles and many not released on my blog are available at www.fantasyfootballmaniaxs.com. I look forward to reading your comments about what you expect from your favorite team.