Losing Anthony McFarland was the second major blow for the Colts in the past few weeks.  McFarland brought a jolt to a suspect Colts’ front four when he was acquired from Tampa Bay last season with his quickness and veteran experience.  Rookie Quinn Pitcoc k is now in the spotlight with an opportunity to take over McFarland’s spot.  Pitcoc k is a blue-collar guy from Ohio State with plays with a lot of effort, but has a lot of limitations.  Darrell Reid and Dan Klecko are young veterans who are try-hard guys who can penetrate and get upfield, but possess size limitations. 

Bill Polian has created a strong football culture that allows the Colts to overcome key injuries similar to the environment that has allowed Andy Reid to work through adversity in Philadelphia.  The Colts will remain a competitive football team with a lot of good athletes on both side of the ball, but will face tough odds to repeat after losing their most talented offensive lineman and now a key factor along their defensive front. 

49ers scare: Mike Nolan had a scare a few days ago when Aubrayo Franklin went down with a knee injury.  Luckily, he should only miss the pre-season, but Franklin also missed a few practices last week with an elbow injury.  Franklin is such an important cog at nose tackle towards building the defense Nolan envision when he arrived in San Francisco.  But after working as a reserve in Baltimore, the only question that arrived with Franklin was proving his durability in a full-time role.  Franklin will need to answer those questions during the season.  Without Franklin in the lineup during camp, the 49ers will get good looks at Isaac Sopoapga and rookie Joe Cohen.  Cohen has opened eyes with his active play, but is more of a tweener type.  He lacks the ideal power to play the nose on an everydown basis.  Sopoaga has the size and power to control blockers in the trenches, but his career has been a disappointment to date.  Sopoaga has worked on using his hands better to gain initial control over blockers and must work on not allowing blockers into his chest.  He entered camp on the bubble for a roster spot. 

Rookie impresses Chargers: The Chargers are intrigued with the natural athleticism displayed by rookie wide receiver Craig Davis in practice thus far.  Davis has the ability to stretch the field and give the Chargers an immediate downfield threat, but must prove he’s tough enough to work over the middle of the field.  Davis is being counted on to fill a prominent role coming out of the gate with Eric Parker out for the early part of the season.  Davis has more size and speed, but they’ll miss Parker’s ability to make a lot of clutch grabs.  Vincent Jackson is also being counted on to take his game to the next level with his blend of size and athletic ability, but still must show he can make tough plays in traffic that true number one receivers make in traffic.  Jackson has been nicked up in the early parts of camp.

McIntosh questions: Damion McIntosh’s knee injury will keep him out 4 to 6 weeks.  Scouts around the league have always had red flags on McIntosh over long-term durability.  The Chiefs must hope they can squeeze an effective season from McIntosh while deciding on their long-term direction at left tackle.  Will Svitek will get a long look the next several weeks and that should provide some indication whether Svitek has any opportunity at becoming a long-term solution at left tackle or whether the Chiefs will have to make this position a priority next spring.  Svitek is a former college defensive lineman who lacks experience on the offensive side of the ball and had knee problems last season.  Svitek has good size and feet, but needs a lot of work.

I always have had respect for Colts’ offensive line coach Howard Mudd.  They’ve never the most talented collection of lineman, but Mudd knows how to mold them into an effective unit as a whole.  Stability has been a strong point for the offensive line over the last several years, but the probable retirement of Tarik Glenn definitely brings about a lot of uncertainty for the Colts. 

Glenn was clearly the most talented of the Colts’ lineman on the offensive side of the ball.  Tom Moore utilizes a fast paced offense and they have a quarterback in Peyton Manning who gets rid of the ball quickly.  That means the lineman don’t have to hold blocks long.  But we are talking about protecting Manning’s blindside against an opponent’s top speed rusher.  That leaves a few question marks heading into training camp. 

Rookie Tony Ugoh is now in the spotlight if Glenn follows through on his retirement talk.  Ugoh was drafted with the idea of being groomed as a potential successor to Glenn in 2008.  He’s very athletic, but needs a lot of work on technique and recognition.  Many scouts questioned whether Ugoh was a football player or just an athlete this past spring during the final draft evaluation period. 

Charlie Johnson might be better prepared as a second-year player.  Johnson did an adequate job spelling Ryan Diem at right tackle as a rookie.  Johnson has good tools and picked up the mental side of the game well for a rookie, but still needs a lot of polish. 

Bentley ready to play: If LeCharles Bentley is really ready to play again, the offensive line will be a unit to watch this season for the Cleveland Browns.  Bentley might never be as effective in space as before the serious knee injury last summer, but he could be a solid run blocker in the middle of what could become a strong unit upfront for the Browns following the additions of Joe Thomas and Eric Steinbach.  With Jamal Lewis at running back, the Browns have a foundation on the ground to build around this season. 

Coughlin’s Leadership Council: Let’s hope it’s not a little too late, but forming a Leadership Council is a positive step for Tom Coughlin in New York to foster better communication between Coughlin and the players.  To make it work, players must stop creating soap operas through the media.  That’s been the biggest problem for the Giants, dating back to Jim Fassel’s years as head coach.  The Giants have a talented group of athletes, but self-inflicted distractions have been a problem for several years that take away the focus on the field.  When you have your best players like Tiki Barber (retired), Michael Strahan, and Jeremy Shockey constantly creating negative distractions, it leaves a major void of leadership in the Giants’ locker room. 

The Indianapolis Colts peaked at the right time last season and enter training camp as clear favorites in the division.  The passing game remains deep and dangerous.  Tom Moore has the ability to create a lot of mismatches with various multiple receiver or tight end sets.  Joseph Addai is the perfect fit for Moore’s scheme at running back.  He displays excellent quickness and possesses a natural feel for the passing game.  But what happens if Addai goes down?  The Colts lack experienced depth.  The front four is very active.  Anthony McFarland looks re-energized with the Colts.  Bob Sanders must stay healthy.  Not only does he fill gaps against the run, but his presence takes this defense to another level.  They lose experience at cornerback with the departures of Nick Harper and Jason David, but Marlin Jackson and Kelvin Hayden possess more upside. 

An enigma hangs over the Jacksonville Jaguars.  They have enough talent to contend for the playoffs, but there are a lot of questions and inconsistencies with this team.  It starts at quarterback.  Byron Leftwich is taking a great approach to his off-season and fits perfectly into Dirk Koetter’s offense, but injuries have always been a problem and there’s an underlying friction with Jack Del Rio.  David Garrard was exposed in extended playing time last season.  The Jaguars also lack playmakers in the passing game.  Reggie Williams is just a guy.  Matt Jones is a bust.  Mercedes Lewis will be worth watching from the tight end position.  His size could create matchup problems. The defense will again keep the Jaguars in a lot of games.  They’ll get strong production from their front seven.  Reshean Mathis makes a lot of plays at cornerback.  The veteran presence of Donovin Darius will be missed, but the Jaguars have new leaders emerging on defense and Gerald Sensabaugh displays good physical skills and flashes the ability to make plays.  Rookie Reggie Nelson should also make an early impact as a playmaker. 

Matt Schaub helps the Houston Texans develop a fresh identity at quarterback.  Schaub displays a good presence in the pocket and brings stronger leadership from the quarterback position.  The offensive line remains a question with Charles Spencer trying to come back from a horrific knee injury.  Eric Winston shows promise though and looks like a solid fit in Gary Kubiak’s zone scheme upfront.  Ahman Green brings credibility to the run game, but lacks the same burst that made him a consistent playmaker in the past.  To get out of the AFC South cellar, the defense must step forward.  They have a young trio with Mario Williams, DeMeco Ryans, and rookie Amobi Okoye to build around among the front seven.  Expect more production from Williams as a pass rusher in his second season.  Dunta Robinson is establishing himself as a leader, but the rest of the secondary struggles to matchup against strong passing teams and struggles to create enough turnovers.

Vince Young has created a buzz around the Tennessee Titans.  Young makes things happen on the field and sets the tone for the offense.  But he’s also erratic in the passing game and needs a lot of work on making better decisions with the ball.  There’s not much support behind Young either.  David Givens faces an uncertain future.  Brandon Jones has shown flashes as a solid intermediate target, but isn’t a playmaker.  The backfield situation is more uncertain.  LenDale White hasn’t shown any responsibility as a pro.  Chris Henry is a phenomenal athlete, but lacks experience.  Chris Brown is a good athlete with experience, but durability has always been a problem.  The defense will play with a lot of effort as always, but there are a lot of limitations across the board.  There’s very little pass rush behind the high motor of Kyle VandenBosch.  Nick Harper will be a quality veteran stepping in for Adam Jones, but he’s not a matchup guy.  The bottom line – the Titans lack playmakers on both sides of the ball.  Only Jeff Fisher’s ability to squeeze wins from this talent base and get timely big plays from Young give the Titans any hope for another .500 finish. 

Houston Texans: They failed to come away with more support to build around new quarterback Matt Schaub, so a lot of pressure will be on Amobi Okoye to become an impact player on the defensive side of the ball.  The Texans are trying to build a strong foundation along the front four of guys who can penetrate and make plays behind the line of scrimmage.  Okoye addresses a thin unit inside and has a lot of upside with his ability to penetrate, but could have a mental and physical adjustment to the league at such a young age. 

Jacoby Jones could make an immediate impact as a return specialist with his speed and athleticism.  He’s a developmental project in the passing game who will need time to learn the pro game and how to run routes, but likely not catch the ball consistently enough to be more than a complement.  Fred Bennett could add some depth in sub packages with his athleticism, but will need to improve his physical skills to develop into a larger role.  Brandon Frye and Kasey Studdard add future depth along the offensive line. 

Indianapolis Colts: Bill Polian again went about finding the best fits for his team.  Anthony Gonzalez has limited upside, but is a very savvy and tough pass catcher.  He’ll be a more durable version of Brandon Stokley working out of the slot.  Tony Ugoh has athletic upside to eventually develop into a left tackle, but must develop more of a football mentality.  He’ll be working with one of the top offensive line coaches in Howard Mudd. 

A couple underrated moves by Polian were the additions of Daymeion Hughes and Michael Coes at cornerback.  Neither was graded high due to below average speed, but both are ideal fits in the cover-2 with good instincts and ball skills.  These are solid additions to replenish depth after losing Nick Harper and Jason David as free agents. 

Jacksonville Jaguars: Numbers at the safety spots were needed after losing Deon Grant and continued worries about the durability of Donovin Darius.  Reggie Nelson has excellent range in the deep areas and isn’t afraid to hit.  The only concern about Nelson is making the adjustment to a pro style defense after free lancing in college. 

Derek Landri could add some depth at defensive tackle in the next year.  He’s a blue-collar guy who relies on hitting gaps.  He’ll be a pesky defender who complements the size of Marcus Stroud and John Henderson.  Justin Durant has intriguing athleticism and should make an immediate impact on special teams.  He displays natural football instincts and could develop into a starter at linebacker within a year or two.  John Gattis should add depth at safety in sub packages with his athletic ability. 

Tennessee Titans:  The success of this class is in the hands of Michael Griffin.  He’s an excellent athlete with tremendous physical skills.  The key for Texas defensive backs is fitting them into a traditional pro defense.  The Titans will try to use his athleticism at cornerback initially with the suspension of Adam Jones.  Teams were all over the board on Griffin because he was inconsistent in college despite his athleticism. 

Chris Henry has excellent size and speed, but never developed into a consistent running back at Arizona.  There are several questions about his mental makeup, similar questions last year with LenDale White.  White and Henry will likely be sharing time in the backfield. 

The Titans have continued to get burned on overrated athletes at the wide receiver position in the draft the past several years.  This class could be no different.  Paul Williams is more of an athlete than football player who doesn’t show much desire for football.  Chris Davis could develop into an adequate backup at wide receiver.  He’s a good athlete, but has inconsistent hands. 

Overall, I have a lot of questions about the Titans’ personnel department over the past few years.  They traditionally have had a strong scouting department of veterans who valued good football players, but have reached and missed on a lot of athletes who lack the passion and instincts to succeed at the NFL level in the past three or four years.