With the first week of the new season in the books, is the AFC South now up for grabs? Could we be watching the fall of a dynasty, and the emergence of a new team wanting to be crowned "King of the South"? Tough to say, especially with all the injuries that seem to be unfolding.

I know most people will disagree right off the bat, that it is way to early do answer that type of question. Well, maybe it is? But, let me point out a few reasons why I think (at this point in time) the AFC South is no longer the power house that it has been in years past, and it's wide open for whatever team wants to step up! 

1. Payton Manning is not 100% and I think his knee is bothering him a lot more then what he is leading us to believe. Without any preseason games under his belt this season, his timing was off and it showed. 30/49, 257 yards passing, 1 TD, 2 INT's, 2 sacks. Puting pressure on Manning is going to be key for any team, and trust me they are going to be chasing him! Add to that, Addai (RB) is questionable for next week and Harrison (WR) had another fumble resulting in a TD.

2. David Garrard had a shaky game at best. Not the Garrard that we watch against the Steelers in the wildcard game. 23/35, 215 yards, 1TD, 2 INT's, 7 sacks?  Jones-Drew (RB) & Taylor (RB) combined for 57 total yards. If that wasn't bad enough 3 of thier offensive linemen are going to be out for 5 weeks. It doesn't get any easier facing the Bills after the big win their coming off of.

3. Vince Young is waiting on the results of an MR done on his knee today. They have not released any other information at this point. There were however reports that Police were called to try and help locate VY when he went missing earlier today. Go figure? He was said to be "emotionally down". This doesn't seem very promising for Titans fans, who booed him off of the field anyway. He went 12/22, 110 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT's, 1 sack. 

4. Matt Shaub is suffering from Carr-itis. He didn't have a good opening day against a stellar Steelers defense. He seemed uncomfortable from the begining and was rushing almost everything he threw.  He finished 25/33, 202 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT's, 5 sacks. Green (RB) is day-to-day with an ankle injury and Slaton (RB)  rushed for 43 yards on 13 carries. Without a running game, and not allowing Shaub time in the pocket, the Texans best weapons (WR) are not being utilized.

So, with that said.........We might be seeing a changing of the guard at the top spot, but only time will tell at this point!   

With the start of the new season only 24 hours away, the Texans find themselves in uncharted territory. Just two years removed from a dismal 2-14 record, the Texans finished with a franchise best 8-8 last year. Most would agree that the Texans would have made it into the play-offs if injuries didn't play a key role in stopping them. They lead the league last year with 17 people on the injury list. Despite having so many people out last year, only 3 remain on the IR from last years team. Good news heading into the new season.

There are, however, a few key things the Texans are going to have to do if they want to improve from last years record and take the next step in becoming a play-off team. It's not going to be easy, but it can be done.

1. Division wins- The Texans finished 1-5 in divisional games last year. Granted the AFC South is probably the toughest division around, but you need to improve on your win/loss record within your own division. This is the overall breakdown since 2002. Colts 1/11, Jaguars 7/5, Titans 2/10

2. Stay Healthy- Schaub (QB) missed 5 games and part of two others last year. Johnson (WR) missed 7 games. Robinson (CB) missed 7 games. Green (RB) only 216 yards. Still, even with all the injuries the Texans had, they still managed to set franchise records in- points, average yards per play, touchdowns, passing touchdowns, total yards per game, kick-off returns, punt returns, and sacks. Not bad!

3. Protect the ball- We all know that turnovers kill a team, and the Texans have had problems in the past with turning the ball over.

4. Touchdowns not Field Goals- Not to take anything away from Kris Brown, who is probably the best Kicker out there, but the Texans need to score touchdowns in the red zone to compete with higher caliber offenses. 

Expectations could not be higher for this team and the fans. Coach Kubiak has made some good moves, but there are still a few pieces missing from the puzzle. Dunta Robinson will be a big help on the defensive side when he returns in six weeks. Steve Slaton (RB) has shown some skills in the preseason. I think he will be a difference maker and help the running game out tremendously. Mario Williams is coming off a season high 14 sacks and should only improve on that. The addition of some new key players are going to make this a team to watch. 2 months ago I said the Texans would finish 8-8 again this year. I hope they can prove me wrong.

Okay, I get it, Micheal Vick did something wrong! We all know this already! He went to court, he turned himself in, he got sentenced, he is moving on. What is the problem!  Why is it that there are still a 100 blogs being posted on Micheal Vick? It's time to accept it and move on. I know that there are people who support him and want him free, and there are people who want to see him locked up for good. I am one of many that happens to like Micheal Vick as a player. But I also still believe in something called the  judicial system. It's been in place for years. We all know it, some of us even fear it. I have always been brought up with the saying " if you do the crime, then you do the time". Reguardless of how much involvement that you played in it. Even if you had the smallest part, you are going to suffer some type of repercussion. Two years might seem to long for some and not enough for others. The point is its finally over for everyone involved. Let it rest already. Find another topic to write about . Close this chapter in his life and learn to move on like he is. Is that to much to ask?  

Who will win the NFC wildcards?

With 13 weeks of the NFL in the books, the playoff picture is just about ready to be etched in stone. Three NFC divisions have clinched, 2 of which were no surprise (Dallas in the East and Green Bay in the North) with Seattle winning the West and the NFC South still open because of Tampa Bay’s inability to beat the Texans Sunday. Now Tampa Bay will have to wait one more week since the New Orleans Saints beat the Atlanta Falcons on Monday night. Don’t worry Buc’s fans Tampa will clinch next Sunday. That will leave room for only 2 more teams to hold the 5th and 6th NFC wildcard positions. Who will they be you ask?

 This, in my opinion, was one of the easiest decisions I have had to make today. It was harder for me to decide if I should actually wait and post this after tonight’s game to see if the Saint’s actually do win. But then again their playing the Falcon’s and it really doesn’t matter anyway, win or loose, both teams are done for the year.

 With that said my fist pick is a no-brainer. The number 5 wildcard position goes to the New York Giants. When they started 0-2 two people began to question the running game or lack there of one. Then they manage to pull off 6 straight wins which put them in a really good position. With key wins against the Redskin’s, Lion’s, Eagle’s, and the Bear’s they solidified a wildcard spot. Even though they have 2 tough games of the remaining three left, look for them to win a least one more. That is assuming the Patriot’s don’t play their starters for the last game of the season. Maybe they pull off two more wins. It will make no difference they are a lock right now anyway. To take this a step further let me say that the Giant’s looked good at times but play a little to inconsistent to make much noise in the playoffs. Look for the Giants to beat Tampa in the first round but lose to Dallas in the second.

 My second pick is a little more interesting. My number 6 wildcard position goes to the Minnesota Vikings. With only a 7-6 record they have been playing a lot better in the second half of the season. They have won 4 straight and the defense has stepped up to the challenge. Adrian Peterson has proved he is the next running back to beat. He has become a strong rookie of the year candidate, already a lock and winner in my book. The Vikings are an interesting team, they have improved on both sides of the ball and proved that they are a force to be reckoned with. With 3 more games left against the Bears, Redskins, and Broncos they shouldn’t have much to worry about. If I was a Seattle or Green Bay fan I would be cautious about this team. Even though the Packers have swept the series, this is a much improved team. I think they will beat Seattle in the first round and give the Packers a run for their money in the second round.

I know that there are some Lions, Saints and Cardinals fans not liking my last pick. But unless your team goes 3 and 0 in the next 3 weeks,  your not going to make it. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but facts are facts. 

When the Texans started off the season 2-0 things were looking rather good. Finally, we would have a chance in the hardest division around. The AFC South. But like every good dream you have to wake up and face reality. Injuries were the Texans reality, and they began to take place on a regular basis. What started out so promising, slowly began to fade away. What was once a dream became a nightmare that we couldn't wake up from. With each lose came another injury, and they began to pile up. Most of them at key positions.

 To date the Texans have 17 people on the injured list. (9 on offense, 8 on defense) The most in the NFL, but not a record any team would want to be noted for. With that said, the Texans back-ups stepped in to fill the shoes of their fallen teamates. Through the first few games you could see the lack of experience and leadership. We were given a glimpse of the all to familiar Texans of old. Could this be a repeat of what we were used to seeing the previous years? Would we have to wait again and say to ourselves that this is a team being built from the ground up? I don't think so. The back-ups stepped up in a big, big way. They have showed a desire to win and have proven to themselves, to us, that they could do it. The dedication and the heart to win as a team was shown against Tampa Sunday.

Tampa Bay came into Houston with a chance to clinch their division.(without help) and couldn't do it. The Texan's played like they played at the begining of the season, but this time it was with most of their back-ups. This wasn't the Texans of old I was watching, but a much more improved team, that played like a team. Finally! I was the first to write the Texans season off because of all the injuries they have sustained. But when you look back at the positive things that have happened, this is one you could really build off of.