1. Indianapolis Colts
After starting out with 13 straight wins, the Colts season ended as bitterly as could possibly be imagined. After the sudden suicide of Tony Dungy’s son James, the team collapsed and lost in the first round to the eventual champion Steelers in the most inexplicable way possible. After the season they lost star tailback Edgerrin James to free agency, but did sign Adam Vinatieri, the most clutch kicker in NFL history. So where does this leave them? The most talented team in the AFC, but they still have holes -especially up the middle- on defense, and until they win, there will be questions about Peyton Manning.
2 Jacksonville Jaguars
Last season the Jags rode an easy schdule - despite playing and beating both Super Bowl teams- to a 12-4 season and a Wild Card berth. The reward? A tougher, but still middle-of-the-pack schedule. This is a young team on the rise, but with the more difficult schedule, one that seems set for a backslide. If the Jags do make it back into the playoff it will be on the back of their defense, led by the best line in football.
3. Houston Texans
The Texans bypassed Reggie Bush in the draft, confident that Domanick Davis would thrive in the Denver-style West Coast Offense installed by new coach Gary Kubiak. Now Davis is out for year with a career-threatening knee injury. It’s been that kind of off-season for Texans, who were roundly mocked in Houston for bypassing both Bush and Vince Young, instead taking defensive end Mario Williams with the first pick. Williams has been up-and-down during the pre-season, but is a quality athlete at a premium position. The Texans actually have a far more solid lineup than previous years, but they are very, very thin.
4. Tennessee Titans
The Titans cut Steve McNair confident in the ability of Billy Volek to handle the job until Vince Young is ready, much like Chris Chandler did for McNair. Then Volek struggled in the preseason and Tennessee signed retread Kerry Collins. The over/under for VY starting is about week eight against Houston. The Titans are simply not very talented nor experienced at this point.
Champion: Indianapolis Colts
Wild Card: None
PREVIOUS: AFC East
Posted by Frinklin at September 4, 2006 01:57 AM | TrackBack