The change in the AFC South
The change in the AFC South
The Titans are getting a lot of love thus far this offseason. It’s been nice to go from the worst team in football where nobody cares about your team, to actually seeing others have interest.
The Titans had a good season. DeMarco Murray was second in the NFL in rushing for most of it and finished third. Marcus Mariota was incredible in the red zone. Jack Conklin proved to be one of the best picks in the first round. Dick Lebeau’s Titans defense is starting to remind people why he’s so highly regarded. The NFL world seemed to notice the Titans.
There’s this mindset that the AFC South is a joke of a division. It is easy to play in and filled with a bunch of pushovers. The Titans surely weren’t good in 2014 or 2015. The Jags weren’t all that good recently. The Texans were decent, but beatable. The Colts went through some rough times when Peyton Manning got hurt. They didn’t seem to transition well from a Peyton team to a Luck team. Some of the Colts special players got old and eventually retired. While I don’t agree with the “joke of a division” thinking, OK OK I can “see” where it comes from.
That’s not the case anymore. “While you were sleeping” they may have become one of the best divisions in football.
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The Texans were without JJ Watt last season…for the most part. While the NFL’s best defensive player was out, one of college football’s best defensive players finally realized his potential. JaDeveon Clowney will now play opposite JJ Watt in 2017. That could be a best ever type of defensive end duo. Good luck to opposing NFL offensive tackles in 2017. I am thankful the Titans have two of the best young tackles.
Is Will Fuller the fastest in the NFL? I don’t know, but he probably just blazed past your team’s cornerback while you were considering it. Braxton Miller was highly regarded during last year’s draft. DeAndre Hopkins is already one of the best wide receivers in the league. The Texans added top free agent running back Lamar Miller last offseason.
Two of everyone’s favorite college prospects last year were Myles Jack and Jalen Ramsey. Ramsey was the defensive rookie of the year. The previous season, Allen Robinson and Allen Hurns lit up NFL cornerbacks that didn’t think they were “as good as advertised.” They had a bust-like wide receiver in Marqise Lee, but he started to realize his potential last year.
The Jaguars GM is something of a magician. Prior to 2016, he spent tons of money to have one of the most impressive free agent hauls in recent memory. Remember all the praise he received last spring? For 2017, somehow they still have tons of cap space available.
The Jags had a bad season last year. When they switched their coach late in the year, it seemed like things came together for them. They scored 58 points in two games. In fourteen days, their offense went from a paltry 150 yards, to 415 yards, to 470 yards. An improvement of 320 yards in fourteen days is…wow!
The Colts have some issues, no doubt. Andrew Luck is not the second coming of Peyton Manning, but do you know who he reminds me of? Dan Marino. When Marino wasn’t part of Super Bowl teams, he had “no line” “no running game” and “no defense,” yet he still threw for a zillion yards and won plenty of games. The arm is different. The style of play is different. There’s plenty of differences, but (with respect) Luck is a similar pain in the neck. The Colts didn’t transition well, as I mentioned earlier. On paper, Luck should not be very successful. Low and behold, Luck throws for 4000 yards, 30 touchdowns, and the Colts have the tenth ranked offense in the NFL. My weak Marino comparison aside, Luck is a force to be concerned with.
Back to the Texans for a second, has the top defense ever added the top defensive player before? They were the top defense in football last season (yards allowed) and they will add a healthy JJ Watt to that unit in 2017.
I think it’s time the AFC South gets some respect. Things have changed.
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