2008 AFC South Preview

The AFC South division has grown stronger in each of the past two seasons and there is no reason to expect anything less this year. The Jacksonville Jaguars have something to prove to NFL fans that they can indeed compete with the best in the AFC. The Indianapolis Colts defense did a complete 180 last season and became one of the top ten best in the NFL, though it was not enough to vault them into the Super Bowl. The Houston Texans have started to come into their own, thanks to the team drafting defensive end Mario Williams instead of Reggie Bush two years ago. Will Vince Young continue to improve his passing game enough to help carry the Titans back into the playoffs? Will a team from the division represent the AFC in the Super Bowl? Here is how we can expect the season to unfold for the AFC South.

1^st Jacksonville Jaguars (Record 12-4 Division Champions)

Every year the Jaguars move closer to competing with the Indianapolis Colt, the question is will the moves they made in the off season be enough to make the final push past their division rivals. Quarterback David Garrad will be entering his second full season as the signal caller for the Jaguars. Though he was efficient in 2007, he will need to be more aggressive with his decision making this year while keeping his low interception rate. To help open the passing game, the Jaguars will use Maurice Jones-Drew and Fred Taylor at the running back position. The two backs racked up close to 2,000 yards on the ground in 2007 and expect more of the same in the coming season with Jones-Drew leading the charge. The Jaguars did make a move in the off season to find another receiver to go with Reggie Williams who hauled in 10 touchdowns last year. They brought in former Raider Joey Porter to provide Garrad with another deep threat. Porter has been dealing with a hamstring injury this preseason and will need to be 100% healthy if Garrad is going to take his game to the next level.