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NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Greetings from LP Field, where the Titans will try to slow the Saints today minus starting cornerback Jason McCourty.

McCourty’s recovering from a concussion suffered last week in the win over Buffalo.

Alterraun Verner has been part of the nickel package and will start. That’s not a huge drop off. But now undrafted rookie Chris Hawkins from LSU will come in as an outside corner in nickel.

If I’m the Saints I look to test Hawkins early and often.

New Orleans is without defensive tackle Sedrick Ellis. Tim Johnson will start in his place.

A note from the three other teams of the AFC South:

• Rookie Chris Prosinski is starting in place of Dwight Lowery at safety, with Lowery out.
• Chris Rucker and Jacob Lacey are the starting corners for the Colts, with Mike Pollak starting at left guard for the inured Joe Reitz.
• Jake Delhomme is active as the Texans backup quarterback behind T.J. Yates. Jeff Garcia is inactive.

The full list from Saints-Titans.

Titans:

• QB Rusty Smith
• CB Jason McCourty
• LB Barrett Ruud
• LB Patrick Bailey
• C Kevin Matthews
• T Byron Stingily
• DT Zach Clayton

Saints:

• CB Leigh Torrence
• RB Mark Ingram
• LB Jonathan Casillas
• T William Robinson
• WR Adrian Arrington
• DE Turk McBride
• DT Sedrick Ellis

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Thoughts on the Jaguars’ 38-14 loss to the Chargers at EverBank Field:

What it means: The changes the Jaguars made in the past week weren’t enough to overcome a passing attack able to take advantage of inexperienced corners forced into action because of injuries. All the complaints about San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers went away for a night as he threw for big yardage and three touchdowns, ending a six-game losing streak for the Chargers. Jacksonville fell to 3-9, losing Mel Tucker’s first game as a head coach in the NFL.

What I didn’t like: Short throw after short throw. I understand the Jaguars aren’t built or equipped to air it out regularly, but how about trying something? Blaine Gabbert’s long pass was a 48-yarder to Maurice Jones-Drew -- and it was actually a very short shovel pass that MJD ran a mile with. And while the rookie quarterback looked good on an early scoring drive, the moments that leave the biggest impression are the ones like where he dropped the ball on a scramble and was penalized for batting it out of bounds.

More injuries: Pass-rushing defensive end John Chick left the game with what looked like a serious knee injury and safety Dwight Lowery suffered a shoulder injury that meant rookie Chris Prosinski had to play.

What I’d like to see going forward: There are few spots where the Jaguars can make a change with an eye on the future. But how about right tackle? Bench Guy Whimper and insert Cameron Bradfield, an undrafted rookie out of Grand Valley State the team thinks has great promise.

What’s next: The Jaguars play a third consecutive home game Sunday, this time against Tampa Bay in a battle of underachieving Florida teams.

» NFC Stock Watch: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

FALLING

1. Luke McCown, Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback: Pick the synonym for awful and it fits his game against the Jets: dreadful, horrendous, ugly. Four interceptions got him pulled in favor of rookie Blaine Gabbert, and now the Jaguars’ quarterback situation is up in the air. Whichever quarterback is in the huddle will be hoping for the return of tight end Marcedes Lewis (calf) and receiver Jason Hill (hip), who was unwise to question the hype surrounding Darrelle Revis in a week when he didn’t even play.

2. The Colts’ red zone offense: With Peyton Manning at the helm, this is an area where Indianapolis typically excels. Last season the Colts scored touchdowns on 67.9 percent of their possessions that crossed inside the opponent’s 20-yard line. But as part of Sunday’s field-goal festival in the loss to Cleveland, the Colts moved four yards in six snaps in the red zone before kicking. Their lone red-zone touchdown came when the game had already been decided. Indianapolis’ defense isn’t good enough to make field goals stand up.

3. Pick a guy, Jacksonville Jaguars: The receivers are certainly candidates, as they did little against the Jets on McCown’s bad day. (And Hill embarrassed himself without even playing.) If safety Courtney Greene can be nudged out of the lineup for Chris Prosinski or Dwight Lowery, Greene may have made a case for the move with a poor game. And defensive end Aaron Kampman, who suffered a setback in his return from an ACL reconstruction, missed his second game and won’t play Sunday. The defense misses his leadership for sure.

RISING

1. Cortland Finnegan, Tennessee Titans cornerback: Finnegan was excellent in the Titans' win over Baltimore with four tackles and three passes defended. He was consistently involved for Tennessee in a rebound effort that can’t be underestimated. And with the praise Mike Munchak has offered Finnegan, it sounds like his play so far is the culmination of his leadership during the lockout and a solid camp that featured a short, failed walkout in a contract dispute.

2. Jacoby Jones, Houston Texans receiver/ punt returner: He had an excellent catch on the sideline, tapping his feet to be in bounds, and three catches for 48 yards. His performance is a good contribution in an offense featuring Andre Johnson and Owen Daniels. He also chipped in with an early 40-yard punt return that helped set the tone. On a day the team was without Kevin Walter, Jones did his part to make sure the team wasn’t lacking. Is he becoming more consistent?

3. Matt Hasselbeck, Tennessee Titans quarterback: He keyed a solid offensive day against a Baltimore defense that teams struggle against. A week after he ended a disappointing loss in Jacksonville with a bad interception, he was very accurate. Though Chris Johnson couldn’t get going, the other elements Hasselbeck counted on when he signed in Tennessee came through. He wasn’t sacked and his pass catchers like Kenny Britt, Nate Washington and Jared Cook made plays for him.

Initial depth charts are like all of them -- unofficial and not always accurate.

Still, they are teams putting players and slots on the record.

The Jaguars' release for their preseason debut is out, and a depth chart is a required part of it.

No major surprises, but here’s stuff of note:

• Jason Spitz is the starting left guard ahead of rookie third-rounder Will Rackley.
• Aaron Kampman is at right end with Austen Lane at left end.
• Dawan Landry is at free safety, with Courtney Greene at strong safety. Rookie fourth-rounder Chris Prosinski is Landry’s backup, and Mike Hamlin is behind Greene, ahead of Don Carey.
• D’Anthony Smith is a third-string defensive tackle behind Leger Douzable and C.J. Mosley.
• Fifth-round draft pick Rod Issac ranks as a fourth-string cornerback.
• Mike Thomas is the top punt returner with Deji Karim the top kick returner. Scotty McGee is behind both.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- The Jaguars aren’t looking for parades or pinwheels as congratulations. But in the two years since Gene Smith took over as general manager, they’ve basically gutted the roster. And while setting about a major rebuilding project, they remained competitive with a 7-9 season and an 8-8 campaign.

After another draft and an active free-agency period, they now feel the rebuild is complete.

“There is an expectation level in this league to win, and I think having some horses makes us all smile in this building,” Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio said. “I think we went out and acquired some guys for the second and third level of our defense where we talked about needing some help. ... It’s going to help us be a whole lot better.

“The pressure, the demands, that’s part of what we do, and I love that part of it. It becomes a little more enjoyable when you know you’re getting closer to being on equal footing."

Del Rio’s not buying that the Colts are slipping, and he’s not waiting for them to. The in-house expectation is that this team is capable of competing for the AFC South crown no matter what any other team in the division has going for it.

Bolstered by four upgrades among the top 12 players on defense, Jacksonville is a team that should be much improved. The Jaguars won’t be a popular pick, but they could be a surprise, emergent team.

THREE HOT ISSUES

1. Will there be a quarterback controversy? The team stands firmly with David Garrard and intends to bring first-round pick Blaine Gabbert along slowly. But Gabbert has looked great early, while Garrard tends to be inconsistent. There are bound to be times during the season when there is some pressure to make a change from inside team headquarters, not just from media and fans.

“If we ever get to the point where we think Blaine is better than Dave, that’s good for the Jaguars,” offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter said. “Because I think Dave is good enough to win with; I think we can win our division with Dave Garrard at quarterback. If Blaine is better than Dave, shoot, that’s good for us.”

Del Rio and Koetter could have a complicated job managing how and when to play Gabbert if they feel he’s forcing his way into the lineup.

“I’ve got a healthy appreciation for the desire out there to make it a story,” Del Rio said. “For us, we’re about maximizing our opportunities as a football team, playing the guys who give us the best chance to win games and working on the preparation. ...

“Through the course of competition and exposure and based on health, those factors kind of take care of themselves. I don’t think we have to get ahead of the story. I think we can just let it play out, and at least we are doing so from a position of strength. There is no reason to make it dysfunctional, make it unhealthy. What purpose does that serve? It’s not going to help us win more games.”

It sounds good, but it can get complicated. Garrard’s the guy right now, and the team and the quarterback need to do a better job of making sure he gets hit far less so he can make consistently good decisions with the ball.

Factor tight ends Marcedes Lewis and Zach Miller and running backs Maurice Jones-Drew and Rashad Jennings into the mix with the receivers, and the Jaguars have sufficient weapons to complement a run-based offense. Mike Thomas, Jason Hill and Cecil Shorts could be a better three-pack of receivers than many people think.

2. How much better can the revamped defense be? If this defense doesn’t improve from 32nd against the pass, 28th overall and 27th in points allowed, Del Rio will lose his job.

The team shelled out $37 million guaranteed to three prime free agents: linebackers Paul Posluszny and Clint Session and safety Dawan Landry. The Jags also added nickelback Drew Coleman.

That group, plus rookie defensive backs Chris Prosinski and Rod Issac, should vastly improve the defensive production and depth.

Smith wanted to build foundations early and spent his first two drafts working on the lines. Defensive tackles Tyson Alualu and Terrance Knighton should take up all kinds of blockers and create space for the two new linebackers and the underrated Daryl Smith to make a lot of impact plays.

“Jacksonville’s interior D-line really stood out,” Posluszny said about his research as a free agent. “They’ve got two studs in the middle that are very active, get to the ball a lot and certainly are going to take up a lot of blockers.”

Safety play last season was horrific, and Landry will be a significant upgrade even though he didn’t bring Ed Reed with him from Baltimore.

“I’m not looking for any grace period to assemble this defense,” Del Rio said. "Guys we’re assembling and counting on for the most part are veterans. ... We’re going to expect to play coming out of the gate as a winning football team, and defensively we’ve got a lot of work to do.”

3. Can they play well late in the season? December is a debacle for this team.

In the past three seasons in games played in December and beyond, the Jaguars are 4-11. They need to learn to finish games and seasons better. What can change it?

“I think in Week 13 or something, we had a better record than the Packers did last year,” Daryl Smith said. “They got hot, and who would have thought they would go on to win? That could be us. Why not? We have to try to stay off of that roller coaster, try to be consistent, just get better each week. Steady, steady, steady, then come late November or December, get hot.”

“I’ve been in the playoffs twice since I’ve been here and that’s been the formula. … We can’t feel like we arrived when we have a good game or played well and won a couple games.”

Del Rio says that with a more talented roster, he has to guide it to better work in the last quarter of the season.

BIGGEST SURPRISE

Beat writers and fans call Austen Lane “The Bringer of Pain.” It’s funny. But he looks like a guy who will make it hard for the team to look anywhere else for its second starting defensive end. He can be a ball of fury, and that will fit right in with the tone and tempo of the rest of the defensive front.

BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT

Right tackle Eben Britton came in with a reputation as a nasty player, and the team missed him last season when he was lost with a shoulder injury. I’ve picked him as a breakout-caliber guy this season. But word is he has not been great so far. Perhaps he’s still being cautious and easing his way back, but he needs to take things up a big notch soon.

OBSERVATION DECK

• Two years ago, people were writing off center Brad Meester. But defenses were taking advantage of weak guard play to get to him. He rebounded well last season and is a guy whom coaches love as a reliable offensive line leader.
• Knighton’s weight always will be an issue. The defensive tackle is a great player and superlikable guy. The team cannot hold his fork for him. The more he can control it, the more impact and money he will make.
• Prosinski could well be in the opening day lineup as the free safety. He worked with the first team early in camp and might be up to a pairing with Landry in the middle of the secondary. Rashean Mathis and Derek Cox need to play better at corner, but the Jaguars will improve from the safety upgrades and from the presence of veteran nickelback Drew Coleman.
• Looking for an underdog to root for? How about undrafted free agent Marc Schiechl? He set a Football Championship Subdivision record for sacks at the Colorado School of Mines.
• Scotty McGee isn’t working with defensive backs regularly anymore. Can he stick as strictly a punt-return specialist? He caught 185 punts on one day of camp. And the team should move away from using Thomas in the role, although McGee is hardly the only alternative.
• I like Miller, and the team raves about his potential. But he’s been inconsistent early in camp with too many drops. He’s got great hands, so it seems to be a focus issue.
• Larry Hart may be in the doghouse for coming back from the lockout overweight. At defensive end, he currently ranks behind Aaron Kampman, Lane, Jeremy Mincey and Aaron Morgan.
• Fourth-round receiver Cecil Shorts was great in camp early, and I bet the undrafted crop of wideouts has at least one NFL-caliber guy. Keep your eyes on Armon Binns, Jamar Newsome and Dontrelle Inman.
• Third-year receiver Jarett Dillard is running well after a couple of injuries cost him the bulk of his first two seasons.
• Watch how much better punter Matt Turk gets now that he will be a beneficiary of the Jaguars’ topflight cover guys, Montell Owens and Kassim Osgood.
• The Jaguars may be content to use Jones-Drew, coming off a knee operation, very minimally in camp and preseason games.
• Veteran Jason Spitz has not been on the field yet, but I think the team would like for third-round pick Will Rackley to win the open left guard spot.

The Jaguars needed at least three new starters on defense.

They’ve already added that many. Tania Ganguli reports they are finalizing a deal for former Baltimore safety Dawan Landry, adding him to a free-agent class that already included linebackers Paul Posluszny and Clint Session.

Landry tied for fifth on Scouts Inc.’s list of the top available safeties, just ahead of Melvin Bullitt who is re-signing with the Colts. Here is their scouting report:

“The 2010 season was Dawan Landry's most productive since entering the league 2006. Landry has good size, strength and athleticism for the safety position. He is a quick reactor to fill the alley in run support as well as leveraging receivers in both man and zone coverages. He closes well and shows good range in pursuit. He uses his hands well to shed blockers to stay active to the pile. Landry is a solid wrap tackler who is reliable in the open field. He anticipates well to jump patterns when reading route progressions. Landry is a good player who has developed into one of the best overall defenders on the Ravens' roster.”

How much he benefited from being on one of the top defenses in the league remains for us to figure out. He won't have Ed Reed beside him.

If the Jaguars start a secondary of Rashean Mathis and Derek Cox at corner and Landry and Courtney Greene at safety, they could be OK if the front with the revamped linebackers and a healthy Aaron Kampman can pressure quarterbacks.

I’d still like to see an upgrade over Greene. But Gene Smith indicated at the combine that the team would add one safety in the draft and one in free agency, and the team selected Wyoming’s Chris Prosinski in the fourth round.

Ganguli also reports it looks like the Jaguars won’t reach a deal with Chris Carr. The Baltimore corner is looking for a starting job, but the Jaguars covet him as a nickel.

Reading the coverage ...

Houston Texans

Titans cornerback Kareem Jackson was No. 6 on Bill Barnwell's list of the 25 least valuable players in the NFL.

SI.com's Kerry J. Byrne makes the case for the Texans going after Oakland cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha.

Indianapolis Colts

Jeff Saturday joined the contingent of player representatives and owners meeting at a Manhattan law firm to try to overcome the remaining obstacles to ending the fourth-month-long lockout.

With Donald Brown being the only Colts running back under contract, 2011 fourth-round draft pick Delonte Carter could have a significant role early in his career. "I just want to take my role and expand it by any means possible," Carter told Pro Football Weekly.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Coach Jack Del Rio acknowledged during a recent interview with WFXJ-AM that the lockout has compromised Blaine Gabbert's chances of competing for the starting job. Sportsradiointerviews.com has the full transcript of the interview.

Linebacker Justin Durant could be a target of the Detroit Lions once free agency begins.

Derrick Harvey and David Jones also made Barnwell's list of the 25 least valuable players in the NFL.

Rookie safety Chris Prosinski has spent the offseason in his hometown of Buffalo, Wyo., working out as often as possible and trying to "keep as much structure as I can on a day-to-day basis," according to Pro Football Weekly.

Tennessee Titans

With Kerry Collins out of the picture, the Titans will look to add a veteran quarterback. Coach Mike Munchak: "We’re not looking for a guy that’s not capable of starting and winning games for us. We need someone that can come in here and win, and then have a nice competition between him and Jake Locker and Rusty [Smith]."

Munchak said Collins was undervalued as a player. “He was great to have around, not just for young quarterbacks, but for all of us on the offensive side. People never realized the value of someone like him on your roster," Munchak said.

Reading the coverage ...

Gary Kubiak and Jack Del Rio are among coaches whose futures may hinge on quarterback play, says Steve Wyche.

Houston Texans

The Texans will pursue Nnamdi Asomugha and Gerald Sensabaugh, says Jason La Canfora. Those are two connect-the-dots guys who would make sense for them, though it’ll take major money to land Asomugha.

The offense can help the defense get better, according to Owen Daniels.

Indianapolis Colts

Fans are cranky over the lockout, says Phillip B. Wilson.

Comparing Marvin Harrison to Terrell Owens, with Nate Dunlevy.

Picking up on a mention of Quinn Pitcock in this Dan Pompei piece, Stampede Blue looks at the Colts' defensive tackle issues.

The offense was good on the road, bad at home, which was opposite of the defense, says Stampede Blue.

The guard market from a Colts perspective, courtesy of Brett Mock.

Jacksonville Jaguars

The O-Zone isn’t just John Oehser’s column at jaguars.com. (Read last item.)

What we might expect from Chris Prosinski, from Brian Levenson.

Tennessee Titans

We’re a long way from settling this thing, says David Climer.

Is it finally time for Jared Cook to emerge, asks Drexel Perry.

I’m sorry to say I’ve not been keeping up with this series by Rob Rang. But I found what he had to say about two AFC South newcomers at major positions of need to be quite interesting.

In short: He likes Shiloh Keo as a Texans safety and he’s not all that fired up about Chris Prosinski as a Jaguars safety.

Keo is rated a quality fit:

"I have my reservations about how well Keo will be able to cover against NFL speed, but the primary issue in the Houston secondary the past few seasons hasn't been speed -- it has been a lack of instincts and reliable open-field tackling. In these areas, Keo ranks among the elite safeties in the entire 2011 draft. Keo's initial impact will almost certainly be felt on special teams - where he could prove to be a demon. A playmaking punt returner in college, watch for Keo to make the adjustment to special teams coverage, rather than returning, to be his NFL [specialty]. One might argue that in the fifth round, the Texans should have been looking for a future starter (which I don't know that Keo will ever become), but at pick No. 144, there were few players more guaranteed to make a more immediate impact on special teams, so I see the pick as having good value."

Prosinski is rated a questionable fit:

"It is perhaps a little unfair to characterize Prosinski as a questionable fit considering how badly the Jaguars needed help at safety and the former Wyoming standout's unique athleticism. A three-year starter for the Cowboys, it was a bit of a surprise when Prosinski wasn't invited to the Combine considering his high level of play and the relative weakness of the position. He answered all questions about his athleticism at his Pro Day when he registered a 4.39 40, 39 1/2-inch vertical, 4.28 short shuttle, and 11-foot-2-inch broad jump. That said, I do have some concerns about his ability to transition to the NFL. Jaguars' general manager Gene Smith might be the NFL's most aggressive draft-day talent evaluator. This pick might turn out well like some of his past selections, but in my conversations with other teams' scouts, this was viewed as a legitimate reach."

More interesting stuff on what may be the most interesting position in the division, and by interesting I mean weak. (Indianapolis’ Antoine Bethea is a stud. Tennessee’s Michael Griffin can be good but is very inconsistent. Indianapolis’ Melvin Bullitt is reliable. Beyond that, what’s to like?)

According to Pro Football Focus, Bethea ranked ninth in the NFL in tackle attempts per missed tackle. Remarkably, Reggie Nelson, who couldn’t tackle at all at the end in Jacksonville, ranked 16th in his first year in Cincinnati. People must have been falling down at his feet.

On the other end of the spectrum: Jacksonville’s Sean Considine was the sixth worst safety in the league with a missed tackle every 5.1 attempts, Indianapolis’ Aaron Francisco (who was about fourth string) was eighth at 6.2 and Griffin was 19th at 7.0.

What wasn’t addressed in the draft and could be a free agency focus for the Jaguars:

Linebacker: The team didn’t think it was a great draft for linebackers, but clearly has plans to address the position in free agency. The Jaguars could be looking to add two as it doesn’t appear Kirk Morrison or Justin Durant are in their plans going forward. The line gets a lot of blame for the lack of rush and the secondary takes the fall for the pass coverage, but an upgrade at linebacker can have an affect on both.

Defensive end: It’s not easy to find an edge rusher, but a lot of us figured they’d land one in a draft that was loaded with them. They went other directions, and now can still use someone who will add pass pressure and be a final piece of the defensive line rebuild.

Defensive back: They added a free safety in Chris Prosinski and a nickel corner type in Rod Issac. Odds are that’s not the end of the moves in the defensive backfield. Safety is more pressing to me still. Relying on Courtney Greene and Prosinski would be asking a lot, and a veteran in the mix could be a boost. Overall the team could still add two to four players on defense.

I’m obsessed with the Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars issues at safety. It’s a serious, serious architectural flaw to reside in Peyton Manning’s division and not do better work to ensure you can cover the deep middle and help your corners.

It’s a terrible year to need safety help from the draft. But I like what Houston and Jacksonville have tried here. They each drafted a guy with a narrow skills set who can, hopefully, take care of one job well though he may be lacking on the other end of the safety spectrum. It strays, certainly, from the desire a lot of teams have to play two safeties who are interchangeable.

Mel Kiper says Jaguars fourth-rounder Christopher Prosinski from Wyoming has good speed and range and can play smart football in deep patrol. Great, give him a chance to earn a job playing centerfield and find a sure-tackler who can come forward in run support to be the strong safety. (One better than Courtney Greene, if possible.)

A guy, perhaps, like Houston’s fifth-round safety, Shiloh Keo from Idaho.

Keo didn’t run well at the combine, but Kiper says he’s a big-hitter who flies around. PFW says he’s actually best as an extra linebacker. He’s drawn comparisons to outgoing Houston strong safety Bernard Pollard and Baltimore’s boxing safety, Tom Zbikowski.

Prosinski and Keo will both be special team contributors.

Will they take away room for Manning to throw or room for Chris Johnson to run? That’s a leap to project within an hour of learning who they are.

But it seems like each teams see qualities in its guy that might be able to make their defenses a little bit better.

I’d still root for a return to four-year free agency at the conclusion of the lockout and keep the phone numbers for Eric Weddle, Melvin Bullitt and Michael Huff's agents handy.