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Will lower rookie salaries invite a competing league? An interesting angle I had not considered from Scott Bolander.

Houston Texans

Wade Phillips looks to build on his track record for quick turnarounds, says Craig Malveaux.

Brad Maynard is the new punter, Ty Warren is getting a look, Lawrence Vickers is in play and Brian Cushing is almost back from January knee surgery, says John McClain.

It’s odd seeing so many quality players on the sideline for practice at this point, says McClain.

Given DeMeco Ryans' situation, Stephanie Stradley considers how guys come back from Achilles injuries.

Andre Johnson put the sell on Johnathan Joseph at Fred Bennett’s wedding.

Indianapolis Colts

The Colts' offensive line is something to worry about, says Bob Kravitz.

Curtis Painter is the No. 1 quarterback while Peyton Manning is out, writes Mike Chappell.

Reggie Wayne said he would not be in camp if his contract was an issue, writes Chappell.

Chappell’s reserving judgment on Jamaal Anderson.

Blair White is on the PUP list and we don’t know the injury, says Tom James.

With Charlie Johnson gone, the Colts have to sign a veteran tackle, says Stampede Blue.

Jacksonville Jaguars

So far Blaine Gabbert looks the part of a franchise quarterback, says Gene Frenette.

The defense is being paid handsomely, says Vito Stellino.

Marcedes Lewis isn’t looking for Antonio Gates money, says Tania Ganguli.

Aaron Kampman says free-agent acclimation varies player to player, writes John Oehser.

Keep defensive expectations reasonable, urges Shane Clemons.

Tennessee Titans

Will Barrett Ruud be an upgrade over Stephen Tulloch? John Glennon considers.

The Titans re-signed a significant trio in Ahmard Hall, Dave Ball and Jacob Ford, says Jim Wyatt.

Kenny Britt is still out, says Wyatt.

Matt Hasselbeck learned early from Brett Favre. David Boclair asks if Hasselbeck can now do the same for Jake Locker.

Our periodic look at the best and worst draft picks by position for each team moves to cornerback. We’re looking at draft results since realignment in 2002, since that’s when the Texans came into existence and gives us the most level comparison…

Houston Texans

Best: Dunta Robinson, taken 10th overall in 2004, lived up to his first-round pick status for a good segment of his career. He tops three categories in the team’s record books, with six picks as a rookie, 13 in his career and two seasons leading the team in interceptions. I understood not paying him big bucks and allowing him to leave as a free agent before the 2010 season. But the Texans failed to sufficiently replace him and had a brutal pass defense last season.

Worst: Fred Bennett (fourth-rounder in 2007) had some well-documented struggles and Antwaun Molden (third in 2008) has never lived up to his initial training camp, but Vontez Davis wins the honor here. A sixth-rounder from 2004, he also got a look from Chicago and time on the practice squads in Indianapolis and Pittsburgh but never played a game in the NFL. (Nevertheless, this autographed picture of him as a Texans still goes for $15.99.)

Indianapolis Colts

Best: Perhaps it’s projecting a bit, because his best football is surely ahead of him, but Jerraud Powers was an excellent find out of Auburn in the third round in 2009. He was the team’s best cornerback last season before suffering a season-ending right forearm injury and looks to be the kind of piece that continues to sustain the franchise -- a real find outside of the first couple rounds.

Worst: Daymeion Hughes was a third-round pick out of Cal in 2007 who later became known as Dante Hughes. Under either name, he never proved he could cover effectively for Indianapolis. He played in 24 games in two seasons and couldn’t stick beyond that. He’s been with San Diego the past two seasons.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Best: Rashean Mathis was a little known guy coming out of Bethune-Cookman in 2003. But the Jaguars spent a second-round pick on him and got a starter from Day 1. He has started every game he’s played, and has missed just a dozen games in eight seasons. In the past two years, a new regime swept out a lot of veteran guys. But Mathis has remained a fixture.

Worst: Scott Starks was a third-round choice out of Wisconsin in 2005 who never really qualified as more than a nickelback and hardly provided what Jaguars with an answer in the secondary. He lasted five seasons and played in 54 games, but started only one and recorded only two interceptions. Sure you’d like the Jaguars to have found a gem out of Steve Smith (seventh-rounder in 2002), Chris Roberson (seventh, 2005) and Dee Webb (seventh, 2006) but expectations for all of them paled in comparison to a third-rounder like Starks.

Tennessee Titans

Best: The Titans did much to bail themselves out of failed first-round picks at the position like Pacman Jones and Andre Woolfolk by hitting on Cortland Finnegan out of Samford in the seventh round in 2006. While he has dropped off since an All-Pro 2008, he still ranks as a ridiculously good find with the 215th pick.

Worst: The Titans needed Woolfolk to become a fixture in the secondary when they spent the 28th overall pick in the 2003 draft on him. But he never showed any consistency and ultimately qualified as a bust, with just 11 starts and three interceptions in four years. He failed to emerge as a player who ranked ahead of a seventh-rounder like Reynaldo Hill.

The secondary has to cover better. The pass rush has to help by hurrying quarterbacks more often or getting them off rhythm.

Certainly the personnel deserves a lion’s share of blame for what’s wrong with the Houston Texans so far.

The players are the ones who compose the league’s 32nd-ranked pass defense, after all. They are the one’s giving up an average of 329.6 passing yards a game and 8.34 yards per pass attempt. They are the ones quarterbacks are tossing it over and between while mounting a gaudy combined passer rating of 104.0.

Still, they aren’t the only culprits here.

Coach Gary Kubiak and general manager Rick Smith crafted this roster. When they trimmed it on cut day, they decided the Kiddie Corners -- starters Kareem Jackson and Glover Quin, nickel guy Brice McCain and backup Sherrick McManis -- would suffice.

The formula, however, counted on a few things that haven’t happened yet:

• Quick and steady growth by the corners.
• An improved pass rush that would force quarterbacks to hurry.
• A high-scoring offense that would mean it was OK if the opponent could mount yards and points.

After two weeks, I thought it was too early to worry. Now, however, the team still doesn’t get a check-mark on any of those.

This leaves a stand-up guy like Quin saying: “If you can’t stop it, they’re going to continue to do it. That gives us a chance to make a bunch of plays in the pass game and put on film and show the league you can’t just sit there and throw the ball on us. But it’s going to take more than one game to stop the pass until we weather the storm and get out of it.”

Let’s circle back and take on those three issues one at a time.

1) The corners are struggling, with first-rounder Jackson topping the list. It seems the Texans are asking a lot of him awfully soon. Maybe it hardens him quickly and we see a growth spurt.

In the meantime, however, when they want to scale him back as they did Sunday in the home blowout at the hands of the Giants, the alternative is to use McCain as the second corner, with McManis, a fifth-round rookie, in the nickel package.

I had no problem with the team admitting Fred Bennett and Jacques Reeves were no longer useful and letting them go. But at some point after they decided to let Dunta Robinson walk (he wasn’t worth the money) and they failed to land Leigh Bodden (he may have used them to secure a deal in New England), they needed to add a veteran with the potential to be a useful reserve who can at least calm panic and be average.

Who? I don’t know. But players like Walt Harris, Ellis Hobbs, Lito Sheppard and Benny Sapp changed teams and have roles where they are. Rod Hood might have been the same sort of guy had he not gotten hurt.

One of them or someone else could have provided more than Karl Paymah, the current veteran on the bench who’s still learning the system. You need a guy who can fill in if the kids need a break and can be a resource to them -- though Quin said talking to a veteran isn’t such a huge help, that young guys simply need to learn through experience.

Barring injuries, I think it’s an architectural mistake when a team doesn’t have a reasonable mix of youth and experience at a position group. This qualifies as that.

Smith disagrees.

“I can’t tell you that I have ever really sat down and said, ‘Gosh, we’ve got all young guys in this group, we need a veteran,’” he said. “Because if all the young guys are playing well, you don’t need a veteran. It’s difficult to look at it that way. ...”

“When you make a decision to go young, particularly in the secondary, you do that with the full awareness that there are going to be some growing pains. We certainly are experiencing some of those. But you do that because you are betting on the upside. And you know once you learn those lessons and get through some of those tough experiences you’re going to have a group of players that is capable of playing together for a while at a high level. I believe they’ll answer the call and we’ll play good defense.”

Players want to prove that Smith and Kubiak did the right thing, Quin said.

“Those guys see something or saw something that they felt like, ‘We’re going to go in this direction and it’s going to be good for us,’” Quin said. “So I don’t feel like just because we started off the season and we’re last, this was a bad decision. We’ve got to play better and make it a great decision. They stuck their necks out for us, now we have to go out and perform for them.”

2) The rush got only one addition of note, tackle Earl Mitchell, a third-round pick. Connor Barwin, a rush-specialist end, was lost for the season with an injury suffered opening day, which hurt as he was in line to be the most improved player on the team.

But the Kubiak-Smith duo doesn’t appear to have done enough here either, expecting patience would pay off with growth that we simply haven’t seen.

They hope Mark Anderson or Adewale Ogunleye can catch on to what they are doing and ultimately help replace Barwin. A second rushing force to go with Mario Williams is crucial, and a better rush would offer a lot of relief to the defensive backs.

The Texans have faced very good quarterbacks so far.

Still, according to ESPN Stats & Information, they have thrown 147 passes against the Texans when they’ve rushed just four defenders, completing 111 of them for a 75.5 percentage and 1,352 yards. Those are the highest number in the league in each of those categories.

With a four-man rush, the Texans have given up eight touchdowns, a 110.1 passer rating and recorded only four sacks.

For context: The Tennessee Titans have faced 10 fewer pass attempts against their standard pressure and have 10 more sacks than Houston in those situations.

“I think Mario Williams has been great,” said Matt Williamson of Scouts Inc. “Fulfilling all of his vast and amazing potential. But the rest of the crew is letting him and their terrible pass defense down.”

3) It was reasonable to expect that the Texans, who felt they’d made great strides in balancing out the offense and running in the red zone, would improve from 10th in scoring a year ago. Overly reliant on the pass, the 2009 Texans averaged just more than 24 points a game.

Matt Schaub’s got enough on his plate with his own struggles, which include an adjustment to coordinator Rick Dennison and a balky ankle for Andre Johnson.

Now as the leader of the offense, he sees his counterparts slinging the ball all over the field and has to be feeling more pressure than he should to get some crooked numbers on his side of the scoreboard.

With no major personnel change, the team’s gotten a touch less than that while allowing nearly a touchdown more a game. It’s hit 30 points in three wins.

But in two hard-to-swallow blowouts, the Texans' offense struggled. It didn't get a touchdown against Dallas until under two minutes were left. It didn’t find the end zone against the Giants until the third quarter.

“We’ve hit a couple of rough patches, but that’s expected,” Smith said. “I’ve got total confidence in our guys and that we’ll make plays and continue to play good on offense.”

Houston’s been outscored 78-40 in the first half. The offense can do more to keep the Texans in a tough game.

It wasn’t a popular decision. It wasn’t ideal, either. But the Houston Texans like their three young corners and decided their up-and-comers can handle two games a year against Peyton Manning as their franchise tries to keep up with the Colts.

So first-round pick Kareem Jackson and second-year man Glover Quin will start Sunday at Reliant Stadium. In the nickel package, Brice McCain will take Glover’s spot outside as Glover shifts to the slot.

This piece on the "Kiddie Corners" from Dale Robertson suggests they have the right bravado for the job. Quin told his wife he’d like his first pick to come against Manning, and that if it did he’d try to get the quarterback to sign the ball for him.

McCain already picked off Manning, in a 2-minute situation last year in one of the Texans' two losses to Indianapolis.

I talked to McCain this week, and he said the trio isn’t looking for a game to ease into things. They like going against a top-flight passing offense immediately.

“It doesn’t matter who we play, you’ve got to go in with the same mindset that you’re a veteran corner,” he said. “As a whole group we have to come in and try to be consistent. No matter if it’s Peyton in front of you, no matter what receivers are in front of you.”

“… We’re just three young corners trying to make a mark. … We’d get a lot of respect from a lot of teams if we came out and played well against Peyton. But one game isn’t enough. We need to do it game-in, game-out. We’re trying to be respected around the league -- that’s one of our goals.”

While he wasn’t always involved, McCain estimated the Texans played 80 percent nickel in their two games against the Colts in 2009. Minus suspended outside linebacker Brian Cushing, the Texans could be even quicker to turn to it if they prefer having McCain on the field to Cushing’s replacement, Xavier Adibi.

Reggie Wayne tends to stay on the left for the Colts, though they sometimes put him in the slot. Otherwise, McCain said the defensive backs expect a mix of Pierre Garcon, Anthony Gonzalez and Austin Collie along with Dallas Clark.

The Colts have offensive line issues, and pressure from Houston’s front that makes Manning work faster than he would like is something those corners will need to hold up.

“That’s every game,” McCain said. “If you want to be a great defense, a great secondary, it starts with the front.”

It’s a trial-by-fire scenario, though Quin got excellent experience in his rookie season and McCain got some. The Texans have talked up how NFL-ready Jackson is as a result of playing for Nick Saban at Alabama.

It’s not like the Texans have veteran insurance behind them. The oft-injured Antwaun Molden, who's been out this week with an ankle issue, is in his third season and two other rookies are backups -- Jamar Wall and Sherrick McManis. Gone are veterans Dunta Robinson, Fred Bennett and Jacques Reeves. It’s hard to blame the Texans for giving up on any of them, as Robinson’s price was too high and Bennett and Reeves were too inconsistent.

But the Texans’ season could well hinge on the secondary, and Manning’s not the only top quarterback Houston faces.

Donovan McNabb, Tony Romo, Eli Manning and Philip Rivers are on the docket in the first half of the season. Things ease up from there.

McCain will play against their receivers more physically than he did last year. He’s up only five pounds but is stronger and has adjusted his attitude.

“Last year I started to carry the reputation of being a cover corner, but I wanted to change that perception,” he said. “I think I am a much better player by being more physical now. I gained weight, I’m stronger than I was last year and I am a better tackler.”

Reading the coverage …

Terrance Knighton and Glover Quin make Pete Prisco’s list of breakout players. There's a lot of good camp review here.

Houston Texans

The Texans cut Fred Bennett and Gary Kubiak indicated Wade Smith is close to winning the left guard spot, says John McClain.

It’s no surprise that McClain says Owen Daniels won’t play in the preseason finale.

Ben Tate vows to rebound and make fans happy, says Jerome Solomon.

McClain discussed what he learned from the Dallas game and what he’s looking forward to in the finale.

Indianapolis Colts

Peter King looks at the umpire and the Colts’ tempo as the lead of “Monday Morning Quarterback.”

Pierre Garcon is healthy and ready to line up wherever the Colts ask him to, says Phil Richards.

Bill Polian said defense is the hardest part of the preseason because of all the moving parts, says John Oehser.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Jack Del Rio and David Garrard think the Jaguars are about ready to kick off for real, says Vito Stellino.

Reggie Nelson has kept smiling through a tough offseason and he’s about to get a verdict on his role, says Tania Ganguli.

Tennessee Titans

The Titans have no concerns about Chris Johnson and the running game despite preseason struggles, says Jim Wyatt.

Tony Brown should play in the preseason finale against New Orleans Thursday night, says John Glennon.

A new owner is working to reopen Steve McNair’s restaurant.

Thirteen things Titans play-by-play man Mike Keith saw during training camp.

Brian in Austin, Texas, writes: Thoughts on the Texans trading Jacques Reeves or Fred Bennett to the Ravens for Troy Smith to shore up our backup quarterback situation? I know the mindset is that Dan Orlovsky has all the tools and physical makeup, but every time I've seen him in a game he looks lost. I think I'd rather have a guy who can manage a game with his arm and legs to manufacture wins if Schaub goes down.

Paul Kuharsky: I don’t know that Troy Smith is a sure thing as a quality backup either, or that Baltimore, needy as it might be in the secondary, wants Reeves or Bennett.

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Jim in Greenville, S.C., writes:Chances Raheem Brock makes the Pro Bowl? Better yet, chances any of the defensive line besides Tony Brown making the Pro Bowl?

Paul Kuharsky: Brock has to worry about making the team before making the Pro Bowl. Brown would be most likely. One of the kids could have a big year and get in when they go eight deep at his position the way they do these days.

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Brian Weinkauf in Houston writes: On your AFC South Blog you talk of unknown trios for the Texans as Glover Quin, Antoine Caldwell and Zac Diles. I would agree with Diles as he led the team in tackles year before last until he got hurt. Quin was the only CB in the league to not allow a TD besides Champ Bailey. I disagree with Caldwell... he's looking good at guard, but has not stood out from any other of the five guards says Kubiak. Connor Barwin led all rookie DE's last year in sacks, but only played sparingly. He's the third.

Paul Kuharsky: You are right, Barwin was an obvious choice and I missed him. Probably would have moved the Texans up on that list, too.

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Chris Barber from Clarksville, Tenn., writes: First question I have involves the Colts. Every year the question arises, is this the year the Colts begin to decline. I personally think as long as #18 is taking the snaps that probably won't happen, but have you seen anything in their camp to make you think otherwise? Second, I think the Titan's offense should be good enough to keep them in most games, but I'm terrified about their defense. Do you think Derrick Morgan could have a Jevon Kearse like effect on the team? Thank you for your time. PS -- I too am terrified of the Dino Chicken.

Paul Kuharsky: I cannot understand why there is no outrage and widespread fear over Dino Chickens.

I cannot understand why anyone thinks the Colts dip. They should be very good again.

Kearse was a once-in-a-generation kind of guy. Morgan is not going to explode onto the scene in the same way. Jim Washburn has said that’s an unreasonable expectation.

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Cody in Nashville, Tenn., writes: I know the Titans are considered to be in a small market, but I wasn't sure what defined that. They've sold out every season since they have been here. What defines a large market, population? Ticket sales? City? Just curious. Thanks for all your insight.

Paul Kuharsky: Sellouts have nothing to do with it. The Packers are in a tiny town -- as small market as any major league franchise in America -- and they have a monster waiting list for season tickets.

Small markets are about fan-base size and business population in terms of available sponsorship dollars.

From the general numbers I am finding, New York’s metropolitan area has over 10 times the population of Jacksonville or Nashville. It’s a lot easier to sell tickets and sponsorships and maintain an interested fan base with that sort of advantage.

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Barrett in Houston writes: Paul, You are great when you are factual, but when you start to editorialize, your biases come out to a disappointing degree.

Paul Kuharsky: I certainly welcome you to be more specific. You are great when you are specific, but when you start to generalize, it’s disappointing.

I’m supposed to editorialize, chief. The blog is a bit of everything, reporting, observation, reaction, response, analysis, opinion.

I get accused of being biased against all four teams, which I usually take to mean I am doing a good job.

You’re from Houston, so I presume you think I am against the Texans.

I assure you I am not. But I also ask you and any Texans fans who share that sentiment, what have the Texans done that's deserving of any alleged missing praise?

Joe McGreal from Bangkok, Thailand, writes: Paul, Really respect your work and enjoy the articles but still have a tough question to ask: Why do sportswriters not get down and dirty with Manning on his big game failures? To throw a pick 6 in the Super Bowl at least warranted some additional scrutiny on his big game prowess. If you look at the tapes of the Super Bowl against the Bears, you can easily see he had serious problems in the 4th quarter and if the Colts defense did not come up big, Colts could have easily lost that game. Bottom line: I truly believe sportswriters in general are way too lenient on Manning. Piling up stats in regular season against mainly substandard defenses is not a measure for greatness. Playoff and Super Bowl runs separate the men from the boys and the good from the great and the great from the all timers.

Paul Kuharsky: So Dan Marino’s not an all-timer in your book?

If it’s so easy to pile up stats in the regular season, why haven’t more people done it? Manning is superb in the regular season in a way few of his peers can imagine. Against mostly substandard defenses? That’s a huge stretch. The league’s schedule is built by formula; you think he’s coincidentally missing the best defenses consistently? How does he manage that? And how would you propose he beat defenses he doesn’t play?

(Incidentally, he beat the Jets and their No. 1 defense in the AFC title game. He beat Baltimore, the No. 3 defense, and Denver, No. 7, in the regular season.)

He hasn’t played his best in January. Neither has his team. Neither did Marino or his team.

I disagree that the media is soft on Manning -- some bend too far the other way to label him a choker. It’s OK to appreciate great players as great.

He threw a very costly bad pass near the end of the Super Bowl -- that sure could have been more Reggie Wayne’s fault than his. Thirty other quarterbacks would have loved to have been in the spot to throw that pass, no?

You’re even going to rip him for not being great in the end against the Bears in a Super Bowl they won? (They could have easily lost it? Are we looking at what could have easily happened, or what actually happened? I always go B.)

So if they lose it’s his fault and when they won it was despite him? How can he win in that scenario?

And who is great by your standards beside Terry Bradshaw and Troy Aikman, then? John Elway lost the Super Bowl more often than he won it. Brett Favre and Kurt Warner have the same Super Bowl record as Manning. What losers.

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Holman from Richardson, Texas, writes: You mentioned Kareem Jackson and Glover Quin as starting corners you watched today with Brice McCain, Fred Bennett, and rookie Sherrick McManis in the mix at nickel. Is Jacque Reeves not out there, or not in the mix? If you look at the numbers from last year, he was actually better than advertised. I just haven't heard his name much during OTAs. Is he still on the roster?

Paul Kuharsky: I said that’s who Gary Kubiak said is in the mix for the third role. McManis wasn’t practicing, he’s injured. Reeves was there. Kubiak either left him out by mistake or doesn’t rank him as competing for a spot in the package at this point.

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Dana Wastjer from Bothell, Wash., writes: What exactly do you mean by less than glamorous? Less than glamorous in comparison to that eyesore they call Husky stadium here in Seattle, or less than glamorous than the Michigan program that had to impose self-inflicted sanctions against themselves? Ever been to game in Missoula, Paul?

Paul Kuharsky: Less that glamorous = people don’t know of it or watch it by comparison to “big-time” college football. It’s not a place that regularly produces NFLers.

That’s all I meant and it’s indisputably true. Personally, I’d rather see a game there than at Michigan, probably.

HOUSTON -- So I went into Wednesday’s Houston Texans OTA session with a grand plan. With a system of pluses and minuses, I was going to really hone in on the cornerbacks and come out with a sense of what they have, who’s doing well and who’s not.

It didn’t really work out and I thought about scraping it and not mentioning it to you at all. Except that maybe in how it panned out can illustrate a bit about watching a practice.

First off, I had a rough guideline. A break up or a pick was certainly going to be a plus, as was the right brand of well-covered completion. A missed chance or a receiver who had too much space as the ball arrived would be a minus. Much of it was going to be subjective, as I wasn’t going to know the precise responsibilities of coverages being played. It would be a simple eye test.

So in seven-on-seven and team periods, I focused almost exclusively on the corners and scored them this way:

• Glover Quin: 1 plus, 1 minus
• Pierre Singfield: 1 plus, 1 minus
• Kareem Jackson: 1 minus
• Antwaun Molden: 1 minus
• Fred Bennett: 2 minuses
• Brice McCain: 2 minuses
• Jacques Reeves: Nothing
• Mark Parson: Nothing
• Sherrick McManis: Didn’t participate

Not much of a revealing scorecard, I know. I think corners in general take too much heat -- a lot of people seem to think no passes should be completed. In an OTA it’s even more common to have passes completed on you as there is no real rush and plays usually continue after a rusher would have sacked the quarterback. I expected to award more minuses than pluses, and more scoring overall.

But on this day, I thought the offense regularly threw passes that were more on safeties and linebackers than corners. Later, a good share of the team periods were 4:00 drills when runs are featured as the offense attempts to milk clock and I wasn't scoring run support.

I asked Gary Kubiak if I should read anything into the fact the corners didn’t seem to be challenged a lot. He said not really, that there was a lot of cover-2 work and if that dictated balls in the middle or check downs to the flanks it wasn’t by some grand design for the day.

So there’s that. I’m sure you’ll let me know if I should have chosen the spike the whole idea.

Here are some other observations.

• Strong safety Bernard Pollard had a pick in a red zone drill in the back of the end zone under the goal posts. He’s a very vocal, tone-setting leader who seems to strike a nice balance between being angry and being funny.
• Trindon Holiday had trouble catching kicks early on, regular practice reporters told me. That means he’s hardly a lock for the job or a roster spot. But he’s settled down some now. He looked a bit tentative to me, but boy can he run. Monday, when practice was inside and I was closer to the action, I took note that he really had his head in what the receivers were doing -- watching on a knee with a script in his hand. The team’s got to like that level of attention.
• Undrafted free agent Tom Williams out of Purdue didn’t get much of a bonus to sign, I am sure. So I put very low odds that he takes another snap without his chinstrap buckled, since secondary coach David Gibbs warned him during the defensive backs period that the next time he did there would be a $200 fine attached.
• Sidenote: Eric Winston's working for Silver Eagle Distributors, which distributes Anheuser-Busch products. He said he’s always liked Bud Light and works 1 p.m.-5 p.m. on most days when he’s in Houston. He is guest writing Peter King’s Monday Morning Quarterback at SI.com on July 5. We talked some ideas, but Winston will do just fine on his own. Note to self: Use the best stuff from that interview before the 5th.

HOUSTON -- I count four spots on the Houston Texans as still uncertain: running back, defensive tackle, free safety and cornerback.

Houston may be all right with rookie Kareem Jackson and second-year man Glover Quin as their starting corners. But what about after that?

The nickel will play a lot, and the team doesn’t know who will qualify as the third corner.

Gary Kubiak said Tuesday that Brice McCain, Fred Bennett and rookie Sherrick McManis are contenders to be the third corner on the field. The coach likes the idea of moving Quin to the slot and replacing him outside, though Kubiak said McCain can line up in there, too.

Quin said he hopes the team will ask him to show off his versatility and play two roles.

“I like to be involved,” he said. “So if it’s two receivers out there, I’d like to be on the outside. If it’s three, I like to move inside. Because I like to get involved in the run game and the run fits and the zone drops from the inside.”

I'll keep a closer eye on him the next two days to see if I can sense if he looks equally comfortable in both spots.

» AFC South weaknesses: Texans (5/31) | Colts (6/1) | Jaguars (6/2) | Titans (6/3)

The Texans will come into 2010 with one of the more inexperienced cornerback duos in the NFL, as they are projected to start two second-year players on the outside. Gone but not forgotten will be Dunta Robinson, who left via free agency, leaving the Texans with very little star power on the outside.

The player who will be expected to do most of the heavy lifting and be a leader among this group is Glover Quin, who started as a rookie. Quin has very good size and athletic ability for the position. He has very good speed to match up in man coverage. However, his zone instincts are not great, he needs to improve his ability to read routes and he did not get his hands on a lot of balls last season.

Brice McCain is projected as the other starter, but he’s already starting to lose reps to rookie first-round selection Kareem Jackson. McCain was a part-time backup player last season and saw some action primarily as the Texans’ fourth corner. He does not have great height or size and that could create some mismatches in the AFC South, where big receivers are the norm. Like McCain, Jackson does not have great height, but he is the most athletic corner on Houston's roster even as a rookie. He has an excellent combination of speed, agility and athletic ability. He is very good from the press position and can re-route receivers at the line of scrimmage.

After the three aforementioned players, the depth really thins out. Jacques Reeves would be considered the veteran of this group, but he hasn't played up to expectations since coming to the Texans as a free agent from the Dallas Cowboys. Fred Bennett and Antwaun Molden are mid-round picks who have not developed as quickly as the Texans had hoped.

This is a young group that will be tested early and often. It has the talent to one day be considered a strength on this team. However, that time is not now, as the three projected main contributors -- Quin, McCain and Jackson -- have one career NFL interception between them.

Pete Prisco checks in with thoughts on Chris Johnson and Andre Johnson.

Houston Texans

The Texans aren’t looking at Fred Bennett as a potential starter anymore in the eyes of Jerome Solomon.

Arian Foster’s been working as the starter at running back, says Jordan Godwin.

Sherrick McManis finished his school work and joined the Texans, says Godwin.

Indianapolis Colts

The Final Eight rule has successfully limited the Colts’ ability to add help, writes Mike Chappell. While the Colts don’t generally add big outsiders, any chance to deviate from that plan was snuffed out by the rule.

Cornerback depth is an issue, says John Oehser. I’ve got an entry on this coming around lunchtime.

Signing with the Colts was an easy call for Adam Terry, says Colts.com.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Vince Manuwai is trying to regain his form and his spot, says Vito Stellino.

The trade for Justin Smiley’s been finalized, writes Stellino.

Is Smiley damaged goods? Adam Stites examines the question.

Vic Ketchman looks at some reasonable expectations for the Jaguars.

Black & Teal offers the Jaguars five best and worst moves so far this offseason.

Tennessee Titans

Bo Scaife disputes the idea that he’s greedy, writes Jim Wyatt.

Jeff Fisher acknowledges the Titans and Chris Johnson have issues and hopes for a meeting, says Wyatt.

David Climer wants that meeting to happen soon.

Myron Rolle doesn’t have a contract yet, but donated to Nashville flood relief.

Auburn’s Gene Chizik visited Titans practice, says John Glennon.

Wyatt’s OTA injury report.

A slideshow of OTA pictures from Sanford Myers.

The Titans' offensive line can be even better, say Andrew Strickert.

The Texans passed on Kyle Wilson and made Kareem Jackson of Alabama the second cornerback selected in the first round, taking him 20th overall.

Jackson is an instinctive cover guy, willing to tackle.

He should be able to step in as a starter on the outside, where the Texans are looking to replace Dunta Robinson and have a stable of unproven or inconsistent corners including Glover Quin, Fred Bennett, Jacques Reeves, Antwaun Molden and Brice McCain.

With Mario Williams (first overall) and a linebacking corps featuring two first-rounders in DeMeco Ryans and Brian Cushing, Jackson becomes the only defensive back drafted by Houston in the first-round on the current roster.

The Texans were high on running back Ryan Mathews, but he disappeared when San Diego traded with Miami up to 12th to get him.

Houston turned to its other biggest need.

Still to come: that running back and a penetrating defensive tackle. There could also be an interior offensive lineman, a free safety and another corner.

Gary Kubiak’s like most of us: With Dunta Robinson gone, he doesn’t know how to stack the cornerbacks remaining on his roster.

Glover Quin’s earned a starting spot, but ideally he’d be a No. 2 guy. Kubiak was asked at the owners meetings who would line up opposite Quin right now.

“I don’t know," he said. "There would be a lot of guys lining up there right now. You’ve got Jacques [Reeves]; you’ve got [Brice] McCain; we still think [Antwaun] Molden has a chance to be a fine player. We’ve been disappointed. He has not stayed on the field. But we do like him a lot. It’s an open book right now. They’ll all battle. We’ll see. To say who’s one, two or three, I don’t think any of us know that.”

Kubiak didn’t mention Fred Bennett there. I don’t know if that was on purpose or just an incomplete list, but he was asked a follow-up about Bennett and whether his fourth year will be a do-or-die season for him.

“I don’t want to say do or die," Kubiak said. "I don’t want to say that. Fred’s been so up and down. He’s been to the brink where he looks like he’s ready to be a starter in this league and he goes the other way. It’s time for some consistency out of Fred. He’s at a point in his career where he’s going to have to play like a starter and be more of a contributor to this football team or it’s going to be tough. I don’t think anybody knows that more than Fred. He can’t be staring at more of an opportunity than he’s ever stared out, so we’ll see how he handles it.”

There is no doubt the Texans bring in a corner in the draft, probably early.

We’ll get some good stuff Tuesday morning out of Orlando, where AFC South coaches are having breakfast with reporters at the owners meetings. I’ll be monitoring what comes out through some of my colleagues who are there.

The first thing of note I’ve seen was this from Adam Schefter via Twitter:

"Colts coach Jim Caldwell is thinking about playing some four WR sets with Reggie Wayne, Pierre Garcon, Austin Collie and Anthony Gonzalez."

As if three wides and Dallas Clark isn’t enough of a problem.

I automatically started thinking of secondary depth in the division and how it would stack up against that. Nobody in the league has the kind of corner and secondary depth needed to stand up to that personnel grouping with Peyton Manning at the controls.

The Texans and Titans are definitely in the market for a cornerback, and safety is also in play. The Jaguars likely take a defensive back or two as well in the draft.

Teams could obviously use an additional safety in the sort of dime scenarios this could force. Here’s our take on the depth at defensive back for each of the Colts’ division opponents:

Houston

Nickel: Glover Quin, Jacques Reeves, Brice McCain.

Dime candidates: Cornerbacks Fred Bennett, Antwaun Molden; Safeties Dominique Barber, Troy Nolan.

Assessment: Contemplating this secondary against the Colts’ four-wide lineup is scary right now. Throw Clark in as the fifth skill player and I don’t know how Houston holds up. Corner and free safety are big draft needs.

Jacksonville

Nickel: Rashean Mathis, Derek Cox, Tyron Brackenridge.

Dime candidates: Corners William Middleton, Kennard Cox, Michael Coe; whichever safety isn’t already playing out of Reggie Nelson, Anthony Smith, Sean Considine.

Assessment: Top three are pretty solid, but safety really needs to be sorted out and could have a new piece.

Tennessee

Nickel: Cortland Finnegan, Ryan Mouton, Vincent Fuller.

Dime candidates: Corners Rod Hood and Jason McCourty; safety Donnie Nickey.

Assessment: I am giving the nod as the second starting corner to Mouton right now based on hearing the team is high on him. A draft pick needs to compete for that spot. Overall depth is unproven.

On a sort of slow afternoon, I sought inspiration and as the NFL Blog Network prepares to do something revisiting team draft needs, here is what I found:

Who is neediest?

Without getting into depth, looking at the depth charts of all four AFC South team and factoring in departures and starting spots that need upgrades, who needs the most. We assume restricted free agents stay put and regard unrestricted as holes.

Again, starters only.

Here’s my rundown, which I hope might set off some debate:

Neediest to least needy: Jaguars, Titans, Texans/Colts. What a shock, huh, that it’s reverse of the 2009 order of finish?

A closer look:

Jacksonville

The Jaguars have made it clear they aren’t going to address it, but I’m not convinced David Garrard solves quarterback and call it a need. Center Brad Meester is a wily veteran, but he’s started to fade and the Jaguars need to upgrade at center. They could also look for a change from Uche Nwaneri at right guard. Torry Holt is gone. While Kassim Osgood, Troy Williamson and Mike Thomas will all have a chance to fill the second starting receiver spot, a playmaking wideout would help, as usual.

Offense: Three

While Daryl Smith shined, a playmaking linebacker could displace restricted free agent Clint Ingram or his injury replacement, Russell Allen. Free safety, where Anthony Smith was starting ahead of Reggie Nelson at the end of 2009, is a major concern.

Defense: Two

Josh Scobee hit on 64 percent of his field goals, and the Jaguars just can’t live with a batting average like that.

Special teams: One

Total: Six

Tennessee

I don’t know that they will address it, but I think they need a starting-caliber, affordable quarterback in case Vince Young falls back to the things that got him demoted the first time.

Offense: One

While Jacob Ford and William Hayes are in line to start as the ends with Kyle Vanden Bosch gone, it would probably be better if Ford didn’t have to start. So end is a need. Jovan Haye was underwhelming as an interior starter beside Tony Brown, and while last year’s second-rounder, Sen'Derrick Marks, should be ready for that role, we’re calling defensive tackle a need. Who’s starting at corner opposite Cortland Finnegan? The Titans need better.

Defense: Three

Return games were a disaster in 209 and it’s a gigantic need.

Special teams: One

Total: Five

Houston

I expect newcomer Wade Smith and a healthy Mike Brisiel to be two of the three offensive linemen, and finding a third out of Antoine Caldwell, Kasey Studdard, Chris Myers and Chris White should be possible.

Offense: None

The Texans need to find more interior push than they got from defensive tackle Shaun Cody and Amobi Okoye, and I don’t see them giving up on Okoye yet. Ideally Cody would have a reduced role. Right cornerback Dunta Robinson left for Atlanta as a free agent, and while Jacques Reeves and Fred Bennett have starting experience, the Texans need better. Free safety has been a revolving door position for the better part of two years.

Defense: Three

Kicker Kris Brown killed the Texans in the clutch.

Special teams: One

Total: Four

Indianapolis

Ryan Lilja was let go and the Colts are looking to upgrade and get bigger. Two additions so far, Adam Terry and Andy Alleman, are hardly guarantees. I see a need for one guard and one tackle to allow them flexibility with Lilja’s spot and perhaps left tackle.

Offense: Two

Provided tenders are signed, everyone from the starting lineup who finished the season will be back. They can still use a bigger defensive tackle, but I don’t think it's a necessity with 2009 second-round defensive tackle Fili Moala expected to be much better. Strongside linebacker can probably stand an upgrade from Philip Wheeler.

Defense: One

The return game remains an issue and the Colts need at least one viable guy for the punt and/or kick return jobs.

Special teams: One

Total: Four