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Yes, the start of training camps is two months away, but it’s never too early to consider the coming season. A look at the best-case and worst-case scenarios for the Jaguars in 2012.

Dream scenario (10-6): Mike Mularkey’s offensive scheme does for Blaine Gabbert what it did early on for Matt Ryan in Atlanta. Gabbert silences his stable of critics, playing with newfound poise and confidence and finding himself in situations in which he’s comfortable and can show off the arm that was a big reason he was a top 10 pick.

The second-year quarterback is well-protected as he works his way through progressions and spreads the ball around to a much-improved receiving corps headed by Laurent Robinson and Justin Blackmon. With the passing offense faring far better, Maurice Jones-Drew's hammer hits even harder because his carries are less predictable.

Defensively, the team is healthy all season long in karmic payback for last year’s slew of injuries.

Defensive tackles Tyson Alualu and Terrance Knighton put it all together, with middle linebacker Paul Posluszny playing great behind them, and no one can even ponder running up the middle against the Jaguars. Rookie second-rounder Andre Branch provides a serious boost to the pass rush, and the linebackers get involved in pressuring the quarterback. When they don’t get a sufficient push, the coverage holds up.

And rookie punter Bryan Anger regularly hits bombs and pins teams deep, semi-justifying his third-round draft status.

Mularkey wins coach of the year as the Jaguars qualify for the playoffs.

Nightmare scenario (4-12): New coaches, a new system and new receivers don’t make for a new Gabbert, and he struggles in his second season much as he did as a rookie. A rough start means the fan base calls for backup Chad Henne, and Mularkey finds himself in a tough spot with a quick quarterback controversy.

Henne eventually gets the call but doesn’t play much better, so the team is over-reliant on the run game. The defense, meanwhile, can’t overcome the lack of a pass rush. It gives up too many passing yards and too many big plays because quarterbacks have time to wait for targets to break open. Then the Jaguars begin to blitz more to amp things up but pay a price by giving up big plays out of high-risk, high-reward situations.

Owner Shahid Khan, used to life as a businessman who wins, says or does something controversial that makes things even messier. The Jaguars actually finish a game worse than they did in Jack Del Rio’s final season, leaving Denver’s defensive coordinator shrugging and people removing some responsibility for 2011 from him.

» NFC draft analysis: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South


Despite talk of grabbing the best player available, it’s funny how often needs and picks seem to line up.

Of 31 picks, I count four that don’t technically qualify as addressing needs: Jaguars fifth-round linebacker Brandon Marshall, Titans fifth-round tight end Taylor Thompson, Jaguars sixth-round cornerback Mike Harris and Colts seventh-round quarterback Chandler Harnish.

We saw the Texans replenish at outside linebacker, on the offensive line and at kicker and add to their options at receiver. The Colts loaded up on help for No. 1 overall pick Andrew Luck -- seven of their other nine picks bring offensive players to Indianapolis . Jacksonville addressed its big needs right out of the chute, then made a couple of odd selections. Tennessee didn’t take two players at the same position.

BEST MOVE

The Jaguars came into the offseason in dire need of upgraded weaponry for Blaine Gabbert. They started last season with wide receiver Jason Hill as a starter, and he was cut before the season ended. Mike Thomas was miscast as a top-of-the-group guy when he should be a No. 3. Cecil Shorts showed he needs a lot of time to develop.

Mike Mularkey hired a solid receiver coach, Jerry Sullivan. He’s a tremendous upgrade from Johnny Cox, who was quickly fired after Jack Del Rio was dismissed during the 2011 season. Free agency brought Laurent Robinson, who should help, and Lee Evans, who’d be gravy if he can revive his career.

The Jaguars successfully sold pundits on the idea they’d be trading down, then only gave up a fourth-rounder to move up from No. 7 to No. 5 to draft Oklahoma State’s Justin Blackmon. He’s a dynamic receiver who can catch balls outside his frame and cause matchup problems.

Outside of Luck, no team in the division got a player who can cure an ill better than Blackmon can fix what ails the Jacksonville offense. Now it’s on Gabbert to show he can effectively get the ball to the new star receiver.

RISKIEST MOVE

The Titans didn’t touch a defensive end until Scott Solomon in the seventh round, and they didn’t add an offensive lineman at all. And pass rush and run blocking were two areas that qualified as weaknesses at the end of last season.

Tennessee hosted Scott Wells, Chris Myers, Jeff Saturday and Dan Koppen and saw all four sign elsewhere. On Saturday, coach Mike Munchak made those meetings sound like information-gathering get-togethers rather than courtships, a stance that’s pretty insulting to veterans who wouldn’t waste time making visits without the possibility of a contract.

The defense of incumbent starters on the interior -- Eugene Amano and Leroy Harris -- has entered a new round now. Munchak said the team felt no “dire need there” and that “we have guys we can win with.” Still, watch for a key undrafted addition or free agent or two.

The Titans added one big piece this offseason to its insufficient pass rush in the form of free-agent end Kamerion Wimbley, who was a cap casualty in Oakland. He may provide a big boost but also probably shouldn’t be on the field for every play. Tennessee’s only attempt to bolster itself on the edges came with the 211th pick, end Scott Solomon from Rice.

The Titans face a pretty good slate of quarterbacks this season. Those passers may have a lot of time to throw.

MOST SURPRISING PICK

We hit it hard Saturday night, but the Jaguars' selection of Bryan Anger in the third round was a baffler. Yes, the team will benefit from a big leg and stands to gain field position.

But Jacksonville overrated special teams’ impact by deciding to draft Anger so early rather than addressing other needs where it could have selected a player with a chance to play.

The Jaguars have a recent history of messing up at the position, and teams that struggle with stability at a spot are prone to overreach in an effort to correct it.

I believe that’s a good piece of what happened here. They could have gotten him or a punter who still would have been a big upgrade later.

The Jaguars found Terrance Knighton, Derek Cox and Will Rackley in the third round in Gene Smith’s previous three drafts. They are all starters who affect games more than a punter can.

They can rationalize this pick. And we can stridently disagree.

FILE IT AWAY

Six receivers came into the division -- Blackmon, Kendall Wright in Tennessee, T.Y. Hilton and LaVon Brazill in Indianapolis and DeVier Posey and Keshawn Martin in Houston. That’s two first-rounders, two third-rounders, a fourth-rounder and a sixth-rounder.

The countermeasures?

Just two incoming cornerbacks -- Titans fourth-rounder Coty Sensabaugh and Jaguars sixth-rounder Harris.

Secondary depth could be severely tested by good quarterbacks and receivers, especially when the division faces the NFC North and the high-powered passing offenses of Green Bay, Detroit and Chicago.

The Colts have no proven corners beyond Jerraud Powers. The Texans lost Jason Allen, who played a reasonable amount. The Titans need to unearth a new nickelback now that Cortland Finnegan is gone. Only the Jaguars have fortified the spot, adding two-time Super Bowl winner Aaron Ross, presumably getting Cox and Rashean Mathis back healthy and drafting Harris.

The AFC South is a big running back division, but it’s become more equipped to sling it and may not have the people needed to cover offenses with a lot of downfield weapons.

“It tells you that this is a wide-open league, the offensive focus is on scoring points probably more than ever,” Titans general manager Ruston Webster said. “It’s becoming more of a quarterback-wide receiver league probably every day.”

Darrick Seymore from Jacksonville, Fla., writes: The way our new owner, Mr. Khan, rolled into Jacksonville, I was expecting some really flashing things to be happening by now. Not sure if this is the quiet before the storm or something else. What's your take in the apparent lack of activity here in J-Ville?

Paul Kuharsky: Shad Khan is not about flashing things, so far, and that’s fine. Certainly he’s got a general manager and a coach who are not flashy.

Teams who are about flashing, or flashy things, generally don’t fare well. Who’s the last team that won the offseason and the Super Bowl? (That said, Khan could have tempered the big talk about being "all in." It made agents expect that GM Gene Smith was going to be out there with rolls of money, shopping.)

The Jaguars could have done better in free agency, but they retained their key people, added a receiver they like in Laurent Robinson, got a backup/alternative quarterback in Chad Henne and hope for a big draft.

I don’t know what storm you can still anticipate this long after the top free agents are gone.

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Graham from Montreal writes: With Koppen re-signing with the Patriots, what's the Titans' potential opportunities to improve at center in free agency? Is it more likely that we'll see a middle-round pick being used to try to develop a center and maybe also to be used as a long-snapper?

Paul Kuharsky: There was never any evidence the Titans had any interest in Dan Koppen after they lost out on Chris Myers, Scott Wells and even Jeff Saturday.

I think your scenario is the likely one now. It’s quite possible the Titans will go forward with Eugene Amano still in place, or with a rookie or Fernando Velasco; Kevin Matthews could even fight his way into the lineup.

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Jonathan from Fort Wayne, Ind., writes: Find it interesting you question why Irsay would want to be coy with the Luck pick. While I agree it's obvious based on what I've read/heard that the Colts will select Luck, Irsay not sharing has incentive - it keeps the Colts in the spotlight for a little bit longer. After the draft, the Colts will quickly fall from a team that garnered a ton of press the past few years to another struggling team with a promising future. For the first game or two the Colts will once again be thrust in the spotlight as people judge Luck. So, the team needs as much press as possible right now. I think it is mostly a PR move to keep analysts (even if they are 99.99% sure) to at least discuss the decision and the team. Even more so now with the CBA because the team won't need extra time to negotiate the contract. After this draft the Colts won't be talked about very much for awhile based on a roster that should struggle, even with a possible once-in-a-generation quarterback.

Paul Kuharsky: As I’ve written, the team isn’t obligated to reveal anything and can milk it if it likes.

The Colts aren't getting any huge public-relations advantage leading up to the draft that they wouldn’t be getting if the verdict was made public early that they are taking Andrew Luck. When Bill Polian is out there saying it's who team owner Jim Irsay wants, Irsay being coy doesn't really work.

Either way, I would have written this piece that was published Friday, for example. They didn't gain anything from mystery there. And there really is no mystery.

April 26 -- the first day of the NFL draft -- is going to wind up being more about who goes third and what happens with Ryan Tannehill than it will be about Luck or Robert Griffin III, because there is no mystery about them.

Interest in Luck will last all season, no matter how bad the Colts are.

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Matt from Berkeley, Calif., writes: What do you think of Jags fullback Greg Jones? He's been a low-profile player at a low-profile position, but I've only ever read positive things about him - especially from opposing defensive coordinators. Today, I realized he'll be remembered (if people really remember fullbacks) for blocking for both Fred Taylor and MJD. Taylor arguably had a HoF career - at least by the numbers, and MJD is on pace to make an argument as well. What other positions in football have silent contributors stalwartly working to help their team week after week? We as fans often miss such players between the highlights.

Paul Kuharsky: He’s a good player, but Jack Del Rio’s love of him was overboard and he’s been dinged a lot in his career.

The difference between an average fullback and a really good fullback – which Jones is usually rated as being – is not that extreme or significant to me or to most. While the AFC South is now a division with four fullback teams, I prefer teams that have more versatile tight ends serve as the extra blockers.

I wouldn’t exactly call fullback an under-recognized spot, either. When a back has a big season like Maurice Jones-Drew did, the fullback typically gets his accolades. Vonta Leach certainly reaped huge benefits (in a big free-agent contract from Baltimore) after Arian Foster broke through in Houston.

There are a ton of offensive linemen and interior defensive lineman who do dirty work on all or most of the snaps – as compared to the typical third of the snaps of a fullback – with even less notoriety.

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Bobby from Buffalo, N.Y., writes: Just a general NFL question here. If a team with no first-round picks signs a player with a first-round tender such as Mike Wallace, what do they give up or is it even allowed?

Paul Kuharsky: You have to have your original first-round pick to give up. You can’t sign a guy with a first-round tender to an offer sheet unless you have it or make a deal to get it back.

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Reading the coverage …

Houston Texans

Stephanie Stradley of the Houston Chronicle blogs talked Texans' salary cap with Andrew Brandt.

Alan Burge of the Houston Examiner starts to ponder the Texans draft and assess needs.

Battle Red Blog looks at pending Texans free agents.

Indianapolis Colts

Pittsburgh linebackers coach Keith Butler decided to stay with the Steelers rather than becoming the Colts defensive coordinator, says Jerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Former quarterback Kelly Holcomb likes the match between the Colts and offensive coordinator Bruce Arians, says Mike Chappell of the Indianapolis Star.

Jim Irsay’s looking to put the Peyton Manning talk aside during Super Bowl week, says Chappell.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Jack Del Rio couldn’t accept the idea of a sabbatical so he joined Denver as John Fox’ defensive coordinator, says the AP.

John Oehser of the team’s web site looks at the fully assembled Jaguars coaching staff.

Tennessee Titans

Some fans are campaigning for the Titans to make a push for Manning if he’s available, says Teresa Walker of AP.

The Titans were nearly in range for the Giants' great pass rusher Jason Pierre-Paul, says John Glennon of The Tennessean.

Reading the coverage ...

Houston Texans

The Texans-coached AFC squad won the Pro Bowl, writes Nick Scurfield of the team’s website.

While the votes were really spread out, more players at the Senior Bowl said they’d like to play for the Texans than any other NFL team, says Tommy Hicks of the Press-Register. (Hat tip to Alan Burge.)

Indianapolis Colts

Peyton Manning is overshadowing Eli Manning and Tom Brady, says Michael Silver of Yahoo!

Steelers linebackers coach Keith Butler is scheduled to interview for the Colts' defensive coordinator job Tuesday, says Mike Chappell of the Indianapolis Star.

The Ravens are set to hire Jim Caldwell as their quarterbacks coach, reports Adam Schefter.

Jim Irsay denies plans for Manning are set.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Jack Del Rio is the new defensive coordinator for the Denver Broncos, says Tania Ganguli of the Florida Times-Union.

Mike Mularkey’s son, Patrick Mularkey, has moved from the scouting department to the strength and conditioning staff, says Ganguli.

Shahid Khan’s yacht is docked in Jacksonville and it’s for sale, says Matt Soergel of the Times-Union.

Tennessee Titans

Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck breaks down the Patriots-Giants Super Bowl with Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean.

Wyatt broke down the Titans with a look at 2011 salaries.

Regrets? Everybody’s got a few… We asked for some feedback on one thing you’d like to go back and change for each team in the AFC South.

For the Jaguars, I align with the most popular response you offered.

Here’s my biggest second-guess about the 2011 Jacksonville Jaguars.

Sticking with Jack Del Rio.

Counting on the Jaguars to make a turnaround with Del Rio at the helm and a lame duck staff was awfully optimistic. And it turned out to be a 5-11 disaster that he didn't survive long enough to finish.

Had Wayne Weaver been a bit more courageous and forward thinking, he would have seen the advantages of bringing in a new coach before a new quarterback. Then general manager Gene Smith could have had input from a coach he’d hired into the selection of a quarterback of the future.

If it was still Blaine Gabbert, then so be it. Either Gabbert or another quarterback would have a year with his coach and staff under his belt instead of surviving a terrible rookie year working under people who were on the verge of getting fired or not being renewed.

Sticking with Del Rio with unrealistic hopes that the Jaguars would make some sort of progress toward the playoffs basically sacrificed a year and a season for the franchise. Teams can't afford to sacrifice time like that.

At least, for Shahid Khan, it probably helped keep the purchase price down a bit.

Teams replacing head coaches often look for the opposite of the last guy.

It can be the case for a strong general manager or personnel executive too.

So I think the guy Shahid Khan hires as the Jacksonville Jaguars' new head coach and the guy Jim Irsay hires as the Indianapolis Colts’ next GM will be quite different than, respectively, Jack Del Rio and Bill Polian.

How would we describe such opposites?

In a post-Del Rio Jacksonville coach, I think we’d see a guy who is rarely impulsive and does little based on gut feeling, as we’d sometimes see JDR do when deciding to go for it on fourth down. I think we’d certainly see a measured coach who doesn’t have any sort of inner circles. Del Rio had some assistant coaches whose voices he seemed to value more than others -- not that there is anything wrong with having an in-house hierarchy. Del Rio also had favorite players, and while all coaches are likely to have some guys of higher rank with the staff they are less revealing about who their Marcedes Lewises or Greg Joneses are. It’s funny, as I am writing this a name popped into my head that fits the description. He’s the guy Del Rio was the opposite of when he got the Jaguars' job -- Tom Coughlin.

In a post-Polian Indianapolis executive, I know we’ll see a guy who can get along with a broader spectrum of people, because Irsay basically said that’s what he’s looking for in a general manager. That means on top of being a good personnel guy, Polian’s replacement will need to be a relationship builder who trusts people and wants to include them. Polian can be absolutely charming, but didn’t choose to be in a great deal of situations. A guy who defaults to that sort of friendliness throughout team headquarters, with his colleagues around the league and, yes, with media and fans, would serve to give the Colts a different tone than the one they’ve had for most of Polian’s long tenure.

Of course even if Khan, who didn’t hire or work with Del Rio, and Irsay desire the type of qualities we’re talking about, there is no guarantee the owners will get them. A guy can interview one way and and then have the duties, pressures and people attached to the job take him in a different direction.

It will be interesting to see what kinds of personalities are added to the division in the two high-ranking posts.

» NFC Wrap-ups: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

Arrow indicates direction team is trending.

Final Power Ranking: 27
Preseason Power Ranking: 19

Biggest surprise: The Jaguars added six new veterans to their lineup of top-12 defensive players and once the group jelled it played very productively. Jacksonville finished sixth in overall defense, making giant strides from 2010 and maintaining the gain even as it lost a load of quality contributors to injury. Defensive coordinator Mel Tucker, who finished the season as interim coach after Jack Del Rio was fired, did good work in his first season as the defense's playcaller. Middle linebacker Paul Posluszny was the sort of centerpiece tackling machine the team envisioned when signing him away from Buffalo as a free agent.

Biggest disappointment: The Jaguars didn’t intend for rookie QB Blaine Gabbert to start 14 games before they felt he was ready to take over. But by cutting David Garrard (who later wound up having back surgery) just a week before the season started and bailing quickly on veteran Luke McCown, they went against their own plan and paid a huge price for it. Jacksonville’s pass offense was worse than anyone could have anticipated, averaging just 136.2 yards per game. The NFL’s best passing offense in New Orleans averaged 334.2. Gabbert may not have been much better operating behind better protection and with more dangerous weapons at receiver, but it sure would have been good for him to have had a chance to find out. Tight end Marcedes Lewis killed the team with his disappearing act after he got his payday.

Biggest need: While the defense will need a pass-rushing end and at least one cornerback, the attention has to be focused on the offense. Mike Thomas was the team’s No. 1 receiver in 2011 but slumped badly after he got a contract extension and was not equipped to work as the primary guy. He should be the third option in 2012, working primarily out of the slot. The Jaguars need big, fast and physical receivers who can threaten downfield and go get the ball for Gabbert or whoever winds up playing quarterback.

Team MVP: Unquestionably, running back Maurice Jones-Drew. He’s just the fifth back since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970 to lead the league in rushing on a team with the NFL’s worst passing offense. That means with no threat to keep defenses honest, he ran consistently against stacked boxes and still produced in a giant way. There are always worries about wear and tear on him, yet he finished very strongly with no sign of tapering off. The Jaguars need to get other guys who are good with the ball in their hands so they can rely on him less, extend his window, and increase the chance he’s on a winning team.

Still searching for pressure: How long have the Jaguars needed a consistent pass-rush threat off the edge? It seems they are always looking. Jeremy Mincey is a great, high-energy player, but he’d benefit greatly from having a player opposing offenses have to game plan around. Yes, the franchise missed badly when it traded up to No. 8 for Derrick Harvey in the 2008 draft and counted on its second pick the same year, Quentin Groves, to help rush too. They are mistakes they still haven’t made up for. Knee injuries and rehabilitation have meant Aaron Kampman has played in only 11 games in two seasons and will be hard to bank on.

Unanimously approved by NFL owners to join their ranks, Shahid Khan spoke publicly about taking over the Jacksonville Jaguars Wednesday.

"What I want to share with the Jacksonville fans is: Here I am, reporting for duty and ready to serve the fans," Khan said. “Let the fun begin."

Asked about his commitment to the market, Khan said: “This is a partnership, really, with the fans. I am committed obviously to the rebirth, the reinvigoration, doing whatever it takes to put a winner on the field to make Wayne (Weaver) and the other Jacksonvillians proud."

It should be viewed as a big day in Jacksonville, though the change of hands won’t come until Jan. 4, three days after the team’s last game.

The hiring of a new coach will tell us all a lot about the man with the handlebar mustache. Weaver indicated work's been done since Jack Del Rio was fired on Nov. 29 and that it’s all to be shared with Khan. But it was unclear if he was talking about sorting through and setting up the process that will be used for finding Del Rio's successor or the actual start of the search.

No offense to Weaver, but he sold the team so he should consider himself out of the coach-hiring business. Khan and his general manager, Gene Smith, can handle it.

Some members of the fraternity Khan’s joining spoke highly of their new member, the first minority to be a majority owner of an NFL franchise.

“He without question comes in as one of our most financially qualified owners,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones told Tania Ganguli of the Times-Union.

Whatever advantage the Jaguars may have gotten with their next head coach by firing Jack Del Rio on Nov. 29 is over.

The Chiefs have fired Todd Haley and the Dolphins have fired Tony Sparano today. Romeo Crennel and Todd Bowles now join Mel Tucker as interim coaches.

We’ve not learned anything about any sort of backchannel work the Jaguars may have done in gauging the interest of potential new head coaches. But it’s safe to presume general manager Gene Smith and or owner Wayne Weaver, who said he’d be involved in making the hire before the team changes hands to Shahid Khan, have made some inquiries.

Executives from Kansas City and Miami may contact some of the same people now.

How does Jacksonville stack up as a job compared to Miami and Kansas City?

I think it will be far easier for a coach to work with the easygoing Smith than it will to be paired up with KC’s Scott Pioli and the man expected to be hired to run things in Miami, Carl Peterson.

But those two executives and franchises have had far more success than Smith and the Jaguars.

How about from a personnel standpoint?

I asked Matt Williamson of Scouts Inc. if he would rank the three from a player talent standpoint.

Here’s his thinking:

"Wow. Tough one. I guess if you are on board with Blaine Gabbert -- and I don’t know why you would be at this point -- then it has to be Jax. They have a defense and running game in place, but the passing game might need totally rebuilt, which is the most difficult thing.

"I really like Miami’s D and Matt Moore might end up being a middle-of-the-road starting QB if everything falls into place. If they stick with Moore, they might be able to really build things around him and give him a year audition.

"KC’s D is mostly in place and they have a lot of excellent very young talent coming back from injury. Matt Cassel, like Moore, might be adequate, although never a franchise guy. KC has a lot of weapons though.

"Again, it is tight, but I probably rank them: 1. KC, 2. MIA, 3. JAX."

How about you? Chime in on the poll above.

Jaguars offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter doesn’t believe people should have expectations of some great transformation in rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert based on the adjustment to the coaching staff this week.

After Jack Del Rio was fired and Mel Tucker got the interim job, he fired receivers coach Johnny Cox and moved Mike Sheppard from quarterback to receivers. That leaves Koetter with the quarterbacks on his own.

The change, he said, results in less exclusive time for him with Gabbert than has been portrayed.

“I don’t know if one guy going in a room and spending an extra hour and a half a day with the guy is going to make a noticeable difference over a short time period,” he told Jacksonville media Friday.

“...Me or any other guy that is around Blaine long-term is going to have an influence on him over a long period of time. There are just a lot of other circumstances involved. Who are the receivers? What kind of protection do you have? Who are you playing?

“Throw in all of the other circumstances of this week -- ‘Oh by the way the head coach is fired and they sold the team’ -- it’s just not that simple to say, ‘OK we’re putting a new guy in there.’ Now I love coaching quarterbacks, I love being around them, but we’re 11 weeks into a season that’s not going the way we want it to. There has been a lot of change in the air. This has been an uncomfortable week for everybody, players and coaches. We all have a job to do, we’re all professionals, we’ve got to do our job, but what are the results going to be? I don’t know.”

Koetter is an honest coach and these sentiments serve as important, realistic reminders.

The next coach who works with Gabbert will be most influential, and Koetter knows with a new owner and new head coach it won’t likely be him. He’ll work hard with Gabbert for the remainder of the season, then knows odds are good he’ll be coaching football somewhere else in the league or in the college ranks next year.

Reading the coverage…

Houston Texans


T.J. Yates and Jake Delhomme were in high demand on the Texans’ first day of preparation for the Falcons, says John McClain of the Houston Chronicle.

Andre Johnson is ready for a matchup with old friend Dunta Robinson, says McClain.

Indianapolis Colts


Dan Orlovsky wants to avoid 0-16 again, says Phil Richards.

Players were surprised Larry Coyer was fired, but they know jobs are on the line, says Phillip. B. Wilson.

Peyton Manning will have news this week, our Chris Mortensen says.

Jacksonville Jaguars


Mel Tucker shook up the receivers in his first major moves as head coach, says Tania Ganguli.

Fred Taylor does not have a high opinion of Jack Del Rio, writes Eric Adelson of The Post Game.

The Jaguars are making a ticket push for Monday night with the new owner ready to make his first appearance at EverBank Field, says Vito Stellino.

Tennessee Titans


Derrick Morgan has had more injuries than sacks in his career so far, says John Glennon of The Tennessean.

Chris Johnson says the focus isn’t yards, it’s the playoffs, says Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean. Also in this notebook, former punter Craig Hentrich is suing the Titans over benefits under worker’s compensation.

Missed this earlier in the week: Mike Munchak’s daring calls on fourth down has paid off, says David Boclair of the Nashville City Paper.

Wayne Weaver said he was willing to sell to Shahid Khan because Khan is passionate about the NFL and is willing to keep the team in Jacksonville, writes Tania Ganguli of the Jacksonville Times-Union.

Khan is a business titan and a philanthropist who’s tangled with the IRS, says David Bauerlein of the T-U.

Weaver could not have left Jack Del Rio in place with three home games remaining, including next week's "Monday Night Football" matchup with the San Diego Chargers, or with the dark cloud of having a lame-duck coach running his team for another five weeks, says Gene Frenette of the T-U.

It’s time to start the process of re-energizing the franchise, says Vito Stellino of the T-U.

Jacksonville’s mayor and city leaders will welcome the new owner, say Dan Scanlan and Timothy J. Gibbons of the T-U.

The price is $760 million says Mike Ozanian of Forbes.

Did Del Rio lose his drive? Pete Prisco of CBSSports.com asks the question after learning the coach wasn’t exactly showing up before sun rise.

Gene Smith signed a three-year deal to continue on as general manager, says Ganguli.

Low-key, low-profile Mel Tucker replaces Del Rio in the interim and has been assured he will get an interview for the head job after the season, says Frenette.

While people pile on presuming Khan will eventually take the Jaguars to Los Angeles, Jason Cole of Yahoo! points out that Jacksonville has a strong hold of the team with the lease for EverBank Field.

Tim Tebow could have saved Del Rio, says Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel. I don’t think either guy was part of a long-term solution for the Jaguars.

Says George Diaz of the Sentinel: “Del Rio’s firing is a microcosm for a franchise that just can’t seem to get it right since the glory days of Tom Coughlin.”

The Jaguars will have to sort out Blaine Gabbert’s future, says Chris Burke of SI.com. Sure, the cost of Gabbert’s contract doesn’t make a change prohibitive. But to use a top-10 pick on a QB a year after trading up to No. 10 to draft one does. It’s too early to judge Gabbert. And the guy who drafted him, Smith, just got a three-year contract.

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

FALLING

1. Deji Karim, Jacksonville Jaguars running back: He’s playing as the second back rather than the third because Rashad Jennings was lost for the year before the season. Still, Karim has been a big disappointment as the changeup from Maurice Jones-Drew. He seems to stumble a lot, and he’s averaging 2.0 yards per carry. He’s hardly bringing a dynamic element to the kick return game, either. Jones-Drew’s workload is heavy, and the Jaguars need to have a functional alternative. They currently do not.

2. Barrett Ruud, Tennessee Titans middle linebacker: He missed his second game in the Titans’ last three with a groin injury, and once he’s healthy the Titans are going to have a hard time reinstalling him. He has brought the team the leadership and understanding of the defense it needed when it signed him. But rookie Colin McCarthy is simply a more rugged player at the spot. McCarthy has done just fine calling the defense and is making a lot of the sort of plays the Titans weren’t getting from Ruud. Maybe the Titans will slide Ruud to the IR.

3. The chances for Indianapolis to compete over the next two weeks: The expectation is that the New England Patriots will happily pile on to add to their rivals' misery on Sunday at Gillette Stadium. What has been the league’s marquee matchup may wind up the league’s marquee mismatch this time around. And then the Colts will recover with a trip to Baltimore, where the Ravens will surely be thinking they can shut out Indianapolis.

RISING

1. Connor Barwin, Houston Texans outside linebacker: He set a franchise record with four sacks against the Jaguars and was phenomenally disruptive, torturing Jaguars right tackle Guy Whimper. We’ve paid a lot of attention to Brian Cushing, Antonio Smith, J.J. Watt and even Brooks Reed on the team’s defensive front. But Barwin has been a steady force and contributor. He’s the guy the team thought it was drafting in 2009 in the second round. He's a key piece to a defense that’s the primary hope of the Texans going forward now with a third-string quarterback.

2. Chris Johnson, Tennessee Titans running back: He exploded for 190 rushing yards in the win over Tampa Bay. Great blocking sprung him into space, and he looked like the guy we expected to be the centerpiece of Tennessee's offense when he got his big contract before the season. The question now is whether it can carry over and be a big element in what Tennessee hopes is a big five-game run to a playoff berth. Expectations that he was “back” rose after he got to 100 yards in Cleveland and Carolina, but his work against the Buccaneers looked and felt different.

3. The potential for meaningful change in Jacksonville: Wayne Weaver is selling the team to Shahid Khan. Weaver wasn’t about to hire a high-priced coach after the interim five-game stint of Mel Tucker wound down. Could new ownership be more willing to look at a broader pool of candidates and to pay a name? Despite what Weaver said, Khan certainly had to have a voice in the move to dump Jack Del Rio, since the announcements of the coaching change and the sale come on the same day. GM Gene Smith, who got a new contract, will have a big hand in the choice. What kind of budget will there be?

Notes from Wayne Weaver’s news conference at which he announced he fired Jack Del Rio as head coach, installed defensive coordinator Mel Tucker as the interim coach, given general manager Gene Smith a new three-year contract, and is selling the team to Shahid Khan.

• Weaver said it would have been unfair to allow Del Rio to “twist in the wind,” thanked him for his nine years with the team and wished him well.
• Weaver said the team has been average in recent years, that the city deserves better and that the Jaguars are not far from being a competitive football team. He praised the defense and said the offense can be fixed in the next offseason and with another draft or two.
• Weaver promised Tucker the opportunity to interview for the head coaching job after the season. The owner called the new coach one of the team’s bright spots.
• The coaching search will be extensive, and Weaver will have a hand in it even if the team has changed ownership. He indicated they'd look at experienced coaches and up-and-comers.
• Extending Smith provides the organization some stability in football operations and Smith has the power to re-sign his people in the front office, Weaver said.
• The exit strategy Weaver’s spoken of in the past came together faster than he expected with Khan. Roger Goodell has given his nod and Weaver sees smooth sailing through the NFL’s ownership committee and owners, who could approve the deal at a Dec. 14 meeting. The sale is then slated to close Jan. 4. Weaver turns 77 in January and said he and his wife will travel, that he will be the team’s biggest cheerleader and offer any help Shah requests.
• Weaver on LA suitors: "I've had calls from California that I've just refused to take." Also: "There is not a doubt in my mind this team is going to be in Jacksonville" under Khan's ownership.
• Weaver said it was bittersweet in many ways, but a positive day all around.