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The owner and punter of the Indianapolis Colts are pledging reward money as authorities search for a hit-and-run driver who killed an elderly woman.

From the team:

Indianapolis Colts Owner & CEO Jim Irsay has pledged $10,000 and punter Pat McAfee has added $5,000 to the reward, which is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of a driver who struck and killed 78-year-old Anita Wernsing of Fayette, Ind. The driver left the scene following the incident.

Wernsing was leaving Mt. Tabor Primitive Church on the 7000 block of South State Road 267 on November 25, 2012 when she was struck. Boone County Sheriff’s Department investigators said that the vehicle that hit Wernsing was a dark SUV that was traveling northbound on 267.

Police have asked anyone with information on the case to call them at 765-482-1412 or send the department an email at: tips@co.boone.in.us.

Reading the coverage…

Houston Texans

Clemson receiver DeAndre Hopkins is John McClain’s pick for the Texans in his mock draft for the Houston Chronicle.

Did the Ravens really want Ed Reed to stay? The Chronicle plugs into a report from Baltimore that says they didn’t.

What was the Texans' best touchdown of the 2012 season? The team’s web site is running a poll where you have to text to vote.

Indianapolis Colts

In four seasons at Oakland, Darrius Heyward-Bey had three head coaches, four offensive coordinators and seven quarterbacks, writes Phillip B. Wilson of the Indianapolis Star.

Punter Pat McAfee signed his franchise tender, says Mike Chappell of the Star.

Ryan Grigson’s lack of experience with contract finances has been evident in some of the Colts’ free-agent signings, says Kyle Rodriguez of Colts Authority. I’m late to this piece, but it’s an interesting take.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Sen’Derrick Marks really likes the way the Jaguars are moving, and says he intends to wreak havoc as a newcomer, says Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union.

Gus Bradley has had private meetings with the top quarterbacks in the draft, and Eugene Monroe was the one excused player form the first day of offseason work, says O’Halloran.

If the Jaguars find a trade partner to move out of the No. 2 spot, who are the teams most likely to want the spot? Alfie Crow of Big Cat Country considers.

Tennessee Titans

The Titans need difference-makers, especially up front, so David Climer of The Tennessean hopes defense is the early focus of their draft.

Lavelle Hawkins and Marc Mariani are at risk after the Titans added Kevin Walter to the wide receiver group, says John Glennon of The Tennessean.

Kamerion Wimbley spoke about the Titans offseason additions with NFL Network. (Video.)

It’s deadline day for franchise tags, and here’s where they stand or what we anticipate in the AFC South.

Houston Texans

If they don’t tag versatile safety Glover Quin, they run the risk of creating a hole in the starting defense that won’t be easy to fill. They want to hold the core of this team together and Quin’s been a good player. I would think they could work out a long-term deal eventually, and burning the tag on Quin won’t hurt them as they have no one else in need of the designation. It will ensure they have to make some sort of salary-cap moves by March 12 because they are $5.768 million under and the franchise tag at safety is $6.916 million.

Indianapolis Colts

The Colts have tagged punter Pat McAfee, who’s completely fine with the designation that’s worth $$2.977 million. “It's an honor to know that I'll be a member of the Indianapolis Colts for at least another year,” said McAfee in the team’s news release announcing the move. “I love the city, I love the team, and I love being a member of the community. I obviously hope to work out a long-term deal to stay here forever, but one more guaranteed year is awesome. Go Colts.”

Jacksonville Jaguars

New general manager David Caldwell told the Florida Times-Union during the combine that the Jaguars won’t use a franchise tag.

Tennessee Titans

The Titans have long been expected to tag tight end Jared Cook. The tight end number is $6.066 million. But, as first reported by The Tennessean’s Jim Wyatt during the combine, Cook’s agent will make a play for the wide receiver tag of $10.537 million instead. The CBA says “that the tender will apply to the position in which the player participated in the most plays.” Just because the Cook was in the slot more than he was on the line (with snaps out wide as well) doesn’t make him a wide receiver -- it makes him a tight end who doesn't block real well. The matter could wind up in the hands of an arbitrator. If he or she decided Cook’s a receiver, the definition of tight ends should then change all around the league.

A combine rewind on what we heard from the Indianapolis Colts in Indianapolis ...

Ryan Grigson is way more comfortable: A year on the job and a situation with far fewer difficult questions makes a huge difference for a general manager. Last year at the combine, he was sweating and nervous while unable to offer much on the Peyton Manning situation. This time, with a playoff berth in his first season at the helm, he was far more relaxed and joked about the difference in just one year.

Pat McAfee could be tagged: The Colts punter has indicated he’d be fine with being tagged. The number is about $3 million. But the Colts would clearly like to strike a long-term deal. “He’s a major priority in free agency,” coach Chuck Pagano said. “Obviously, we’ve reached out and are working to get Pat re-signed. We saw what he did for us last year. He’s a great weapon." New deal or no new deal, expect McAfee to remain the team's punter and kickoff man going forward.

It’s premature to say what the offense will look like: Chuck Pagano is excited about new offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton. “I’m sure there will be things we’ll look at and look to implement as far as the West Coast concepts go, a few more check-downs, underneath routes, run after catch,” Pagano said. Andrew Luck's completion percentage will certainly go up and while Hamilton will surely continue to look for strikes downfield, this offense is unlikely to put it the way Bruce Arians did.

Indications are the Colts want a veteran lineman: Given a choice between a rookie cornerback or a rookie offensive lineman in the lineup, Grigson said he’d prefer a rookie corner. The logical conclusion, then, is that a team with a ton of cap room that is pledging not to go crazy in free agency will prioritize at least one veteran O-lineman. One report says they'll target Louis Vasquez if the Chargers allow him to reach free agency.

They could have a traditional fullback: Tight end Dwayne Allen did some fullback-style work last season. Hamilton will emphasize the run more than Arians did. But the Colts don’t yet know if they’ll use a tight end when they have a play that calls for a lead blocker or if they’ll have a more traditional fullback. “We’ll do our evaluations here, study everybody that’s here and then, at the end of the day, if there is a traditional fullback type body out there that fits what we’re doing, fits the system and everything else, then we’ll make a move on him,” Pagano said.

» NFC Eight in the Box: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

Welcome to “Eight in the Box,” a new NFL Nation feature that will appear each Friday during the offseason. This week’s topic: Which free agent is essential for each team to keep from its 2012 roster?

Houston Texans: Free safety Glover Quin. A converted corner, he’s a solid and reliable player. Like all the guys in the secondary besides corner Kareem Jackson, Quin was not as good in 2012 as he was in 2011. But he’d be difficult to replace, and there is a nice continuity there.

Indianapolis Colts: Punter Pat McAfee. He’s the league's third-ranked punter according to Pro Football Focus, and outside of quality punting, he’s a strong kickoff guy who can line up for a field goal in an emergency. There are not a lot of other guys heading toward contractual freedom. Darius Butler played some good cornerback but didn’t do well staying healthy.

Jacksonville Jaguars: Cornerback Derek Cox. When he plays, he’s quite good. The problem is he gets hurt a lot, and the team has consistently needed to find alternatives to him because he has been unavailable. It’s hard to gauge his value, but let him leave and the talent pool at corner is awfully thin for Gus Bradley’s first defense in Jacksonville.

Tennessee Titans: Tight end Jared Cook. Cook was miserable last season with Chris Palmer as offensive coordinator. He bemoaned Mike Munchak’s decision to part ways with John Zernhelt as tight ends coach, but the last time George Henshaw coached the position for the Titans, players such as Frank Wycheck and Jackie Harris were quite productive.

Today we look at the biggest issues facing each team in the AFC South and give you an opportunity to assess priority one:

Pending free agents of note: Outside linebacker Dwight Freeney, cornerback Jerraud Powers, punter Pat McAfee, right tackle Winston Justice, defensive lineman Fili Moala, defensive tackle Antonio Johnson.

Weaknesses: The offensive line wasn’t great and played better than the sum of its parts. The team needs a major overhaul on the line. The secondary needs a lot of work -- at least two new corners and one new safety. The defensive line suffered a lot of injuries and needs depth or more depending on what happens with Moala and Johnson in free agency.

Unsettled starting jobs: Left cornerback Cassius Vaughn was a constant target once he “settled in" as the starter when Powers was lost for the season, Tom Zbikowski and Joe Lefeged aren’t good enough at strong safety. Pick a spot on the offensive line besides left tackle Anthony Castonzo.

Depth issues: The secondary needs options for nickel and dime packages and needs to be able to survive some injuries. Outside linebacker -- minus Freeney, who’s not expected back -- needs to be restocked, even if Jerry Hughes is deemed worthy of Freeney’s starting spot.

Health concerns: Powers hasn’t been able to stay healthy, and that could mean the Colts don’t re-sign him. He’s recovering from a toe injury. Moala is coming off a torn ACL and defensive tackle Josh Chapman, who didn’t make it back during his season from a college knee injury, is a wild card going forward.

Unseen issue: Reggie Wayne was fantastic in his first season with Andrew Luck as his quarterback. T.Y. Hilton had a great rookie season. But Donnie Avery is going to be a free agent and is hardly a long-term answer and we’re not sure what LaVon Brazill is yet. The Colts need to continue to add at receiver, knowing Wayne won’t last forever.

I feel badly for Khaled Elsayed today.

Afterall, he picked Andrew Luck as his All-AFC South quarterback. And we know when a certain AFC South blogger recently made that move how Texans faithful reacted.

I suspect Elsayed has a big day of Twitter activity ahead.

But that’s the price he pays for being right.

Our differences are few, and I don't find any of the spots where he went a different direction to be objectionable.

Here's his team. Here’s mine.

He went two-back while I went two-tight. He went 4-3 while I went 3-4.

He has David Stewart at right tackle, but I know Stewart didn’t play to his standard, and downgraded him because he got hurt and missed four games. Winston Justice of the Colts was hardly great, but got my nod.

He picked Derrick Morgan as his fourth defensive lineman where I had Paul Posluszny as my fourth linebacker, and he gave Zach Brown a spot where I had Robert Mathis. He also has Dwight Lowery as a safety, a pick I very nearly made because Danieal Manning was inconsistent.

Finally, PFF liked Josh Scobee as the place-kicker where I tabbed Rob Bironas. Like me, Elsayed gave the nod at punter to Pat McAfee. The tweets protesting the crime of going that direction over Jags’ rookie Bryan Anger won’t match the Schaub defense, Khaled, but they might come close.

PFF liked Alan Ball as its special teamer. He missed a lot of games, and I had his teammate Bryan Braman.

Dig in and enjoy.

INDIANAPOLIS -- The Colts took possession with 9:46 remaining in their regular-season finale.

Andrew Luck might have handed the game ball to Chuck Pagano right then and there.

The rookie quarterback let the play clock run down, took 15 snaps, watched his team convert three third downs and forced the Texans to burn their last two timeouts.

Indianapolis arrived at the two-minute warning needing only to kneel out the clock, assuring a 28-16 win over Houston. And so Pagano, back after three months away for leukemia treatment, found offensive coordinator Bruce Arians and hugged the man who’d led the team while he was away.

“We have a 2:00 offense, we have a 4:00 offense, now we have a 9:00 offense,” Reggie Wayne said. “Andrew came in the huddle, he let it be known we need to shut the door on this drive. Guys just bit down on their mouthpieces and found ways to get it done."

“Being a defensive guy… it’s glorious, it unbelievable to watch, because you don’t have to go back out there,” Pagano said. “They just kept grinding it out, grinding it out.”

And so the Colts’ storybook regular season ended with their 11th win just a year after they were 2-14, fired their top people and hired replacements who gutted and restocked their roster.

"They believe, they have faith, they have trust and the love one another,” Pagano said with amazement.

The Houston Texans have still never won in Indianapolis. The Texans may have more talent than Indianapolis, but they do not head into the playoffs as a better team. Houston hasn’t had the same kind of struggle to rally around, and has lost a great degree of what the Colts spent Saturday night talking about: mojo.

“I doubt anybody’s lost confidence,” Texans running back Arian Foster said.

It’s what you say when you were 11-1 and finish 12-4. But there simply has to be an issue with psyche at some level for a few Texans that has the potential to linger into next week’s home game against sixth-seeded Cincinnati.

Meanwhile, the guys who wear horseshoes on their helmets spoke of their pride in putting forth a winning effort in a game which gained them nothing in terms of playoff positioning. As the No. 5 seed, they will travel to Baltimore to take on the No. 4 Ravens next weekend.

They signed up for a 16-game season, Pagano said, and they intended to play it out.

After the coin toss, a short video rolled showing highlight of the season and moments when the team rallied for its touchstone cause. Then the cameras showed Pagano on the sideline and the crowd exploded for him.

“It was like a rock star coming out of the tunnel with all the cameras flashing when he walked out,” Luck said.

Houston scored 10 points in the third quarter to move ahead 16-14. But fortunes turned quickly after Shayne Graham’s third field goal, a 37-yarder.

Deji Karim took the ensuing kickoff 101 yards straight down the middle of the field for one score and Luck hit T.Y. Hilton for a 70-yard touchdown. Then cornerback Vontae Davis collected his second interception of Matt Schaub, this one in the Colts’ end zone, to set up the 9:46 of keep-away.

The Colts won a good share of games this season that the stats suggested should have gone the other way. They were outgained by the Texans, 352 net yards to 265. But Davis’ two takeaways were the game's only turnovers. The Colts were better on third down, were more effective in the red zone and played a cleaner game in terms of penalties.

Likely NFL defensive player of the year J.J. Watt got to Luck just once, and his half sack was washed away when the resulting fumble was changed to an incomplete pass on replay review.

The Colts sacked Schaub four times. One came from one-day Hall of Famer Dwight Freeney. The other three came from guys hardly anyone’s heard of: defensive end Lawrence Guy was playing in his ninth game with the team, defensive tackle Clifton Geathers was appearing in his eighth and linebacker Jamaal Westerman suited up for the fourth time.

Pagano took a long time to emerge for his postgame interview, and through the door leading to the locker room we heard a long-lasting wild rumpus. (See Robert Mathis dance and Pagano talk and accept a game ball, here.)

Pagano said he never reflected on the darkest days of his leukemia treatment, just getting lost in the game.

Wayne’s relationship with Pagano dates all the way back to his time at the University of Miami, when Pagano was part of the Hurricanes’ coaching staff.

The receiver credited his coach with holding tears back throughout the day, though he said the team was giving its coach a pass on it.

“He’s put the fight in this team,” Wayne said. “He makes us go out there, and whatever nick, bruises you have, it’s nothing, no comparison. Whenever you think you’re hurt, you’re not hurt. Our general, he was hurt.”

Maybe, down the road, football games will just be football games again for this team.

Whatever it has left this season isn’t going to be like that.

“To listen to a guy that beat leukemia in 13 weeks and then comes back to the sideline, is unreal,” said punter Pat McAfee. “It’s something like a movie. The speech he gave today, the highlight of it was basically, ‘Week-in and week-out, you get a chance to give people hope just like you did for me when I was fighting for my life…’”

“I think that was a big-time tear-jerker. In situations like this, we realize it’s much bigger than us. There are a lot of things going on that we can’t control, but we can help. It was really cool.”

In a discussion this week of whether Colts first-year general manager Ryan Grigson is executive of the year, we noted the team’s remarkable turnover. Sixty-eight percent of the current roster wasn’t here last year.

“Ryan Grigson had quite a task, he had to renovate a team,” McAfee said. “We refused to use the word rebuild. We used the term reload, Robert Mathis kind of termed that. He brought in a new group of faces, a lot of young guys, a whole new coaching staff, a whole new offense for a brand-new rookie [quarterback] so the guy would have nobody to turn to with questions, he would have to figure it out himself. A defense that’s come together around a guy from Canada making a bunch of plays in Jerrell Freeman. Get a trade from Miami who’s paid off huge in the long run [in Davis].

“We’re just a team of misfits that’s come together around one big cause which is our leader, giving us inspiration and hope that is much bigger than us.”

» NFC Season Wraps: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

Five things to know and my all-division team.

Division MVP: J.J. Watt, defensive end, Houston Texans. I’ve never seen someone so disruptive up front. The guy’s got the complete package. He’s incredibly instinctive, knowing when to stop rushing and pull up, looking to bat down a pass. He also understands the lane into which a quarterback might be looking to throw. He simply manhandles some blockers -- swimming past them, bowling them backward, speeding around them or knifing between two guys. Some blockers have had absolutely no answer for him, and even if a team tried to take plays as far away from him as possible, he often tracked those plays and got involved in stopping them.

Early in the season he talked about wanting to redefine the 3-4 end position, which hasn’t traditionally been a stat position. Later Antonio Smith pointed out how often Watt is really lining up at tackle. He’s not likely to win MVP based on what the league’s best quarterbacks and Adrian Peterson (despite my thinking that the running back is not worthy of the award) are doing. But his ability to push an offense backward so often has been a tremendous factor in an excellent season for the Texans. The other three teams would be wise to reinforce their offensive lines, because it’s reasonable to expect Watt will be a handful for protections and run blocking for years to come.

Biggest disappointment: The pass rushes of the Jaguars and the Titans required offseason attention. Neither team did enough to find a way to disrupt opposing quarterbacks consistently. The Jaguars go into the final game of the season with the worst sacks-per-play average in the NFL and a total of only 18 sacks. Jacksonville’s big addition was second-round pick Andre Branch, who couldn’t hold onto a starting job and finished with one sack in 12 games and is on IR. The Jags played nine games in which they produced either one sack or no sacks. Tennessee has 32 sacks and is close to the middle of the pack. But it’s not enough for a defense with a lot of kids in the back seven and bad safety play. Tennessee got better results than Jacksonville from its newcomer, free-agent signee Kamerion Wimbley (five sacks), but he didn’t offer the game-to-game and play-to-play threat Tennessee so desperately needed.

Joe Cullen’s been in place for three seasons as Jacksonville’s defensive line coach. He’s a good coach and motivator, but he did not get the production the defense had to have. His counterpart in Nashville, Tracy Rocker, came from Auburn in 2011 and hasn’t proved to be an effective NFL position coach. Pass-rush coach Keith Millard was brought in to help the rush and the blitz, but it’s hard to see a major difference as a result of his presence. The Titans got shredded by the best quarterbacks they faced, from Tom Brady on opening day to Aaron Rodgers last week.

Offensive player of the year, rookie of the year, fourth-quarter player of the year: Andrew Luck has thrown too many interceptions in his rookie season. His stat line is hardly cause for a parade. He dug himself some holes. But leading his team to 10 wins, seven of them in comeback fashion, and getting into the playoffs does a lot to reduce the importance of those turnovers. He showed a great talent for climbing out of those holes. He was capable of digesting everything the first time around, handling Bruce Arians’ very vertical offense, the absence of coach Chuck Pagano, an often ineffective defense and a less-than-watertight offensive line with aplomb.

Robert Griffin III and Russell Wilson have strong cases for the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award, which may never have been so hotly contested. We may see all three rookie quarterbacks in the playoffs. In the AFC South, Luck is the quarterback who was asked to do the most from the start, and he was the quarterback who did the most. Rookie receiver T.Y. Hilton is already a good player for the Colts. If you took Hilton and put him on the Titans or the Jaguars, how would he fare? Nowhere near as well as he fared playing with Luck in their first years in the NFL, I feel certain.

Worst injuries: The Jaguars really suffered because Daryl Smith and Clint Session were absent from the linebacking corps. Smith just returned last week from a groin injury and Session never made it back from multiple concussions suffered in 2011, his first season in Jacksonville. The corners all took turns missing time, and safety Dwight Lowery played only nine games. The loss of playmakers really dented a defense that plummeted in the rankings from 2011 to 2012.

Tennessee’s offensive line was not good enough, and revamping the interior needs to be a major offseason priority. The Titans lost starting center Eugene Amano in the preseason and right guard Leroy Harris halfway through the year. For the last quarter of the season, they were also down left guard Steve Hutchinson and right tackle David Stewart. It’s hard for them to give Jake Locker a real chance playing behind a line with four reserves. Still, he could have shown far more in his chances when he was healthy.

The division’s two worst teams lost a lot of time with their young quarterbacks, too. Locker missed five games with a shoulder injury, and Blaine Gabbert played through a shoulder injury before adding a forearm issue that ended his season after 10 games. Looking ahead to 2013, the status of each as a long-term answer is not what it once was.

Coaches of the year: Pagano and Arians of the Colts. It's been a storybook season for Indianapolis, which rallied around Pagano. He learned he had leukemia after just three games and handed the team to Arians while he underwent treatment. His fight gave the team a purpose, and it responded by playing better than the sum of its parts. Behind the scenes, Pagano was more involved than many might imagine.

But it was Arians conveying the messages, overseeing the game-planning, leading and, as offensive coordinator, calling the plays. He did a masterful job in overseeing the team, the offense and the rookie quarterback. Now, with Pagano back in place, he’ll drift into the background. He’s 60, which will work against his getting a head-coaching job. His work, however, should earn him consideration for some of the jobs that are about to open. That was quite an audition. And just about every team hiring a coach will need a quarterback developer.

ALL-DIVISION TEAM

I want to emphasize one thing about this All-AFC South Team. Wade Smith is measured against the division’s left guards, not against the rest of the selections. There are miles between Smith as a player and Watt as a player, and if we measure a guard against a defensive end who’s the division MVP, things look askew.

One I’ll get crushed for: Many of you argued with me on Twitter when I wrote that I would take Luck over Matt Schaub as the third Pro Bowl quarterback, so I am sure you won’t like the choice of quarterback here. Luck struggled more than Schaub, for sure. But he was asked to do far more than Schaub and produced seven comeback wins, leading a team that’s really lacking in talent to an improbable playoff spot. There were no expectations for the Colts, and Luck and the team delivered. There were huge expectations on the Texans, and Schaub and the team delivered. My gut continues to prefer Luck’s year. That doesn’t mean I dislike what Schaub’s done.

Just misses: Titans defensive end Derrick Morgan, Texans outside linebacker Brooks Reed, Jaguars cornerback Derek Cox, Texans quarterback Matt Schaub.

Reading the coverage …

Houston Texans

Gary Kubiak knows what his coaches and players can do and makes room for them to do it, says John McClain of the Houston Chronicle.

Ben Tate and Darryl Sharpton are close to returning to action, says the Chronicle.

See where Bill Barnwell of Grantland ranks Arian Foster and J.J. Watt in his current MVP list.

J.J. Watt wore a microphone up for a Play 60 community appearance. (Video.)

Indianapolis Colts

Pondering Andrew Luck’s neard -- that’s a neck beard, with Bob Kravitz of the Indianapolis Star, who gets a monstrous assist from Pat McAfee.

The Colts rookies go well beyond Andrew Luck and have been great, says Phil Richards. “There's an old saying: every rookie you start should cost you a game,” Bruce Arians said. “It's amazing because we don't win without them."

Luck's maturity is apparent everywhere, says Chuck Culpepper of Sports On Earth.

Kravitz is ready to shave his head.

Colts-Patriots is a preview of Luck-Tom Brady hype, says Nate Dunlevy of Bleacher Report.

Jacksonville Jaguars

The AFC South represents a stiffer, week-to-week test for right tackle Cameron Bradfield than his days in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference did, says Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union.

With the running game stalled, Rashad Jennings is taking the blame, says Vito Stellino of the T-U.

Ten things the Jaguars must do to beat the Texans on Sunday, from John Oehser of the team’s website.

Tennessee Titans

Deuce Lutui’s brought a dash of fun to the Titans' offensive line as he’s stepped in for injured right guard Leroy Harris, says John Glennon of The Tennessean.

A look at a Chris Johnson run out of the diamond formation the Titans have been using, from Music City Miracles.

Akeem Ayers and Zach Brown are among the worst tackling linebackers in the NFL, says Michael Rener of Pro Football Focus.

» NFC Midseason Teams: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

Don’t look down.

First let me explain. The 2012 All-AFC South midseason team is built on an undulating foundation. Over on the left of the offense, for example, left tackle Duane Brown is on super solid footing even though the division’s three other left tackles -- Michael Roos, Eugene Monroe and Anthony Castonzo -- are all quite good.

Reggie Wayne, Arian Foster, J.J. Watt, Paul Posluszny and Danieal Manning all made it here without much debate from this panel of one.

Barring two awful games clearly impacted by a groin injury, Johnathan Joseph would be a no-brainer, too.

Others position were much tougher.

Winston Justice has pass-protected well, but the Colts' right tackle wins by default because David Stewart has had penalty problems, the Texans are playing two guys and Cameron Bradfield in Jacksonville has not impressed me.

The ground beneath some other spots is significantly lower. Overall four teams provide a small pool and ours includes one very bad and one pretty bad team.

I expect the quarterback choice will produce objections from Texans. Matt Schaub is having a fine and efficient season. But Andrew Luck has been extraordinary, leading a much less talented offense and team to improbable playoff contention.

Executive decisions:

I was tempted to run a three-wide offense, but I went two-tight. I’m not a big fullback guy. Craig Stevens is a legitimate blocking tight end who’s helped sparked the Titans’ run-game revival.

I like to use a 12-man defense to account for two 4-3s and two 3-4s, but finding it thin at defensive tackle, I went where the talent took me. Jurrell Casey is a good player who's been stunted by injuries.

Reading the coverage ...

Houston Texans

Danieal Manning is set on a businesslike visit Sunday when the Texans play in Chicago against his old team, says Tania Ganguli of the Houston Chronicle.

Gary Kubiak has had a close-up look at just how dangerous Brandon Marshall is for the Bears, says John McClain of the Houston Chronicle.

Duane Brown and J.J. Watt are Pro Football Weekly Midseason All-Pros, says McClain.

The Bills threw at Johnathan Joseph nine times, and he allowed just five catches and registered a pass defense. “What was most impressive was the way he limited yardage even when he allowed the ball to be completed into his coverage. “ John Maney of Pro Football Focus re-examines the Bills-Texans game.

Indianapolis Colts

Among the players who shaved their heads to show support for Chuck Pagano: Punter Pat McAfee, defensive lineman Cory Redding, kicker Adam Vinatieri, safety Antoine Bethea, running back Donald Brown, wide receiver Nathan Palmer, cornerback Darius Butler, linebacker Kavell Conner, tackle Anthony Castonzo, guard Joe Reitz and long-snapper Matt Overton. Mike Chappell’s story from the Indianapolis Star.

Jerraud Powers (toe) is out for Thursday night’s game in Jacksonville along with the other starting cornerback, Vontae Davis (knee), says Chappell.

Vick Ballard is taking on more responsibility in the Indianapolis backfield, says Phil Richards of the Star.

While Andrew Luck threw for a rookie record 433 yards, he lost an additional 77 because of drops. Sam Monson of Pro Football Focus looks at Dolphins-Colts.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Jaguars owner Shad Khan told Action News 47: “It’s embarrassing, but there are better days ahead. I’m deeply grateful to the fans for supporting us. They’ve done their part. Now we have to do our part. Whether it’s a football team or an auto parts company, you need three things: Right people in the right spots, processing and decision making that’s right and you need support from fans, sponsors or owners. We have to finish the season. You can’t be rushing to judgment. I wish life was that simple, that you could hire and fire people and things would change. I am committed to building a sustainable, winning organization.” Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union has more.

After concussion-related layoffs, receiver Laurent Robinson is shaking the rust off, says Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union.

The Jaguars and Colts are going in opposite directions, says Vito Stellino of the Times-Union.

“While the rest of the Jaguars offensive line did a relatively good job of holding their own in pass protection, it was Mike Brewster who really let them down. Beaten routinely by Sammie Lee Hill and Corey Williams, he finished the game having allowed two hits and four hurries from 42 snaps in pass protection.” Gordon McGuinness looks at Lions-Jaguars.

Tennessee Titans

Jake Locker got good news from his most recent MRI and could return to action Sunday in Miami, says Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean. Mike Munchak said on his weekly radio show that Locker and Matt Hasselbeck will split reps early in the week as they assess Locker’s progress.

A recent history of Bud Adams’ calling out the Titans and how the team has responded, from Wyatt.

Adams deserves his share of blame too, says David Clime of The Tennessean. “Bud says the Titans were outcoached. OK, who hired the coach? Bud says the Titans were outplayed. OK, who hired the front office personnel who acquired the players?”

In the past two weeks Akeem Ayers has recorded seven pressures (two sacks, two hits, three hurries) on only 13 pass rushes. “The Titans need to find ways to get Ayers more involved in the pass rush to give them an extra weapon attacking the QB, and remove a weakness from their pass coverage.” Ben Stockwell of Pro Football Focus looks at Dolphins-Colts.

Been pondering doing this for some time, and hit a now-or-never point today.

I decided to move forward for two reasons – it forced me to crystallize some preseason opinions, and I feel certain it will generate some debate.

So here’s our first preseason All-AFC South team.

Let’s be clear on criteria: I’ve combined past performance and my expectations for 2012 to create this team. In some spots, I relied more on one than the other.

Defensively, I picked 12 guys, with four linemen and four linebackers. It’s the only way to be fair considering we have two 4-3s and two 3-4s. And as we’ve got teams that start two tight ends and teams that start two backs, but I went with my favored two-tight end set. (Going three wide would have been pushing it, right?)

Also let’s acknowledge it’s an uneven playing field.

Titans right tackle David Stewart, for example, has minimal competition in my eyes considering the three other guys who will start at the position on Sunday: inexperienced Cameron Bradfield for Jacksonville and Derek Newton for Houston, and shaky veteran Winston Justice in Indianapolis.

Meanwhile, cornerbacks like Jerraud Powers of the Colts, Jason McCourty of the Titans and Derek Cox of the Jaguars couldn’t find their way in because the pool at the position is pretty good.

So here’s the team. Blast away.

Time for a run through of Scouts Inc.’s defensive rankings, position by position.

The AFC South is home to just four players in the top 10 of the five lists, though the division has a larger presence at a couple of spots as you look deeper -- particularly at defensive tackle.

Here’s a breakdown with some reflection. The first number is the positional ranking, the second the grade.

Defensive ends:

7) J.J. Watt (85)

12) Dwight Freeney (83)

17) Robert Mathis (81)

23) Jeremy Mincey (80)

31) Antonio Smith (78)

My thoughts: Freeney and Mathis are now outside linebackers in the Colts’ system, and Smith kicks to tackle in the Texans’ nickel package. Mincey may be the top guy in the division as an every-down 4-3 defensive end, and Tennessee’s Kamerion Wimbley will be here but is still rated as a linebacker.

Defensive tackles:

24) Tyson Alualu (78)

27) Jurrell Casey (78)

34) Terrance Knighton (76)

41) Cory Redding (NA)

43) Karl Klug (NA)

47) Shaun Cody (NA)

50) Brandon McKinney (NA)

My thoughts: The top three here are all likely on the rise and should rank higher going into next season. Redding is a base defensive end in the Colts 3-4. McKinney’s now on IR with a knee injury.

Linebackers:

10) Brian Cushing (85)

23) Daryl Smith (82)

26) Paul Posluszny (81)

35) Connor Barwin (79)

38) Kamerion Wimbley (NA)

47) Brooks Reed (NA)

My thoughts: Tough to mash together inside/middle guys and outside guys and 4-3 guys with 3-4 guys, but they all fall together here. I think you can make a case that every guy here from the AFC South could rank higher.

Cornerbacks:

3) Johnathan Joseph (84)

17) Vontae Davis (80)

50) Derek Cox (NA)

My thoughts: Joseph is excellent and Davis is a major upgrade for the Colts. Jason McCourty is a noticeable absence here, and Jerraud Powers would seem a top 50 guy as well.

Safeties:

6) Antoine Bethea (81)

10) Danieal Manning (79)

18) Michael Griffin (78)

30) Dawan Landry (76)

34) Glover Quin (75)

38) Dwight Lowery (NA)

My thoughts: Nice for the Texans and the Jaguars to get both their starters on the list. Manning gets some deserved recognition here. The two spots that are not accounted for -- either Jordan Babineaux or Robert Johnson in Tennessee and Tom Zbikowski in Indy -- could be issues.

Kickers:

3) Rob Bironas (76)

13) Josh Scobee (68)

19) Adam Vinatieri (62)

25) Shayne Graham (59)

 

Punters:

4) Donnie Jones (74)

13) Brett Kern (66)

16) Pat McAfee (62)

30) Brett Hartmann (54)

» NFC Camp Watch: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South » Dates

Three thoughts as training camps open around the NFL:

One thing I'm certain of: Andrew Luck is going to draw huge interest. After the big 2011 rookie season for Cam Newton in Carolina and a solid showing by Andy Dalton in Cincinnati, expectations for highly regarded, first-year quarterbacks are likely to soar. And Luck wasn’t just the No. 1 pick in the draft, he was the guy who made the Colts move forward with a divorce from Peyton Manning and an organizational reset.

Luck is a smart, athletic quarterback who will be working under offensive coordinator Bruce Arians, the same coach who was in Indianapolis at the start of Manning’s career. The organization has done a lot of work trying to ensure Luck has the best possible chance at early success. Newcomers should fill at least three of the starting offensive line spots. Veteran receiver Reggie Wayne was re-signed and should be available to Luck on a lot of third downs while two new tight ends, second- and third-round picks Coby Fleener and Dwayne Allen, will give Luck prime options and assist in protection. Those relationships will have to develop quickly.

One thing that might happen: Special teams could make a big improvement. Although kicker Adam Vinatieri and punter Pat McAfee are good at their jobs, the previous regime didn’t put much emphasis on special teams beyond those two legs. The top-heavy salary structure of the team didn’t allow for many veteran backups, so the core of the special teams was not as strong as those of much of the Colts’ competition.

To oversee his team’s special teams, Chuck Pagano hired Marwan Maaloof, who was a special-teams assistant in Baltimore, where both worked last season. He replaced Ray Rychleski, who didn’t fare well as Jim Caldwell’s hand-picked guy for the Colts. Bad field position was something Manning couldn't overcome. It would be nice if Luck doesn’t have to overcome it often in his first trip through the league. Constructing better special teams will be a big preseason project.

One thing we won't see: I’m not expecting top-flight coverage. The Colts' best cornerback, Jerraud Powers, will be supplemented by a cast of guys with minimal résumés. Kevin Thomas was the No. 2 guy in offseason work. Other holdovers as the team converts to more of a man scheme include Chris Rucker, Terrence Johnson and Brandon King. None of them was brought in by the previous regime as a Cover 2 guy, a player who would play a lot of man.

The team also has brought in several low-cost outsiders: Cassius Vaughn (via trade with Denver), DJ Johnson (in a trade from Philadelphia), Justin King (as a veteran free agent), Korey Lindsey (as a waiver claim), and Antonio Fenelus and Buddy Jackson (undrafted rookies).