ESPN NFL

Reading the coverage …

Houston Texans

The Texans hope to avoid the worst-case defection scenario, says John McClain of the Houston Chronicle. (News in here: Tight end Joel Dreessen is headed to New Orleans for a visit. Right guard Mike Brisiel is visiting Oakland.)

Recently cut fullback Lawrence Vickers was not out of work long, quickly signing with Dallas, says McClain.

Indianapolis Colts

It’s a three-year, $10.5 million contract for defensive end Cory Redding, a building block for the Colts, says Phil Richards. Says Redding: “I believe we can get this thing turned right back around and just keep winning."

Reggie Wayne: Colt for life. Phillip B. Wilson on Reggie Wayne’s decision to re-sign with Indianapolis.

Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jaguars landed their first two outside additions in Laurent Robinson and Chad Henne, says Tania Ganguli.

Why a multi-year deal for reserve linebacker Russell Allen makes sense for Jacksonville, from Ganguli.

Tennessee Titans

Was it a long hello, or will Peyton Manning be putting down roots again in Tennessee? John Glennon of The Tennessean reports on Manning’s visit to the Titans headquarters.

Manning’s gut could push him to decide on the Titans, says David Climer of The Tennessean.

The Titans are also working on their offensive line, and hosted free-agent Scott Wells, says Glennon.

The NFL is filled with players who believe they have unused skills.

Guys played skill positions back in high school and think they’ve still got it. They tell teammates and coaches all the time they’re available to play quarterback or line up at receiver or punt or kick if the team is ever in a jam. They mess around with much of it before and after practices.

Often when a kicker gets hurt, the punter takes over.

Sunday, Jacksonville kicker Josh Scobee tweaked a groin in warmups and the team decided to get him out of the game late in their blowout of Tampa Bay. The Jaguars did not turn to punter Nick Harris. The Jaguars attempted a 2-point conversion after their final touchdown, then turned to linebacker Russell Allen for the kickoff.

He hit a line drive to his right to Mossis Madu at the Buccaneers’ 45-yard line.

Fox’s telecast showed that much laughter ensued, including from Scobee on the sideline.

Tweets from reporters at Mel Tucker’s news conference today indicate Scobee is day-to-day and that the team could be signing a kicker. Allen will get a hard time forever over his kick, but the Jaguars chose him over a bunch of volunteers.

The next time the Jaguars need a field player to kick, odds are they will pass over Allen and his small resume and see if the next guy can reach the opponent’s 40-yard line.

The Jaguars next play Thursday night at Atlanta.

Russell Allen is a capable linebacker who should thrive playing with Daryl Smith and Paul Posluszny the rest of the way for the Jaguars.

But Allen is simply not as dynamic or as impactful as the guy he’s replacing, Clint Session.

The Jaguars put Session on IR after he suffered his second concussion of the season Sunday in Cleveland.

It’s a disappointing end to the year for the big-hitting linebacker, who joined the Jaguars as a free agent from Indianapolis before the season. He arrived with a bit of a reputation for getting banged up, and it’s unfortunate he’s adding to that.

Allen made the Jaguars in 2009 as an undrafted free agent from San Diego State.

The challenge for him is to do his part without trying to be Session. Posluszny and Smith are outstanding players having good seasons for a defense that’s had to carry Jacksonville this season.

Sunday the Jaguars hope to disrupt Matt Leinart in his first start in place of Matt Schaub, the Houston Texans quarterback who’s out with a serious foot injury.

Here is Scouts Inc.’s report on Allen:

"Allen is an active linebacker with a good nose for the ball. He is quick to locate the ball and takes good angles to get to the play. He has adequate lateral range and shows good effort to get to the perimeter and make plays near the sideline. He can struggle when stepping up into the hole and trying to take on blockers and leverage his way to the play, but he generally does a good job of playing the edges and slipping blocks. He is most effective when he is protected up front and left free to run and make plays. He gets good depth in his drops and shows improving route recognition."

Reading the coverage ...

Houston Texans

Defensive line coach Bill Kollar discusses how the 3-4 works for his group, from Nick Scurfield.

Indianapolis Colts

The city of Anderson looks at the lockout and fears it could lose training camp, says Will Higgins.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Once again: Wayne Weaver has no interest in LA., writes Vito Stellino.

Aaron Kampman, Brad Meester and Russell Allen have all made eye-opening trips to Third World countries, says Stellino.

Tennessee Titans

The Titans are well aware of the pitfalls of Twitter, says John Glennon.

Free agency has the potential to change things. But after the draft, here are three Jaguars who are more valuable or more important than they were before:

Russell Allen: With all indications suggesting 2010 starting linebackers Justin Durant and Kirk Morrison won’t be back and with no new linebackers joining the roster through the draft, Allen is in line for a starting spot.

Courtney Greene: Like Allen, Greene may just be holding a starting spot until a free agent is added. But the Jaguars drafted safety, Chris Prosinski, looks to be more of a candidate to oust Don Carey and take over as the free safety. That centerfield spot is the bigger concern of the two, though both safety spots are issues.

Derrick Harvey: I’m not assuring the fourth-year defensive end is even on the roster. But he’s got a better shot at it after the Jaguars didn’t add a pass rusher as expected. He ranks fifth at best among ends right now and should be rooting for an end to the lockout so he can get in front of coaches and show he’s ready to have more of an impact.

After he read this post Tuesday, alert reader @thezachlyons asked me via Twitter if I could flip the numbers inside-out.

So in following up an entry about how quarterbacks benefited from dropped interceptions in 2010, we look at the guys from the division who did their best to help out quarterbacks.

Bill Barnwell of Football Outsiders was kind enough to share. As with the flip sides of the stat, Football Outsiders judges a drop only when a very catchable ball hits a defender in the hands or the chest.

The division didn’t boast a primary offender -- Miami’s Sean Smith, Tampa Bay’s Aqib Talib and Kansas City’s Derrick Johnson each had five. No AFC South defender had more than two.

Team-by-team here are the muffed turnover chances:

• Houston (6): Eugene Wilson 2, Kareem Jackson, Bernard Pollard, Glover Quin, Brian Cushing.
• Indianapolis (6): Jerraud Powers, Kelvin Hayden, Antoine Bethea, Justin Tryon, Cornelius Brown, Tyjuan Hagler.
• Jacksonville (5): Don Carey, Rashean Mathis, David Jones, Sean Considine, Russell Allen.
• Tennessee (3): Will Witherspoon, Sen’Derrick Marks, Cortland Finnegan.

They need to be caught, of course. But they all counted as passes defensed. And while they could have been huge plays, at least they weren’t huge plays against, right?

I mean it’s bad the Texans and Colts had a lot, because they shouldn’t be dropped. But the Titans probably wouldn’t have minded a few more.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Greetings from Lucas Oil Stadium. It’s cold out, and the roof is closed as you’d expect.

The Colts are holding Kelvin Hayden (neck) out, which means Justin Tryon at left cornerback. Kavell Conner will be at weakside linebacker for the injured Clint Session and Donald Brown starts for Joseph Addai.

Austin Collie (concussion) is active and could be a huge piece to this game. Jerry Hughes is healthy but inactive.

The Jaguars are healthier, but without two starters on defense. Linebacker Justin Durant will be replaced by Russell Allen, but Allen won’t be part of the nickel package we will see a bunch that brings William Middleton on the field. Safety Sean Considine fills in again for Courtney Greene, and the Jaguars endure a drop-off there in sure tackling.

I tweeted this picture of the view from my seat. But don’t worry, I have binoculars.

The complete inactive lists:

Jaguars: QB Todd Bouman, WR John Matthews, WR Tiquan Underwood, Greene, Durant, OT Daniel Baldridge, DE Aaron Morgan, DT Nate Collins.

Colts: Hayden, Addai, RB Mike Hart, Session, G Jamey Richard, G Jacques McClendon, G Jaimie Thomas, Hughes.

Reading the coverage ...

Houston Texans

It’s time for the Texans to step out of the Cowboys’ shadow, says Richard Justice.

The natural order is upside-down, says Dale Robertson.

Anna-Megan Raley looks at the big matchup. (Video.)

We may not see as good a combo as Matt Schaub and Andre Johnson for a long time, says Richard Justice.

The Cowboys and Texans are heading in different directions, says Rick Gosselin.

Dallas faces a difficult choice on defense as to where to place more of a focus.

Beware of counterfeit tickets, the Texans warn.

Keys to victory for the Texans from John McClain and Tom Orsborn.

Indianapolis Colts

Stability at quarterback is a luxury for the Colts a lot of other teams don’t enjoy, says Mike Chappell.

It’s a bit out of character for the Colts to use a starter like Jerraud Powers as their punt returner, says Mike Chappell.

Pierre Garcon, Clint Session and Brandon King did not travel to Denver and are out with hamstring injuries.

Two running backs are better, says Phil Richards.

Organizers of the 2012 Super Bowl in Indianapolis move forward despite lockout talk.

Jacksonville Jaguars

It’s time for David Garrard to step things up, says Vito Stellino.

What fueled Eugene Monroe’s improvement, asks Tania Ganguli.

Russell Allen is in line for his first start of the year, says Ganguli.

Ganguli’s game breakdown.

The Jaguars trail in media mentions, but they tend to be positive, says Abel Harding.

Observations through two games by Terry O’Brien.

Tennessee Titans

The offensive line wants a big rebound after a poor game, says Wyatt.

Vince Young’s fumbles have prompted a review of the basics, says John Glennon.

Derrick Morgan and Kenny Britt are motivated by being passed over by the Giants, says Jim Wyatt.

Wyatt’s matchup page.

All eyes will be on Young, says Bob McClellan.

Jason McCourty goes home as a starter, says Kyle Allen.

Reading the coverage ...

Houston Texans

Houston added two veteran defensive ends in Adewale Ogunleye and Ryan Denney, says John McClain.

The trip to Washington will test the Texans’ maturity, says John McClain.

Vonta Leach is a hefty hole puncher, says Jeffrey Martin.

LaVar Arrington looks at Arian Foster against the Redskins' run defense. (Hat tip to Alan Burge.)

Players have the high moral ground in the labor debate, says Richard Justice.

The Texans also worked out some offensive linemen, says Adam Kaplan. (Hat tip to Toro Times.)

David Anderson appreciated the fans.

Indianapolis Colts

Poor protection meant the Colts’ offense was too hurried, says Phillip B. Wilson.

Bob Sanders visits Dr. James Andrews Wednesday.

Has Sanders reached the end, asks Bob Kravitz.

The Colts are very good in national television games, says Rick Gosselin.

John Oehser wonders about the venomous reaction to Sanders’ injury.

Brett Mock’s breakdown looks closely at the roles of Fili Moala and Philip Wheeler, among others, in the loss at Houston.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kirk Morrison, Kassim Osgood, Russell Allen and John Matthews all have San Diego connections, says Tania Ganguli.

Daryl Smith was named defensive player of the week, says Rich Jones.

Simon Evans with a thoughtful look at the Jaguars’ situation. (Hat tip to Alfie Crow.)

Greg Jones should have played in the 1970s, says Vic Ketchman of the team’s website.

Three things to look for as the Jaguars prepare for San Diego, from Mike Corrao.

Tennessee Titans

Five things John Glennon knows about the Titans.

Vince Young is back in the Heisman Trophy talk.

The Titans worked out four players Tuesday, says Jim Wyatt.

Limited passing meant limited pain for Justin Gage and Nate Washington, who are dealing with injuries, says David Boclair.

The Titans will face Dennis Dixon at quarterback, says Jonathan Hutton.

Three things I’ll be looking for in Falcons at Jaguars:

A clue at guard: If Jack Del Rio rolls out starters for a token appearance, and he should, we will get a look at what should be the starting offensive line. One starting guard spot is not known publicly. It appears it’s either Vince Manuwai at right guard or Kynan Forney at left guard with Uche Nwaneri filling the other side in either scenario.

Long shot bids: First impressions are ancient. Last impressions can’t do anything but help a guy’s cause as decision-makers sit down to make cuts. Players like fullback Brock Bolen, receiver John Matthews, offensive tackle Kevin Haslam and defensive tackle Leger Douzable each will have enough time on the field to make that solid final bid.

Linebacker depth: The Jaguars have been dinged up at linebacker, and it’s tested their depth. Russell Allen is a definite part of this team, but what’s after that? Teddy Lehman, Alvin Bowen, Tony Gilbert, Kyle Bosworth and even Rod Wilson have one final chance to make a good showing, move up the stack and improve the chance of sticking. However it shakes out, I still think the Jaguars will be shopping for linebacker depth on the waiver wire.

Jacksonville added linebacker a couple veteran linebackers in Tony Gilbert, who played 2003-2007 with the franchise, and Kris Griffin. Gilbert’s been with Atlanta the last two seasons.

While I was recently with the team indications were they weren’t thrilled with their depth at the position after Daryl Smith, Keith Morrison, Justin Durant, and Russell Allen. Freddy Keiaho, who had some good stretches in Indy, could have ranked fifth but hardly stands out. Teddy Lehman could also be bumped down the depth chart with the moves.

The Jaguars also added second-year defensive tackle Leger Douzable.

Receiver Nate Hughes, safety Terrell Whitehead and offensive lineman Andrew Crummey were cut to make room for the additions.

Reading the coverage:

Houston Texans

Houston Texans wide receiver Jacoby Jones had some fightin' words for the Dallas Cowboys.

With all due respect to the other professional franchises, the Houston Chronicle's Richard Justice says the Texans are No. 1 in Houston hearts.

Indianapolis Colts

Free-agent guard Chester Pitts worked out with the Indianapolis Colts Tuesday, a source told NFL.com's Jason La Canfora.

Colts quarterback Peyton Manning was voted the fifth most popular athlete in a Harris interactive poll -- three spots ahead of Tom Brady.

Colts punter Pat McAfee has made the most of his time off.

Preseason power rankings are starting to roll in ... and WEEI.com has the Colts ranked second.

Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jaguars signed third-round draft pick D’Anthony Smith to a four-year deal.

Jaguars senior sales manager Thomas Patterson has resigned following a July 18 arrest. This is not good timing for Jaguars' ticket sales, writes Gene Frenette.

ESPN.com's Len Pasquerelli calls Jaguars linebacker Russell Allen an undrafted gem.

In Yahoo! Sports' preseason NFL rankings of teams for purely fantasy reasons, the Jaguars clock in at No. 23.

Tennessee Titans

With a revised deal in hand, will Chris Johnson chase the NFL’s top single-season record?

The Titans want to see "another level" from tight end Bo Scaife this season.

Vincent Fuller gives Tennessee experience at nickel corner.

Reading the coverage:

Michael Lombardi breaks down the AFC.

Houston Texans

Gary Kubiak’s father passed away, according to KHOU.

The Texans reached a deal with rookie Dorin Dickerson, says Mark Berman.

Andy Benoit previews the Texans and thinks the depth is a lot better,

A look at the Texans zone coverage from Battle Red Blog.

Indianapolis Colts

John Oehser wonders if Anthony Gonzalez will start.

A look at what Football Outsiders says about the rest of the AFC South, from Nate Dunlevy.

Nick Yeoman gives us five reasons the Colts won’t win the division.

Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jags reached a deal with Larry Hart, their first draft pick to agree, says Vito Stellino.

Benoit’s Jaguars preview isn’t filled with optimism. Cue a new round of the linebacker debate. He thinks Russell Allen in the best Jacksonville’s got.

Vic Ketchman expects an improved offense.

Ketchman expects the Jaguars to draft a quarterback next year no matter what David Garrard does.

Tennessee Titans

Damian Williams knows about climbing to the top of a talented group of receivers, says Mark Wheeler.

David Howard pleaded no contest to an assault charge.

Avoid Chris Johnson in your fantasy draft, says John Lindinger.

Reading the coverage ...

Houston Texans

Richard Justice details wide receiver Harry Williams' life since his playing career ended in 2008.

A look at the offensive line from a few different perspectives.

Indianapolis Colts

The job backing up Peyton Manning is starting to get a little crowded.

Coach Jim Caldwell offers his assessment of the Colts' specialists.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Who looked good and who didn't during the Jaguars' latest OTA session, courtesy of Vito Stellino.

Jaguars linebacker Russell Allen is making a difference off the field.

Tennessee Titans

Jason Babin is hoping to revitalize his career with the Titans.

Kenny Britt is well aware of the issues he's had holding onto the ball.

» NFC Big Question: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

Can Jacksonville bring in a draft class that has an impact like last year’s?

It’s a bit of a trick question. Last year’s team had glaring holes and a lot of room for rookies to nudge into the starting lineup.

The four players the Jaguars drafted in the first three rounds in 2009 combined to start 60 of a possible 64 games. Left tackle Eugene Monroe, right tackle Eben Britton, defensive tackle Terrance Knighton and cornerback Derek Cox improved as the year went on and have very bright futures.

Can Gene Smith match that in his second draft as he searches for pass rush help, an interior offensive lineman, a safety, a linebacker and an additional offensive playmaker?

The formula he’s put in place seems a good one. Smith is a longtime scout who relies on his scouts. He rates character and leadership as important, giving extra long looks to guys who captained their college teams. He’s unafraid of small schools and players who haven’t gotten a lot of publicity -- see Knighton out of Temple and Cox from William & Mary.

The Jaguars' 2010 rookie class will have opportunity for sure. But I don’t expect they’ll finish the season with five first-year guys starting at season’s end as they did last season with the four high picks and undrafted linebacker Russell Allen filling in for the injured Clint Ingram.

The expectations will be more conventional, and at this point there is no reason to think Smith can’t find a group that can meet them. I expect the questions will be about the ability of Jack Del Rio and his staff to coach guys up again and have them ready when called upon.