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Over at NFC South headquarters, our “regional” cohort Pat Yasinskas was driven by Drew Brees' giant salary-cap number to look at all the players in that division with cap numbers of $5 million of more.

We know a good idea when we see one, so here's an AFC South version of the $5 million-or-more club, with 2013 salary-cap numbers.

• Andre Johnson, Texans WR, $14.85 million
• Chris Johnson, Titans RB, $12 million
• Johnathan Joseph, Texans CB, $11.25 million
• Robert Mathis, Colts OLB, $10.75 million
• Matt Schaub, Texans QB, $10.75 million
• Antonio Smith, Texans DE, $9.5 million
• Paul Posluszny, Jaguars MLB, $8.5 million
• Arian Foster, Texans RB, $8.25 million
• Reggie Wayne, Colts WR, $8.16 million
• Gosder Cherilus, Colts RT, $7.5 million
• Michael Roos, Titans LT, $7.5 million
• David Stewart, Titans RT, $7 million
• Maurice Jones-Drew, Jaguars RB, $6.8 million
• Jason McCourty, Titans CB, $6.8 million
• Michael Griffin, Titans S, $6.3 million
• Eugene Amano, Titans C-G, $6 million
• Uche Nwaneri, Jaguars G, $5.89 million
• Kamerion Wimbley, Titans DE, $5.8 million
• Antoine Bethea, Colts S, $5.75 million
• Owen Daniels, Texans TE, $5.75 million
• LaRon Landry, Colts S, $5.75 million
• Marcedes Lewis, Jaguars TE, $5.75 million
• Danieal Manning, Texans S, $5.5 million
• Chris Myers, Texans C, $5.5 million
• Nate Washington, Titans WR, $5.1 million
• Andrew Luck, Colts QB, $5.02 million
• Duane Brown, Texans LT, $5 million

That’s nine Texans, eight Titans, six Colts and four Jaguars.

David Caldwell inherited some contracts with the Jacksonville Jaguars that don’t match up with value and production.

While his team has plenty of cap room, the team’s new general manager isn’t automatically going to pay out for overpriced people.

Adam Schefter reports strong safety Dawan Landry will be released today.

Landry had a $6.7 million cap charge and was scheduled for a $5.4 million base salary this season. He was signed for three more years under a five-year, $27.5 million deal negotiated by former GM Gene Smith in 2011.

He played 16 games in each of his two seasons with Jacksonville collecting three interceptions, but didn’t qualify as a dynamic playmaker who warranted the salary.

An undrafted rookie, Antwon Blake, finished last season as Landry’s backup.

It’s not clear if the Jaguars think Blake or someone on the roster can start or if strong safety now qualifies as another need in Caldwell and Gus Bradley’s rebuild.

The bigger question right now is whether the move with Landry signals that more moves are coming.

Other too-expensive guys include linebacker Paul Posluszny, receiver Laurent Robinson, tight end Marcedes Lewis, guard Uche Nwaneri and cornerback Aaron Ross. I'd keep Posluszny and Nwaneri for sure. They may be overpaid, but they are among the team's best players right now.

There are not backups behind those guys who qualify yet as capable fill-ins. And one run through mid-range free agency and a draft can't fill all the Jaguars' needs, let alone the holes created with further moves.

But as Caldwell assesses his roster, making moves to get costs in line with production won't be a bad thing.

INDIANAPOLIS -- The NFLPA seems unlikely to grab on to the NFL’s most recent trial balloon.

Adam Schefter reported the NFL would like to shift the offseason calendar: Pushing the combine into March, free agency into April, and the draft into May.

The plan would help the league take more ownership of the sports landscape in the offseason.

But it would mean free agents would have to wait on millions of dollars in signing bonuses, and it’s hard to imagine the union agreeing to that.

I did a quick survey of some players from the AFC South this morning.

Here are their thoughts on the idea.

Jerraud Powers, Colts cornerback and pending free agent: "I don’t like what the league would be trying to do. I’m a strong believer if it’s not broke, don’t fix it. If anything, I think they should push everything up so teams can have plenty of time to prepare for the next season with everything in place."

Duane Brown, Texans left tackle: “I think that would be good and bad for the incoming guys. More time to prepare after their final game, but also less time to make the transition to their new teams after the draft. I think it would be best to keep it the way it is.”

Uche Nwaneri, Jaguars right guard: “I think it will allow young players who are recovering from injuries a bit more time to prepare for the combine. I'm guessing it will benefit the fans more than anything, it will streamline the NFL offseason and keep football on the minds of fans with no interruptions. … Shorter amount of time to acclimate to new teams and new cities would not bode well for FAs. I can see that FAs will be sitting in limbo for four months, gives teams a bit more leverage especially leading into OTAs and minicamp. Guys will have to make quick decisions as to who to sign with. Never good to rush a decision.”

Will Witherspoon, Titans linebacker, pending free agent: “I think it could be a good thing, especially for guys going back to school.”

» 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.

» 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

The Texans-Bears game can serve as a Super Bowl setup, says Randy Harvey of the Houston Chronicle. “This gives the Texans an opportunity to accomplish something they haven’t done this season: win a game headline writers could legitimately call an upset.”

Of the AFC’s top six teams, the Texans have the toughest remaining schedule, says John McClain of the Chronicle.

Daryl Sharpton returns to practice today, and the team has a three week window to decide if the inside linebacker can help them, says McClain.

To which I say: If he is healthy and can stay healthy, I think he could help, at least situationally, inside. The guy is a good football player.

Indianapolis Colts

Colts players and coaches aren’t big fans of the quick turnaround to a Thursday night game like the one they’ll play in Jacksonville, says Mike Chappell of the Indianapolis Star.

To which I say: There is a potential positive on the other side. Win the Thursday night game, and you get a mini-bye and things aren’t so bad.

If the playoffs started right now, the Colts would line up with Denver for an Andrew Luck-Peyton Manning showdown, says Phil Richards of the Star. Oh, the ratings.

The optimistic timetable for Chuck Pagano would put him back on the sidelines with his team on Dec. 30, writes Phillip B. Wilson of the Star.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Mike Mularkey said his Jaguars were not as intense as he wanted them to be in their loss to Detroit, writes Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union.

Mularkey is leaning on his support group and finding ways to stay positive amid the lousy season,writes Vito Stellino of the T-U.

That dramatic win over the Colts back in September is nothing more than a mirage at this point, says Gene Frenette of the T-U. "We're definitely stunned and shocked about [losing five consecutive games]," guard Uche Nwaneri said. "Yeah, it's crazy. I don't think any of us anticipated the season we're having."

To which I say: At the time, it seemed like that game would be the start of something. It didn’t turn into anything like that. Now it qualifies, mostly, as the Colts’ primary regret.

Tennessee Titans

The Titans and Mike Munchak responded to Bud Adams’ comments to The Tennessean. Said Munchak: “Obviously Mr. Adams is very much entitled to his opinion, and I probably would have said the same thing if I were him,” Munchak said on Monday. “This is his team. He expects us to play well, especially at home. That is our job. That is my job to make sure we are out there playing our best and winning games at home. And we didn’t do that and we didn’t play well and I would be upset too if I were him.” Jim Wyatt’s story.

Adams’ call-out of the Titans scared the team’s coaches, says Mike Freeman of CBS Sports.

To which I say: Sounds like a bit of a naïve group if guys weren’t worried about job security until the owner spoke out.

Practice will determine if this is the week for Jake Locker’s return, says John Glennon of The Tennessean.

The Jacksonville Jaguars' offensive line has been the second-least effective in the NFL per the review and grading of Pro Football Focus' Khaled Elsayed.

The site’s current grades for Jaguars offensive linemen: Eugene Monroe +12.8, Uche Nwaneri -1.8, Mike Brewster -2.7, Herb Taylor -2.6, Cameron Bradfield -4.3, Brad Meester -8, Guy Whimper -8.8, Eben Britton -10.9.

Not pretty.

Only Arizona's line, regarded by many as among the all-time worst, rates as worse.

The Colts are 27th, with a mention for OK pass blocking (led by a 10.9 by right tackle Winston Justice) but poor run blocking that includes a positive rating for only left tackle Anthony Castonzo.

The Titans are 19th, and left tackle Michael Roos (10.0) is praised for a return to his typical, solid form. Unfortunately for Tennessee, he had an appendectomy on Monday and may not be able to play. The interior three get poor marks.

The Texans are just 13th, and PFF says the rotations at right guard and right tackle are evidence of the shaky play of Antoine Caldwell (-7.2) and Derek Newton (-8.9.), Duane Brown is the highest-rated left tackle in the league (18.3).

Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew won’t play Sunday in Green Bay with a midfoot injury that he suffered in Oakland.

Details aren’t yet known but Mike Mularkey indicated it could keep the running back out a while, per Twitter accounts of reporters who were at the coach’s Monday news conference.

The team is also waiting for an MRI on the left shoulder of Blaine Gabbert, but Mularkey sounded more optimistic about his quarterback.

I’d like to present a silver lining and say the Jaguars without MJD will be forced to put more of the offense on Gabbert -- something that seemed to be happening during MJD’s preseason holdout.

But there are things working against that:

1) Gabbert’s own health question: Being without the best guy to hand the ball off to won’t benefit a sore-shouldered quarterback.

2) Protection issues: Mularkey said he couldn’t really assess backup QB Chad Henne’s performance because the team had protection issues, which included losing right guard Uche Nwaneri to a knee injury.

The protection conversation is ongoing. Back in May, I asked why the Jaguars were expecting better pass protection without any major personnel upgrades.

“It’s a different offense, it’s a different scheme, it’s different coaches, it’s a different offseason,” coach Mike Mularkey said back then. “There are a lot of different things going on. We run a different offense here and we will do what we have to do to protect him.”

Injuries have made things difficult, and if they are missing Nwaneri or he’s not himself, that will be the newest problem.

Beyond Jones-Drew, Gabbert and Nwaneri there are other injury concerns.

Linebacker Daryl Smith (groin) is still unlikely to return and safety Dwight Lowery is expected to miss a second game because of a knee injury. Cornerback Rashean Mathis has a slight groin pull.

Still, the idea that a different offense under different coaches would make a big difference has proven to be false. And doing what they have to do to protect Gabbert amounts to keeping too many people in, when the team needs more people out on routes.

The idea that the same group with the same position coach, Andy Heck, was going to produce different results serves as yet another example of the team inaccurately evaluating and assessing what it had and what it would be able to do with it.

Pro Football Focus looks very closely on who’s on the field when, and thanks to them we are able to look at how many offensive line combinations each of our teams have used.

Here’s a breakdown of how much each team has been able to use its preferred combination of offensive line personnel.

Houston

Preferred combination (L-R): Duane Brown, Wade Smith, Chris Myers, Antoine Caldwell, Derek Newton.

Snaps together: 181 of 338 (54 percent)

Total combinations: 5

My thoughts: The Texans are using Ryan Harris some at right tackle and Ben Jones at right guard by design, so this is less telling than it is for everyone else who wants to have the same five all the time.

Indianapolis

Preferred combination (L-R): Anthony Castonzo, Joe Reitz, Samson Satele, Mike McGlynn, Winston Justice.

Snaps together: 0 of 290

Total combinations: 6

My thoughts: Reitz hurt his ankle in the preseason and hasn’t played. His replacement, Seth Olsen, is not on IR with the possibility of being reactivated later. The four starters with Olson have played 59 of 290 snaps, 20 percent.

Jacksonville

Preferred combination (L-R): Eugene Monroe, Eben Britton, Brad Meester, Uche Nwaneri, Cameron Bradfield.

Snaps together: 102 of 278 (37 percent)

Total combinations: 6

My thoughts: I think they would have probably been better off with Will Rackley, but the left guard was hurt in the preseason and is on IR. There were strong, early indications the team was heading toward the above configuration even if Rackley was healthy, so we’re using it as the preferred combo.

Tennessee

Preferred combination (L-R): Michael Roos, Steve Hutchinson, Fernando Velasco, Leroy Harris, David Stewart.

Snaps together: 266 of 291 (91 percent)

Total combinations: 4

My thoughts: Eugene Amano was in line to be the center until a preseason arm injury put him on IR. You’d like a line that’s been healthy and together basically the whole season to be playing far better than this one has.

Reading the coverage ...

Houston Texans

For the second week in a row the Texans beat a weak sister from Florida, says Dale Robertson of the Houston Chronicle.

The Texans did what they were supposed to do: easily handle a middling team. John McClain’s story from the Chronicle.

A 17-play touchdown drive in the third quarter signaled that the Texans had retaken control and weren’t going to be denied, says McClain.

A confident J.J. Watt and the Texans defense performed to their potential, says Jerome Solomon of the Chronicle.

The Texans' one-two punch of Arian Foster and Ben Tate worked just like they expect it to, says Tania Ganguli of the Chronicle.

Houston’s defense was hardly on the field, says Jeff Elliott of the Chronicle.

The Texans' muddle huddle was a success and strength and conditioning coach Cedric Smith got a game ball for having the Texans ready, says Elliott.

Houston’s run game was so good, they hardly had to use stud receiver Andre Johnson, says Pete Prisco of CBS Sports.

Indianapolis Colts

Bob Kravitz’s column off the game in the Indianapolis Star: “Even after the Colts' understandably conservative offense had fallen on hard times throughout the second half, even after all those three-and-outs, coach Chuck Pagano, offensive coordinator Bruce Arians and the staff felt comfortable putting it in the hands of a quarterback who turned 23 years old last week. The result: A Colts' last-second 23-20 victory, the first victory of the [Andrew] Luck era.”

Avoiding 0-2 was big for this young team, says Mike Chappell of the Star.

A knee injury to starting center Samson Satele meant Mike McGlynn moved to center and Trai Essex took over at right guard, says Phillip B. Wilson.

Bulletproof Adam Vinatieri saved the day for the Colts, says Phil Richards of the Star.

Kravitz’s report card ranges from A to D.

With this interactive feature from the Star, you can compare Luck to other quarterbacks.

Luck shined in the clutch, says Dunlevy.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Jacksonville was simply manhandled by the Texans, says Ran O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union. “People will judge us by what they see,” guard Uche Nwaneri said.

The Jaguars’ optimism was washed away with one of the most dismal performances in franchise history, says Gene Frenette of the T-U.

Blaine Gabbert took a step back before leaving the game with an injury, says Vito Stellino of the T-U.

With Andre Johnson well covered, the Texans simply turned to other weapons, says Garry Smits of the T-U.

Injuries on the offensive line meant a start for left guard Herb Taylor, says Stellino.

Frenette passes out F's to run offense, pass offense and coaching.

This team isn’t deep enough to survive its current injuries, says Luke Sims of Black & Teal.

Tennessee Titans

The Titans need to make some major adjustments, and soon, writes David Climer of The Tennessean. “With their defensive shortcomings, the Titans aren’t going to scratch out any 13-10 victories. They might as well ditch the idea of establishing the run and instead put the ball in (Jake) Locker’s hands and see where that takes them.”

The Titans don’t want to be known for this, but so far they’ve got no traction this season. Jim Wyatt’s game story from The Tennessean.

Tennessee made a third-string tight end, Dante Rosario, look like an all-star, says John Glennon of The Tennessean.

Sustaining drives was a virtual impossibility for the Titans’ offense, says Glennon.

Poor execution means “the run game ain’t working,” Chris Johnson told Wyatt and Glennon.

As foot injuries mount for his Jaguars, Mike Mularkey’s wondering if the turf in Baltimore and Minnesota’s caused any other teams issues.

“Yeah, I’m just trying to figure out where it’s coming from because it is an unbelievable amount of guys that have had that injury -- something different but that same part of the body,” he told Jacksonville reporters Monday.

Three offensive linemen were hurt in the loss at Minnesota -- guards Eben Britton (ankle) and Uche Nwaneri (ankle) and right tackle Cameron Bradfield (leg).

Nwaneri returned to finish. The team is waiting on MRI results for Bradfield and running back Rashad Jennings (knee) and Mularkey said they could be out a couple weeks. Mularkey rated Britton as questionable but said it doesn’t look to be a long-term injury.

“It’s the most foot injuries I’ve ever been around,” Mularkey said. “Foot, ankle, you think about the number of linemen we have lost with it, it’s just unheard of. I don’t know if it’s bad luck. I am putting a little research out there with some of the turf teams if they’re experiencing the same kind of issues we are with our ankles and feet. We have had an unbelievable number of injuries to that part of the body. More than I’ve ever been around.”

Mike Brewster and Guy Whimper were called into action Sunday and could be in line for more Sunday against Houston.

Linebacker Daryl Smith, who missed the opener with an injury labeled a groin at some times and an abdomen at others, isn’t expected to practice Wednesday and is questionable, Mularkey said.

Thoughts on the Jaguars' 26-23 overtime loss to the Vikings in Minnesota:

What it meant: The Jaguars have improved but were unable to finish off a team they will feel they should have beaten. The Jags had the ball for 37:49 and had 75 offensive plays to Minnesota’s 58, but couldn’t use that extra time with the ball to pull away or win. The Jaguars are one of three AFC South teams at 0-1, with only Houston at 1-0.

Important development: Quarterback Blaine Gabbert got the ball with 1:18 left in the game trailing by 5 and drove the Jaguars to a touchdown. He completed four of six passes and covered 76 yards in just 58 seconds, capped by a 39-yard touchdown to Cecil Shorts, who made a great adjustment to the pass. Gabbert hit rookie Justin Blackmon for the 2-point conversion and a 3-point lead, but Minnesota managed a field goal to force overtime. Gabbert carried over his preseason play and was largely effective.

Hard to figure: Statistically -- with that time of possession, the advantage in offensive plays and the Jaguars’ nine conversions on 18 third downs compared to the Vikings’ two conversions in 10 chances -- it’s hard to see exactly how Jacksonville failed to win. Typically such things are offset by turnovers or giant plays, but both teams lost one fumble and Minnesota didn’t have a play longer than 29 yards and only had four plays of 20 yards or more. Adrian Peterson's two touchdown runs certainly hurt.

Injuries of concern: The offensive line got beat up with guard Eben Britton leaving the game with an ankle injury and right tackle Cameron Bradfield leaving the game with a leg injury. The other guard, Uche Nwaneri, suffered an ankle injury but returned to action. Running back Rashad Jennings left the game early with a knee injury, meaning Maurice Jones-Drew was back in his full-time role in short order.

What’s next: The Jaguars host the Texans in the first home game for coach Mike Mularkey. Jacksonville lost both games to the Texans last season.

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.

Reading the coverage…

Houston Texans

The Texans will be a tough test for Miami rookie quarterback Ryan Tannehill, says Dale Robertson of the Houston Chronicle.

Way back in 2008, Glover Quin lined up for New Mexico in a college game to cover Texans A&M receiver Tannehill, says Tania Ganguli of the Chron.

Right guard Derek Newton is ready for his first NFL start and not worried, says John McClain of the Chron.

Playoff berths aren’t bequeathed, they’re won, says Nate Dunlevy of Bleacher Report in a reminder to fans.

Indianapolis Colts

Andrew Luck hopes to get some good sleep the night before his regular season NFL debut, but he can’t guarantee he will, writes Mike Chappell of the Indianapolis Star.

How should the Bears attack the Colts? They’ve got a lot of choices, says Nate Dunlevy of Bleacher Report.

It's hard to know what to expect from these Colts, says Conrad Brunner of 1070 The Fan.

Thoughts on Justin King as the Colts nickelback from Brad Wells of Stampede Blue.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Maurice Jones-Drew says he has to work to get his job back, writes Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union.

Guard Uche Nwaneri and receiver Justin Blackmon were limited Wednesday, says Vito Stellino of the T-U.

The Jaguars are expecting a healthy Adrian Peterson for the Vikings, says O’Halloran.

We’ll see rookies galore in the Jaguars-Vikings game, says O’Halloran.

It’s cheap to live within walking distance of EverBank Field, says Roger Bull of the T-U.

Tennessee Titans

Changes on and struggles by the Patriots' offensive line could mean opportunities for the Titans to hit Tom Brady on Sunday, says John Glennon of The Tennessean.

Jake Locker said “the cool thing about Tom Brady is how he got where he is,” says Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean.

Defensive tackle Sen’Derrick Marks (knee) is not a certainty for Sunday, says Wyatt.

The back and forth between Jason McCourty of the Titans and Devin McCourty of the Patriots is ramping up, says Glennon.

The Jacksonville Jaguars may get more of a test of their depth Sunday in Minnesota than they’d like.

Coach Mike Mularkey told Jacksonville reporters after Monday’s practice that starting cornerback Derek Cox (hamstring) doesn’t look likely to play and would be replaced by William Middleton.

And starting right guard Uche Nwaneri (sprained ankle) got a rest day and will go through full treatment tomorrow.

“We’re hoping to get him back Wednesday,” Mularkey said. “That’s kind of the plan as we speak. If that’s not the case we can work with (Mike) Brewster in there or (Josh) Beekman, either one. We are planning on Uche being back.”

The Jaguars also suffered a new injury, as Mularkey watched Brett Brackett go down right in front of him with a knee injury. Brackett, a tight end, was recently claimed off waivers from the Eagles.

“I was standing right behind him and it did not look like something simple,” Mularkey said. “It looked serious. They’re checking him out. They were checking him out at one o’clock today, but it did not look good standing behind him.”

If he’s lost the Jaguars would be shopping for a third tight end after Marcedes Lewis and Zach Potter.