It's July, the slowest month of the year for the NFL, and it's driving you nuts. You need a fix. A hit. Anything NFL to pull you through the dog days. FanHouse is here to help with an in-depth look at each division that should have you plenty prepared for training camp. We're calling it the Summer Scramble, and today we look at the AFC South's looming position battles.
-- Colts running backs: The Colts were the second-worst running team in the NFL last year. Now, that sounds bad...until you realize that the only team worse was the team that lost the Super Bowl. So yeah, it's possible that Peyton Manning is enough to carry the offense. But you'd better believe the Colts coaching staff will spend a good chunk of training camp looking for somebody to whom Manning can reliably hand the ball off. Joseph Addai is the incumbent starter, but he's coming off of offseason knee surgery and only rushed for 544 yards last year after topping 1,000 in each of the two prior seasons.
Enter Donald Brown, first-round draft pick out of the University of Connecticut. The rookie will get a chance, and remember -- this was a guy a lot of people were raving about just before the draft. He was a fast mover -- a guy teams liked better the more they got to know him. His style fits what the Colts like out of their ballcarriers, and if Addai isn't all the way healthy, Brown's going to get a lot of chances to run with the first team and show what he can do.
PREDICTION: Manning and the veterans on the Colts' offense create a perfect nurturing environment for a rookie running back who's willing to learn. Donald Brown leads the Colts in carries in 2009.
-- Titans defensive tackle: Tennessee's biggest mission in training camp will be figuring out how to replace departed free agent star Albert Haynesworth. Since there's no single player they can plug into Haynesworth's spot and expect the same production, the solution is likely to lie in the coaching staff's ability to find the right combination or rotation of players at the position. For instance, Tony Brown started next to Haynesworth and looks locked in as a starter for this year. But did Brown benefit from having Haynesworth lining up next to him? Or is he a good enough player in his own right to flourish in the big man's absence. And even if Brown's spot is solid, who takes Haynesworth's? Is second-year man Jason Jones, who was spectacular while filling in for an injured Haynesworth last year, good enough to slide in as a starter? Is free agent Jovan Haye, a pass-rushing specialist during his time in Tampa Bay, a safer veteran option? Can second-round pick Sen'Derrick Marks muscle his way into the competition for playing time? Lots of questions for Tennessee to answer at DT.
PREDICTION: Jones showed enough in his fill-in role last year to earn the first shot at the starter's spot alongside Brown. But Marks emerges as a threat to somebody's playing time by late November.
-- Texans weak side linebacker: Projecting first-rounder Brian Cushing as the starter on the strong side and DeMeco Ryans in the middle leaves one spot open in the Texans' linebacking corps. The job could go to Zac Diles, who is trying to come back from a broken leg, but he's going to face competition from Xavier Adibi and Cato June for that spot. Diles is a hard hitter with good speed, but there are questions about his ability to shed blockers and some of his technique. Adibi has more speed than Diles and showed flashes of ability when he got into games in 20008. And June could be a real benefit in pass coverage due to his quickness and experience there.
PREDICTION: Adibi wins the Willie spot, relegating June and Diles to backup duty. But as Diles gets healthier and stronger, don't rule him out as a candidate for plenty of snaps at the Sam spot if the rookie Cushing struggles.
-- Jaguars defensive end: Jacksonville selected Derrick Harvey and Quentin Groves in the 2008 draft, and neither impressed the team very much with his pass rushing skills as a rookie. Harvey is the better regarded of the two, and got something of a pass last year based on the traditional difficulty even the best DEs have making the transition from college to the pros. Groves is said to have added weight this offseason in hopes of being an every-down player even as new defensive coordinator Mel Tucker varies looks and implements the occasional 3-4 alignment into the Jags' base 4-3 scheme. And veteran Reggie Hayward, who has it all over both of these guys in the experience department, remains a factor as he continues to work his way back from the injury problems that have limited him since he signed in Jacksonville. It's a key spot to watch, because the pass rush has been a real weak spot for the Jags, and it needs to improve.
PREDICTION: The starters are Harvey and Groves, mainly on their potential. Hayward looms as a reliable backup for either spot.
Friday: AFC South Burning Questions and Prediction
Tuesday: NFC West Position Battles to Watch
Wednesday: NFC West Burning Questions and Prediction
