id=content_id>NASHVILLE
http://www.ravenscheapstores.com/marquise-brown-jersey-cheap ,
Tenn. (AP) — For so very long, the AFC South easily ranked among the NFL’s worst
divisions.Not anymore.Both Jacksonville and Tennessee are coming off playoff
berths, with the Jaguars a blown lead in the AFC championship game from playing
in the Super Bowl for the first time in franchise history. The Jaguars and
Titans also have their rosters from those trips back largely intact. Deshaun
Watson and J.J. Watt are healthy again in Houston. Even Andrew Luck is throwing
passes and ready for the season in Indianapolis.“It’s crazy how nobody wanted to
play in the AFC South a couple years ago,” Jaguars linebacker Telvin Smith said.
“Now it seems like it’ll be one of the premier (divisions) in the league.”The
Jaguars not only are defending division champs, they are looking for a second
straight playoff berth for the first time since 1998-99. The Titans changed
coache s after consecutive 9-7 seasons because sweeping Jacksonville last season
wasn’t enough to win the AFC South, and another postseason would be their first
back-to-back berths since 2007-08. If the Texans stay healthy, they are chasing
their third division title in four years.The Colts have a lot of rebuilding
ahead, but a healthy Luck is so good that Indianapolis always has a
chance.Here’s what to look for out of the AFC South this season
URGING
JACKSONVILLEYes, the Jaguars not only are contenders, they are a popular pick to
reach their first Super Bowl. That means dealing with high expectations from the
start.“That’s a big jump, but I feel like we’re going to put ourselves in the
right position to be an immediate contender,”defensive tackle Malik Jackson
said. “I think with the defensive product that we put out there, the offensive
product we put out there, and special teams, if we do anything less than what we
did (last) year, it’d be a huge disappointment. I know we’re going to be
consistent. I can promise you that.”All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey is keeping
Jacksonville lively with his comments — positive and disparaging — on NFL
quarterbacks. But Jaguars coach Doug Marrone has every key starter
back
Jaylon
Ferguson Jersey , including 10 of 11 on one of the league’s stingiest
defenses featuring six Pro Bowlers. Blake Bortles‘ right wrist has been
surgically repaired , and he has an offense that led the NFL in rushing last
season.CONFIDENT TITANSTennessee has a first-time head coach who won three Super
Bowl rings playing linebacker in New England, Mike Vrabel . This franchise also
has been busy building the past three years trying to compete not only in the
division but the AFC. The Titans gave themselves a big confidence boost by
rallying for a wild-card win in Kansas City before a divisional loss in New
England . It was an eye opener.“To be able to experience that was huge,”
quarterback Marcus Mariota said. “You understand that the postseason, everything
kind of intensifies just a little bit more, and to go through that, to
experience that in year three was huge. I do believe that it was a good stepping
stone for this season, hopefully for future years as well.”The Titans have new
coordinator Matt LaFleur teaching Mariota his third offense in four seasons, and
they replaced aging DeMarco Murray by signing Dion Lewis to work with Derrick
Henry. They also bolstered the defense by signing cornerback Malcolm Butler and
drafting linebackers Rashaan Evans and Harold Landry.HEALTHY TEXANSThis season
has to be better for Houston if only because the Texans are healthier. When they
finished their first losing season since 2013 at 4-12 last year, 22 Texans were
on injured reserve. Losses of Watson , Watt and LB Whitney Mercilus were most
costly. So even with the Texans’ run at a third straight division title over,
coach Bill O’Brien got a new general manager and a contract extension .Watson
was so thrilling while healthy. Yet the second-year quarterback will be tested
if an offensive line anchored by center Nick Martin and featuring three new
starters can’t protect Watson any better than a year ago, when the Texans gave
up the second-most sacks in the NFL.As dominant as Watt was in winning the NFL
Defensive Player of the Year award three times in four seasons, he now has to
prove his body can survive a full season. Watt played only eight games combined
over 2016 and 2017.COLTSFinally improving the offensive line has been a big key
for general manager Chris Ballard in trying to end a three-year postseason
drought. The Colts gave up a league-worst 56 sacks last season, and Luck won’t
stay healthy for long if they can’t protect him better. Ballard drafted guard
Quenton Nelson at No. 6 overall, signed two free
agents
Quinnen
Williams Jersey , and has center Ryan Kelly coming back off an
injury.Owner Jim Irsay also fired Chuck Pagano and hired Frank Reich when Josh
McDaniels decided to stay in New England . Reich now has watched Luck return to
the field; Luck is feeling much more confident in his own throwing shoulder.“I
feel like I can make all the throws I need to make with confidence,” Luck
said.Safety Malik Hooker is back from knee surgery that ended his rookie season
after just seven games. But not even Luck might be able to cover up the roster
issues that Ballard needs more time, draft picks and money to fix.PREDICTED
ORDER OF FINISH: Jaguars, Titans, Texans, Colts. When a head coach gets fired
during an NFL season, it’s as much about the culture of his team as it is about
performance.That was the case in Green Bay, which in a move almost as stunning
as its feeble showing against Arizona on Sunday, Mike McCarthy was canned. The
same McCarthy who was 125-77-2 in almost 13 seasons at the helm. The same
McCarthy who guided the Packers to the 2010 championship. The same McCarthy who
helped nurture Aaron Rodgers into a seeming shoo-in for the Pro Football Hall of
Fame.Yet, with what the Packers have become recently and where they appeared
headed at 4-7-1 in a season when NFC wild-card berths are up for grabs, it
probably was the correct move to let McCarthy go.The offense, even with Rodgers,
has stagnated. The secondary, as it is pretty much every year, is ravaged by
injuries. The offensive line is a mess more often than it is a plus.And the
skills of one of the great quarterbacks of his era — an era when offense is
paramount for success — are being wasted.Team president Mark Murphy in a
statement said the 2018 season “has not lived up to the expectations and
standards of the Green Bay Packers. As a result, I made the difficult decision
to relieve Mike McCarthy of his role as head
coach
http://www.cowboyscheapauthenticstore.com/trysten-hill-jersey-cheap ,
effective immediately.”“Mike has been a terrific head coach and leader of the
Packers for 13 seasons, during which time we experienced a great deal of success
on and off the field,” Murphy said.True. McCarthy also might find himself
employed running another team in need of developing a quarterback (Jets?
Buccaneers? Browns?) in 2019. For now, though, with the Packers severely
underachieving and McCarthy unable to find answers against strong opponents or
weak ones, his departure made sense.“We haven’t played very well,” Rodgers said
before being told McCarthy was fired. “We all take part in the disappointments
and the failures that we’ve had this season. We’ve had a number of
opportunities. It’s not like we’re getting blown out in a bunch of games. We’re
in games.“I hate to repeat myself, but it’s applicable. … We’re not executing
the right way.”Rodgers has never started a game for another coach, and he
deserves some input into who replaces McCarthy. Whoever that might be, the least
of his problems is quarterback, barring more injuries to Rodgers, who turned 35
on Sunday. Rodgers should have a few excellent years left.The deeper problems in
Green Bay stem from years of injuries to key players, particularly on defense,
that approach an epidemic. Is players’ health not being vetted properly before
they join the team? Are they not diagnosed or treated properly when they get
hurt? Is it bad luck?The Packers probably need to look into adding some talent
through free agency before Rodgers is past his prime. That’s rarely been the
approach on the tundra — yes, we know about Reggie White and Julius Peppers —
but with Ted Thompson no longer the general manager, perhaps the thinking will
change.In the NFC
North
Jachai
Polite Jersey , where Chicago is on the rise and Minnesota has more
overall talent than Green Bay, a quick infusion of talent is essential.It would
be somewhat ironic if McCarthy surfaced in Cleveland to work with Baker
Mayfield. The Browns are the only other team to fire its head man thus far, and
it would be surprising if Browns GM John Dorsey, who formerly worked for the
Packers, isn’t interested.The Jets, who lost their sixth in a row in ignominious
fashion at Tennessee on Sunday, almost certainly will be letting go of Todd
Bowles soon. They also have a rookie QB in need of a guru.Meanwhile, the Packers
begin a search they rarely make. Since 2000, they’ve had two coaches, Mike
Sherman and McCarthy.Joe Philbin is the interim. Whoever is next, Green Bay,
make sure Rodgers has a say.
Find in Directory
Find in Events
Find in Marketplace