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Subject Topic: State of the AFC South heading into week Post ReplyPost New Topic
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panxing18
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Joined: 08 June 2018
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Posted: 24 October 2018 at 06:42 | IP Logged Quote panxing18

 week one was a major disappointment. It wasn¡¯t that anyone expected them to absolutely win the game Womens Jabaal Sheard Jersey , we entered it with modest expectations for their play. However, they were in command of the game and let it slip away, ending on a hope-crushing turnover. It was a tough way to lose your first game.The good news is, 2 of the other 3 AFC South teams lost their openers as well, so the Colts are in good company within the division. So let¡¯s take a look around the AFC South and see how our divisional opponents fared in week one.Jacksonville Jaguars (1-0)Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty ImagesOur first stop is with the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Jaguars are widely viewed as a team in ¡°win now¡± mode and they have one of the most complete teams with the exception of one position. Unfortunately, that position is quarterback. This fact was evident in their week one matchup against the New York Giants.They punted on seven straight drives, and simply struggled to get any real offense going. The saving grace for the team was that they were playing a Giants team that, despite having several stars on its offense, could not overcome the Jaguars¡¯ smothering defense. In fact, if not for a Myles Jack interception that was returned for a touchdown, this game would have been a loss as well. One area of concern is that on an already stagnant offense, the Jags lost their star running back, Leonard Fournette, to a hamstring injury during this game. The team is optimistic that he will be able to return quickly to action, but the loss of their only significant weapon on the offense will be tough to overcome, even with a nasty defense. Having said all that, the Jaguars went on the road and got a win in tough conditions. That is what good teams do, and they are definitely a good team. Time will tell if their flaws are too difficult to overcome.Tennessee Titans (0-1)Photo by Marc Serota/Getty ImagesThe Tennessee Titans are in big trouble. It is tough to make sweeping conclusions after just one week of play, but the Titans lost three of their four most important pieces on the offensive side of the ball on Sunday. In what was a very odd contest punctuated by delays due to inclement weather, the Titans dropped a game to the Miami Dolphins in week one. A loss is bad, but the injuries suffered by the team are worse. Marcus Mariota left the game after sustaining an injury to his elbow. Mariota simply struggles to stay on the field and healthy, and if that injury affects his play or lingers for any amount of time, it is a problem for this team. Tight end Delanie Walker, arguably the best tight end in the division and the Titans¡¯ best offensive passing weapon, was lost for the season after sustaining an ankle injury. Additionally, Taylor Lewan, the Titans excellent starting left tackle was knocked out of the game by a nasty blindside block that landed him in concussion protocol. If Lewan isn¡¯t healthy, that is a major blow to the offensive line that was already missing Jack Conklin at right tackle. The Titans¡¯ schedule is not going to be forgiving over the next couple games either, as they face the Texans at home, then the Jaguars on the road, before coming home to face the Eagles. All three of these teams have defenses that would love nothing more than to tee off on a battered Titans¡¯ offensive line. Houston Texans (0-1)Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty ImagesSpeaking of trouble, the Houston Texans may be in it too. Why? Because they entered the season as arguably the team with the worst offensive line in the NFL. That was before they lost their starting right tackle, Seantrel Henderson, for the season with a broken ankle.Behind that line, second year quarterback Deshaun Watson struggled. He looked very much like a player who was returning from injury, and he¡¯s going to get hit a lot. New England¡¯s defense is not even close to as good as what the Texans will face throughout the season, and they made the offensive line look as bad as it is. Personally, I don¡¯t think Watson will play as poorly all season as he did Sunday. He has talent Youth Anthony Walker Jersey , and that will come through. However, he was very fortunate in many of his passes last season, and it would not be surprising if he regressed some this season, especially given the pass rush he will face given the line¡¯s dearth of talent. There is enough talent on this team to get some wins, but they cannot afford any more injuries to their offensive line if they hope to have any kind of offense, or keep their quarterback healthy.Where do the Colts stand by comparison?I actually think the Colts are in a good place comparatively. The Colts are very likely to be the only team in the AFC South who can consistently produce any significant offense. They also have a young and exciting group of defensive players who will make some plays but who will undoubtedly make a lot of mistakes as well. However, the other teams in the South have got some really critical divisional matches early on, and the Colts play only the Texans prior to their bye week. That gives those young defenders a lot of time to learn and grow throughout the season before hitting that critical part of the season.Perhaps that will matter very little. The Colts need to ultimately start winning games to be relevant, and if the defense doesn¡¯t play better, and the offense goes stagnant in the second half, they won¡¯t win many games. It seems that much has been made about the rise of the AFC South as a new power, but at this point it may be prudent to pump the brakes on that sentiment.Could the Colts trade Jacoby Brissett? With the veteran trade market heating up, many Colts fans are asking the same question, how much could Chris Ballard receive for Jacoby Brissett? The New Orleans Saints gave up a third round pick to the New York Jets for Teddy Bridgewater and a sixth round pick. The Green Bay Packers received a sixth round pick from the Seattle Seahawks for Brett Hundley.This tells you there certainly is a market for NFL teams to acquire top-tier back up QBs. The Philadelphia Eagles made it apparent that having a serviceable backup is a must for any team expecting to be a contender. A playoff contender may be willing to part with a draft pick to ensure their season is not completely derailed by a single injury. Prior to the deal with New Orleans, rumors swirled that the Los Angeles Rams were looking to trade for Bridgewater.For the Colts, the Bridgewater trade should set the bar for an acceptable minimum return. They received the equivalent of a 4th round pick in exchange for him. Brissett may be even more valuable than that to some teams. Jim Irsay has said he believes Brissett is worth a 1st round pick, although Colts fans know Mr. Irsay can get excited and may over-exaggerate at times.For example, according to Football Outsiders, Jacoby Brissett was the most accurate quarterback in the NFL on downfield throws. This takes into account drops by wide receivers on accurate throws downfield, which we all know there were many. In fact, Colts receivers dropped a league high 19 passes that were considered accurate. It can be argued Brissett is more valuable than Bridgewater. First, Brissett has two years left on his rookie contract. That¡¯s a significant bargaining chip for teams. Second, Brissett does not have anywhere near the injury concerns as Bridgewater does. Brissett has a stronger arm than Bridgewater. Both quarterbacks are considered accurate, as Bridgewater was the most accurate quarterback the last time he played a full season. Both quarterbacks are young, 25 years old.There is one team openly complaining about their back up quarterback situation, the Oakland Raiders. Jon Gruden was very high on Jacoby Brissett leading up to the 2016 draft. Gruden believed Brissett could be a sleeper in the draft. There hasn¡¯t been as much chatter regarding Gruden and Brissett recently, as that¡¯d be tampering, but it¡¯s hard to believe his opinion has changed much. Chris Ballard may also dangle Brissett as a trade chip in an attempt to pry away All-Pro pass rusher Khalil Mack from Oakland. While this is highly doubtful, it still is something to consider.Another team who is looking to upgrade their backup quarterback is the previously mentioned Los Angeles Rams. The Rams love to make trades in hopes to win now. They traded away their 2019 second round pick to the Kansas City Chiefs for Marcus Peters. They¡¯d likely offer a third round pick for Brissett because the Rams expect to get two third round compensatory picks for losing Trumaine Johnson and Sammy Watkins. However, a third round pick may not be enough to entice Ballard to make a deal.The Jacksonville Jaguars need a starting quarterback and a backup quarterback but there¡¯s no way Ballard makes that trade. Thank goodness they didn¡¯t get Bridgewater.Other contenders, like the Pittsburgh Steelers or Los Angeles Chargers, could be looking to improve their backup quarterback situation as well. Regardless, as teams start to make these trades and top caliber backup quarterbacks come off the the market, other teams begin to worry they may be left without a chair. Realistically, Chris Ballard is unlikely to move Jacoby Brissett right now for anything less than a second round pick. However, if there is an injury to a starting quarterback early in the season, Ballard could get a sweetheart of a deal for Brissett.


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