My preseason predictions:
1.Houston Texans (11-5)
2.Tennessee Titans (9-7)
3.Indianapolis Colts (5-11)
4.Jacksonville Jaguars (5-11)
Final Standings
1.Houston Texans (12-4)
2.Indianapolis Colts (11-5)
3.Tennessee Titans (6-10)
4.Jacksonville Jaguars (2-14)
Houston Texans: 2012 was quite the year for the Texans. They emerged early on as early Super Bowl contender for the AFC and we're in control of the top seed for most of the season. Running back Arian Foster was his normal incredibly productive self, wide receiver Andre Johnson was playing his best football in years, Owen Daniels was coming along as one of the most underrated tight ends in the league with a quietly impressive season, and J.J Watt became one of the dangerous pass rushers in the league in his second season in the league. What could go wrong right? Ever since their blowout loss on the road against the Patriots in early December, Houston is an entirely different football team. Their confidence is gone, no one is playing as well as they were for the first three months of the season, and they are just giving away games to their opponents. Houston's tale of two football teams is one of the odder stories of the season. Much of the first 3/4 of the year they were a juggernaut on both sides of the ball and just about every aspect of their game (except for their poor secondary play) was oustanding. In December, they looked pitiful losing three of their last four games. They couldn't get anything going on offense, their defense looks sluggish, and they didn't even look like a playoff-bound team let alone a top seed. Houston's dominance for much of the year will be remembered, but unfortunately so will their late-season collapse that took them out of the top seed in the AFC.
Indianapolis Colts: No matter who you root for and what your opinion on the league in general is, There is no denying that there was no better story in the NFL this year than Colts head coach Chuck Pagano. Pagano was diagnosed with leukemia in late-September and made his triumphant return for their regular-season finale against the Texans last Sunday. The Colts rallied around Pagano and played inspired football to honor their coach and his battle with cancer. Offensive coordinator Bruce Arians deserves all the credit in the world for stepping in as interim coach and leading this team for most of the season. If Arians doesn't win coach of the year, I will be shocked. In terms of on-the-field play, the Colts firmly surpassed their expectations. 2012 was thought to be a rebuilding year for them by many (myself included), but the Colts didn't get that memo. Just a year after going 2-14 and releasing iconic quarterback Peyton Manning, The Colts go 11-5 and are back in the playoffs. Rookie quarterback Andrew Luck is at the forefront of this remarkable turnaround. He has shown maturity beyond his years and his play has been nothing short of outstanding. Peyton Manning wasn't even able to turn around the Colts in his rookie season. Luck is an immense talent and he will have the Colts contending for many years to come. Luck was also helped out by the resurgence of veteran wide receiver Reggie Wayne and the surprising production of his fellow rookies wide receiver T.Y Hilton and running back Vick Ballard. Wayne was considered to be past his prime at age 34, but he stunned his critics by having one of the best seasons of his career with 106 receptions for 1,355 yards and 5 TD's. Hilton has become one of Luck's favorite targets with his steady hands, great speed, and flare for running deep routes. Ballard started off slow, but once starting running back Donald Brown went down for the year in early December, Ballard flourished. The last few games he played great and helped give the Colts a more balanced attacking making their offense more lethal than it was in the early stages of the season. I don't think there is a more surprising team in the NFL this season than the Colts. The scary part is they are only going to get better as time goes on with all the young talent they have on the roster.
Jacksonville Jaguars:The less said about the Jaguars 2012 season the better. This is a team that just could not get anything going all season. Quarterback Blaine Gabbert was awful when he was playing and is looking more and more like a monumental bust after his second season in the league. Things got a bit better for them when Gabbert went down with injury and Chad Henne stepped in at quarterback. Henne got a chemistry going with their top draft pick this year, wide receiver Justin Blackmon, and was able to show off the talent he had after his slow start to the year when Gabbert was playing. That being said, Henne still made a lot of mistakes and like Gabbert, he only one game as the starting quarterback. I would say go with Henne over Gabbert as the starter next season, but he's definitely not the answer to their starting quarterback woes either.The worst thing to happen to the Jaguars this season though was the season-ending foot injury that superstar running back Maurice Jones-Drew suffered in Week 7. Jones-Drew's absence made their already weak offense completely one-dimensional. About the only good thing to happen to the Jaguars this year was the breakout year for wide receiver Cecil Shorts. When Jones-Drew is healthy next year (assuming he returns to the Jaguars), the receiving tandem of Shorts, Blackmon, and veteran Laurent Robinson (who was also missed most of this season due to injury) could be lethal. The Jaguars need a lot of help if they want to get out of the NFL's basement any time soon.
Tennessee Titans: The Titans weren't absolutely awful this season, but they also weren't particularly great. They were below average in every single stat category and there wasn't really anyone that stood out on either side of the ball. Star running back Chris Johnson came limping out of the gate, but ended up finishing with over 1,000 yards because of a few very strong games. Johnson is easily the most frustrating star running back in the league because of his wild inconsistency. Jake Locker was mediocre in his first year with the starting quarterback job. He did miss some time with injury, but so far he isn't the godsend he was made out to be when he was drafted. He does have some upside though and I think he should be able to develop into a decent quarterback. One of the few bright spots for the Titans was the play of rookie wideout Kendall Wright. Wright is looking like a solid slot receiver already and if Locker can stay healthy, I'm sure he will continue to grow. The Titans are an all-around below average team that needs steady improvement in all aspects of the game if they want to progress as a squad.
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