Posted at 7:00 a.m.
Q. Did the Titans miss their chance to return to the Super Bowl for the second time in franchise history in recent years?
R. Mike Vrabel’s team, named the league’s Most Outstanding Head Coach in 2021, blew a 10-point lead in the Conference Finals at Kansas City three years ago and then lost in its first playoff game over home turf for the past two years (against Baltimore in 2020 and Cincinnati in 2021). Derrick Henry remains the centerpiece of the offense, but AJ Brown was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles because the Titans wouldn’t agree to a $25 million annual salary for the receiver. The Titans drafted Treylon Burks with the first pick they got from the Eagles, but it’s doubtful he could have the same impact as Brown in his first season. As for Ryan Tannehill, his disastrous performance against the Cincinnati Bengals in January showed that he was not among the elite quarterbacks. The defense is good, but will likely need to move up to the top so the Titans can keep their place among the American’s heavyweights.
Q. Did the Colts find the right quarterback by acquiring Matt Ryan?
R. For the next three or four years, yes. Ryan is 37, but has always taken jealous care of his fitness and hasn’t looked like a declining quarterback in recent seasons, despite not being well surrounded at the Atlanta Falcons. The revolving door in the quarters since the surprising retirement of Andrew Luck should therefore stop for a while in Indianapolis. Ryan will be lucky enough to be protected by one of the NFL’s good offensive lines and can pass the ball to Jonathan Taylor, a 23-year-old running back who had 20 touchdowns in 2021, while leading the NFL with 1,811 yards in floor. Led by linebacker Darius Leonard, the defense is a mid-pack unit.
Q. Which team should be considered the favorite of the American South, the Titans or the Colts?
R. Unless Trevor Lawrence’s game improves exponentially in his second campaign, it will effectively be another race between the Colts and the Titans at the top of this division. And given the strength of the other three divisions in the conference, it’s likely only the champion will advance to the playoffs. The Colts currently seem to have a slightly more complete roster than the Titans, and Ryan is superior at Tannehill.
Q. Did the Jaguars make the right choice in hiring Doug Pederson as head coach?
PHOTO GARY MCCULLOUGH, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson
R. The former Eagles pilot will certainly do a better job than the undrinkable Urban Meyer… Carson Wentz had success at the start of his career under Pederson, who should therefore greatly help the progress of Trevor Lawrence, who has known a difficult first season: 59.6% passing completion, average of 214 aerial yards per game, 12 touchdown passes against 17 interceptions and an anemic efficiency coefficient of 71.9. But to be fair, Lawrence was not well surrounded, neither on the field nor outside due to the presence of Meyer. The Jaguars paid a fortune to convince players like wide receiver Christian Kirk, guard Brandon Scherff and tight end Evan Engram to come to Jacksonville. Lawrence will now have to play significantly better, as all of the Jaguars’ hopes rest on his shoulders.
Q. Are the Texans on the right track?
R. Not only did Deshaun Watson’s trade put them in a dark cloud, but it gave the Houston Texans five picks, including three first-round picks. Hard to believe that the Cleveland Browns agreed to pay such a price for a player as radioactive as Watson. The first question the Texans will have to answer concerns Davis Mills. Is he their quarter of the future or not? The organization will have a bunch of picks to get their hands on one of the best passers available in the 2023 draft if Mills isn’t the answer. If only because of the trade they concluded with Cleveland, the Texans are certainly in a better position than they were a year ago, even if their team remains one of the weakest in the game. the NFL.