Any Thoughts on Selecting Preseason All-AFC South Division Team?
Who are the best players in the AFC South Division entering preseason?
Editors for the Sports Illustrated-powered sites of the Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Tennessee Titans — Patrick D. Starr, Phillip B. Wilson, John Shipley, and David Boclair — are filling out respective polls to decide those spots.
J.J. Watt, Houston Texans edge rusher, check. That’s obvious.
Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans running back and NFL’s reigning rushing champion, check. No need to look anywhere else at this position.
Quenton Nelson, Indianapolis Colts offensive guard, check. Another easy one.
Darius Leonard, Colts linebacker, check. There are a lot of solid tacklers out there, but nobody matched “The Maniac” resume for two years, which includes 284 total tackles, 12 sacks, seven interceptions, and six forced fumbles.
After that, well, there’s room for debate on several positions. This seemingly entertaining assignment became more complicated. Translation: This is going to require some work to finish.
For example, the initial gut instinct on quarterback is to go with the Texans’ Deshaun Watson, right? He’s put up solid stats and taken his team to the playoffs twice (one-and-done losses to the Colts and Chiefs).
But the Titans’ Ryan Tannehill won NFL Comeback Player of the Year and helped his team go farther in the postseason in reaching the AFC Championship Game, where the host Chiefs prevailed again. Tannehill actually accomplished something Watson has not in winning two playoff games last postseason. This is more of a flip of the coin that some might initially surmise.
Combing over offensive lines didn’t take too much time because Titans tackle Taylor Lewan and Texans tackle Laremy Tunsil are excellent Pro Bowl players, as is center Ryan Kelly. And Nelson is a given. That meant just trying to figure out the other guard spot. The vote here went to the Titans’ Rodger Saffold, who was named Second-Team All-Pro in 2017. But that’s only one tally.
Another interesting choice was determining three wide receivers. The Titans’ A.J. Brown and Jaguars’ DJ Chark put up the numbers to earn spots. But what about the third?
Based on past success, sure, four-time Pro Bowl receiver T.Y. Hilton of the Colts seems like an obvious choice. But he missed six games due to injury last season and is coming off the worst year of his career. The Texans’ Will Fuller actually had better numbers, although he’s struggled to stay healthy and has had issues with drops.
At some point when deciding these teams, it comes down to weighing the talent of a player versus the production of another. In this case, Hilton’s talented and established body of work in eight seasons earns the nod. But we’ll have to wait and see what the other three scribes decide.
Fans of the respective teams are encouraged to share their thoughts in the comments section below. The team will be announced as soon as the ballots are counted and results shared among the editors.
(Phillip B. Wilson has covered the Indianapolis Colts for more than two decades and authored the 2013 book 100 Things Colts Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die. He’s on Twitter @pwilson24, on Facebook at @allcoltswithphilb and @100thingscoltsfans, and his email is phillipbwilson24@yahoo.com.)
