Football
Floyd Reese, NFL 17y

Who is feelin' the heat in the AFC South?

The AFC South features the Super Bowl champs, Super Bowl MVP and both the NFL offensive and defensive rookies of the year. With the exception of the Colts, the rest of this division is fighting for respect.

Texans

Houston Texans: Matt Schaub

The Texans' recent focus has been on defense, after they used their first-round draft choice on another defensive lineman (Amobi Okoye). His addition should help the defense. For the first time in team history, the Texans will be starting a quarterback other than David Carr. Because the quarterback play has been the focal point of the franchise since its inception, Matt Schaub will be feeling the heat in Houston.

Colts

Indianapolis Colts: Joseph Addai

Unique, creative and successful, this team has been carefully crafted to win Super Bowls. The formula has not changed. The Colts are going to be smart, productive, efficient and talented on offense, and scrappy, fast and opportunistic on defense. Because the running game has always been an underrated element of their offense, Joseph Addai will be feeling the heat in Indianapolis. He has shown the ability to perform in the most important games, but with less depth at the position, he will have to perform at that level all season long.

Jaguars

Jacksonville Jaguars: Matt Jones

Last season, Jacksonville was a great example of a good team held back by the quarterback position. Health and an additional year of experience will solve the issue at quarterback. The Jaguars are young, physical and disciplined on defense. They have two excellent running backs and a group of tall receivers, but they need more production at wide receiver. Matt Jones is a physical freak. He has size, speed and uncanny athletic ability. He is certainly feeling the heat to become the player the Jaguars had envisioned.

Titans

Tennessee Titans: Defense

The Titans suffered a number of offseason losses. It won't help a young quarterback to lose his two most productive receivers, and a key element to the running game. Inexperience will be the issue for this offensive unit. The majority of offseason activity has focused on improving a defense that ranked 32nd in the NFL last season. This defense will need to keep games close, as the offense matures. The Titans' defense is feeling the heat.

Former Tennessee Titans general manager Floyd Reese contributes frequently to ESPN.com.

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