Houston Texans

Nick Scurfield’s second version of a Texans draft machine gives the team North Carolina defensive end Robert Quinn.

Indianapolis Colts

What the Colts need according to Pete Prisco.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Fans can visit with coaches and scouts April 12 by winning a Twitter contest, says Tania Ganguli.

If Cam Newton lasted to No. 16, John Oehser doesn’t see the Jaguars taking him.

Who the Jaguars could trade down with, from Alfie Crow.

Tennessee Titans

With Mike Munchak, don’t mistake soft-spoken for soft, says John Glennon.

The Nashville Sports Authority is not worried about Titans rent payments, says Annie Johnson. (Via August West.)

Rusty Smith says the Titans know what he can do, says John Glennon. (Note to Smith: When the GM and the head coach say they need quarterbacks, plural, that’s not a media creation.)

Read More: Bob Sanders (DB – IND), Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported this morning that recently released S Bob Sanders will be meeting with the Jacksonville Jaguars later today:

Former Colts S Bob Sanders is in Jacksonville, visiting Jags today. As a released player, Sanders is free to sign w/ a team until March 3.

The Jaguars are obviously very familiar with what a healthy Sanders can do on the field, being in the same division as the Colts. This could be the first of 3 stops inside the AFC South for Sanders, as all could be potential landing spots for the former Defensive Player of the Year.

The Bob Sanders free agency tour will start with the Jacksonville Jaguars, according to NFL Network’s Jason La Canfora. Sanders was released from the Indianapolis Colts last week – the only team he’s known since they made him a second round pick in the 2004 NFL draft.

The Jaguars currently have a pair of young safeties starting and could use some help in that area. If he’s healthy, Sanders would be an incredible steal as a free agent. Of course the problem is that he hasn’t truly been healthy since 2007 when he was the AP defensive player of the year.

Sanders may visit multiple teams before deciding where to sign, La Canfora reports. He can visit and sign with a team until March 3rd, the final day of the current labor deal. After that date, he can not sign with anyone until a new CBA is worked out. Because of that timing, it’s unclear if Sanders will rush to sign with a new team.

What’s interesting about the Jaguars is that they’re in the AFC South, the same as the Colts. The Jags picking up Sanders could help two things — getting another safety as well as some information on the Colts.

Sanders is a big enough name that there will be some excitement around him but he’s played in just nine games in the last three years so realistically any contract doled out to him ought to be heavy in incentives.

Check out Big Cat Country to see what they’re saying about Bob Sanders visit.

Houston Texans

Richard Justice breaks down Dale Robertson’s piece on Bob McNair, as I did earlier.

Indianapolis Colts

Nate Dunlevy has money on his mind, and looks at some cost questions for the Colts.

A look at the Colts’ offensive tackles, with Collin McCollough.

Assessing the safeties with Brett Mock.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Jaguars’ fans will miss Jeff Fisher, says Gene Frenette.

Fisher gave the Jaguars a rival when they needed one, says Vic Ketchman.

Tennessee Titans

Bud Adams is talking about a quick hire, says Jim Wyatt. I prefer what his top lieutenants said Friday, that they’d take as long as it takes.

The Titans should look to an outsider, says David Climer. I’ve said so too.

Receivers coach Fred Graves has jumped from the Titans to the Panthers.

Fisher had too much power, says Climer.

Fisher leaves behind an uncertain legacy, says David Boclair.

Peter King thinks a fresh start with a young coach is good for Tennessee, but then throws in Dom Capers’ name too. It’s been a long time since Capers was a good head coach.

Jacksonville Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew will require arthroscopic surgery to repair torn knee cartilage, a team source said, according to the Florida Times-Union.

Jones, who did not play last week and is out this week, needs the procedure to repair damage done to his meniscus during the preseason. The source said Jones-Drew does not have ligament damage, the newspaper reported.

The Jaguars said Friday that Jones-Drew would not play in the season finale against the Houston Texans.

Rashad Jennings will start as the injury-depleted Jaguars try to win the AFC South title on the last day of the regular season. The Jags have to win and the Colts must lose to the Titans in order for that to happen. If both the Jags and Colts win, Indianapolis wins the division on a tiebreaker.

“They told him going into this year that knee may not hold up,” said Jaguars offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter, according to the Times-Union. “It’s really pretty remarkable that he put up the numbers that he did and ran the way he did for as long he did.”

The Jacksonville Jaguars can’t afford a hangover after losing the biggest regular-season game in franchise history.

They can’t think about what might have been against Indianapolis. They can’t watch the scoreboard and hope for help. They can’t worry about anything except the reeling Washington Redskins.

The Jaguars (8-6) are well aware of the postseason scenarios. They also realize all of them include beating the Redskins (5-9) today.

“I love our chances,” tight end Mercedes Lewis said. “First and foremost, we have to take care of our business and let the chips fall where they fall. We’ve had an up-and-down year. We went on a nice little run, had a tough one last week, but we’re ready to finish this year strong.”

Jacksonville had a chance to clinch the AFC South against the Colts last week. But turnovers, penalties, botched plays, missed opportunities and too much pressure on David Garrard contributed to a 34-24 loss that left the Jaguars in the all-too-familiar chase mode.

They need to win their final two games and have the Colts lose either at Oakland todah or next week against Tennessee. Adding to their concerns, the Jaguars would like to have the Titans beat Kansas City today, which would keep the Raiders in the AFC West hunt for their game against Indy.

“The hope is there,” Garrard said. “As long as there is some hope and there are some scenarios for us, you’ve got to have a little faith. You’ve got to have faith that things will come your way.”

The Redskins have lost four in a row and seem to be in disarray, between defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth’s suspension, quarterback Donovan McNabb’s benching and coach Mike Shanahan’s handling of the situations.

“I got to make decisions sometimes that’s in the best decision for the football team,” Shanahan said.

Shanahan turned the offense over to Rex Grossman last week. Grossman threw for 322 yards and four touchdowns in a loss at Dallas. The former Florida star will make his second start at Jacksonville, where he has fond memories from his college days. He’s 3-0 as a starter in Jacksonville, winning every Florida-Georgia game.

A first-round draft pick by Chicago in 2003, Grossman believes he’s better prepared for the spotlight now than when he helped the Bears reach the Super Bowl in 2007.

“I’m just a little bit smarter as far as what to expect on the defensive side of the ball, a little bit smarter on how that relates to our offense,” he said. “I’m quicker to read things. Any time you get a chance to not play and sit back and wait, you get to think about all the things you can get better at.”

The Jaguars feel like they’ve matured since losing consecutive games by 25 points early in the season. They won five of six to move atop the AFC South and set up a critical game against the Colts. But they came up short. Running back Maurice Jones-Drew took the blame, saying his fumble, his failed short-yardage runs and his 46 yards rushing weren’t good enough. The NFL’s second-leading rusher has been ruled out for today’s game because of an injured right knee. Rashad Jennings (Liberty) will start in Jones-Drew’s place.

“Obviously, all that stuff’s in the back of your mind,” Lewis said. “But we have to handle what’s in front of us. If we go out there and win these two games, I think we’ve got a good shot. That Oakland team, they’re no slouches and they’re playing for something. You’re not going to shove them around. So Indy has a tough road.”

POSTED: Saturday, December 25, 2010

POSTED: Saturday, December 25, 2010

POSTED: Saturday, December 25, 2010

POSTED: Saturday, December 25, 2010

POSTED: Saturday, December 25, 2010

Three story lines to watch

Avoiding the hangover. Though the Jaguars (8-6) have done a good job of not letting losses linger into the following week, it’ll be interesting to see how they react to blowing a chance to clinch their first AFC South title. If the loss to the Colts, not to mention Maurice Jones-Drew’s knee issues, carries over into this week, then the Jaguars might be looking at playoff elimination.

Quarterback controversy. Donovan McNabb has been relegated to the third team. Rex Grossman provided some highlight TD passes in last week’s loss to Dallas, but coach Mike Shanahan will need to see fewer turnovers from Grossman before he decides to make him a significant part of the Redskins’ (5-9) future.

Reversing the December trend. In three of the past seven seasons, the Jaguars have controlled their playoff destiny in December only to wind up missing the playoffs. They need to put away the last-place Redskins and Texans in their last two games, but even if they do that, the Colts will have to lose for the Jags to make the postseason.

Three key Jaguars

RB Rashad Jennings. Jennings, Jones-Drew’s backup, has been putting up impressive numbers the past month—and not just rushing. He had a team-high seven catches and 64 receiving yards against the Colts. With the coaching staff gaining trust in Jennings and Jones-Drew not himself physically, the Jaguars might try to get Jennings more touches.

CB Derek Cox. Cox is starting to play more consistently in coverage—Colts receiver Reggie Wayne didn’t kill the Jaguars as he had in previous games—but he needs to take more risks if he expects to get interceptions. The Jaguars are minus-12 in turnover differential and need someone like Cox to make big plays.

WR Mike Thomas. If the Jaguars have to throw the ball more, look for Thomas to be targeted early and often. The Jaguars’ leading receiver has the moves and elusiveness to exploit a shaky Redskins secondary that is missing its best player, safety LaRon Landry.

Three key Redskins

NT Anthony Bryant. The Redskins have the worst defense in the NFL, and their front seven has struggled to stop the run. As the nose tackle in a 3-4 scheme, Bryant, who made his first start of the season against Dallas, will have to do a good job of penetrating for the team to have a chance to contain the NFL’s third-best rushing attack.

TE Chris Cooley. One of the more noticeable improvements in replacing McNabb with Grossman was the team’s performance in the red zone. Cooley was a nonfactor in that area with McNabb, but Grossman looks for him more often. Cooley is effective at finding soft spots in zone coverage and taking advantage of mismatches.

SS Reed Doughty. After suffering a head injury last week, there’s some doubt whether Doughty, Landry’s replacement, will be active. Doughty isn’t a huge dropoff from Landry, but other safety options would spell trouble for the secondary.

The bottom line

With the playoff carrot gone, it’s tough to win on the road late in the season. And despite the Jaguars’ brutal loss to the Colts last week, at least they have the incentive of regaining first place if Indianapolis loses. What is encouraging to Washington, though, is that Grossman has demonstrated better fundamentals than McNabb. He looked more dangerous as a passer, which means the Jaguars might be forced to win a shootout. Don’t be surprised if the Redskins hang around long enough to make things uncomfortable for Jacksonville. Prediction: Jaguars 27, Redskins 20.

— Sporting News correspondent Gene Frenette

POSTED: Monday, December 20, 2010

INDIANAPOLIS (AP)—Jim Caldwell challenged his team to control the line of scrimmage on offense and defense against the Jacksonville Jaguars, and the response may have saved the Colts’ season.

Indianapolis shut down Maurice Jones-Drew(notes), and the Colts’ league-worst running game dominated in a 34-24 win over the Jaguars.

Peyton Manning(notes) said the team took Caldwell’s words to heart.

“He challenged both of the interior fronts on both sides of the ball, for us to run the ball and for the defense to stop the run,” Manning said. “Both answered the bell. It was encouraging to see.”

The Jaguars (8-6) would have clinched the AFC South with a win, but now the Colts (8-6) are two wins away from another division championship.

“It hurts,” Jaguars linebacker Daryl Smith(notes) said. “It hurts, but we’ll go watch film tomorrow and continue to fight and be ready for next week. It’s out of our hands, but we’ve gotta take care of our business.”

Jones-Drew had tormented the Colts like few others in recent years. In nine previous career games against the Colts, he had rushed for 883 yards and scored 12 touchdowns.

On Sunday, he finished with just 46 yards on 15 carries, the lowest output of his career against Indianapolis.

“No one is going to tell me that they are going to come in here and run the ball in our house,” Colts linebacker Gary Brackett(notes) said. “It is just pride, and you have to love what you’re doing out there. Someone is going to tell you that they are going to run it down your throat, I mean, I like to see it.”

Jones-Drew was the league’s No. 2 rusher, and he entered Sunday’s game with six consecutive games with at least 100 yards on the ground. The Colts, meanwhile, ranked 29th out of 32 teams against the run.

“They heard all week about how they couldn’t stop our run game,” Jacksonville coach Jack Del Rio said. “I thought they did a pretty good job.”

Jones-Drew’s longest run was 12 yards.

“He’s a tough guy to handle,” Caldwell said. “I think our guys did a very nice job up front. I think our front seven did a very nice job of keeping him contained. We didn’t let him have any big runs, made him work for everything that he got, and I think that our guys in the secondary tackled well.”

Indianapolis also pounded the ball effectively. Donald Brown(notes) ran for a career-high 129 yards and scored a touchdown, the highest yardage total by a Colts back this season. The second-year player gave his blockers the credit.

“From the line, to the wide receivers, to the tight ends, they just did a phenomenal job blocking,” he said. “When you are in the secondary and it’s the first time you are getting touched, that makes for a great day.”

The Colts flexed their interior line muscle in key situations. On the Colts’ opening possession, Brown’s 49-yard burst—the team’s longest run of the season — set up a 7-yard touchdown pass from Manning to Austin Collie(notes).

Early in the third quarter and trailing 14-10, the Jaguars went for it on fourth-and-1 from the Jacksonville 39. Jones-Drew appeared to have trouble handling a pitch from David Garrard(notes) and was stuck for no gain. The Colts took over, and on their second play, Brown broke loose for a 43-yard touchdown that gave the Colts a 21-10 lead.

Brown’s production meant Manning didn’t have to throw as much. He completed 29 of 39 passes for 229 yards and two touchdowns, both to Collie.

The only negative for the Colts was that they lost Collie to his second concussion of the season. He caught eight passes for 87 yards before going down in the second quarter. Caldwell said Collie was fine after the game and would be evaluated further.

Since an overtime loss to the Dallas Cowboys, the Colts have won at Tennessee and at home against Jacksonville. Indy will finish the regular season at Oakland and at home against Tennessee, and the Colts don’t believe they can afford to lose either.

“We have been in playoff mode,” Brackett said. “We lose and we are home. It’s no different for us going up against Oakland. We have to continue to win to get to the playoffs, and that’s what we plan on doing.”