Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

- Written by Lane Rizzardini
- Edited by Marc Caviglia

The AFC South has been rather easy to predict since its creation in 2002. The Indianapolis Colts have won the division seven out of nine years, with the Tennessee Titans winning it the other two times. The Titans are a bit off the radar now with a new head coach and no suitable quarterback to speak of. The other two members, the Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans, have failed to get over the hump despite having promising pieces in place. The Texans are in a much better place than the Jaguars to make a run with an electric offense, but are held back by one of the worst defenses in the league. It is of course the Colts and Peyton Manning who seem to continue getting richer, especially if they can bring back all of their walking wounded. With Matt Schaub and the Texans the only team capable of contending with Indy in 2011, the AFC South shows how important the quarterback position is in the National Football League.

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS

The story of the Indianapolis Colts season was the substantial number of injuries they sustained, including tight end Dallas Clark, wide receiver Austin Collie, safety Bob Sanders and a myriad of others. Still, behind the always strong play and leadership of Peyton Manning the team went 10-6 and won the AFC South, eventually falling to the New York Jets in the AFC Wild Card Round. Still, it’s continually amazing how well the team does even under such adverse circumstances, and when they get healthy they’ll yet again be a force to be reckoned with.

 

TEAM STRENGTHS

1. Peyton Manning — The obvious heart and soul of the team, Manning could win games with the Backstreet Boys as his receiving corps. The guy is a coach on field, literally calling the plays and making the defense look invisible. The Indianapolis Colts will be competitive as long as he is their quarterback and even though Manning isn’t getting any younger, he is still an elite signal caller.

2. Continuity — Part of the reason the team is so strong every year is how very little about their system has changed. Peyton Manning has a lot to do with it, but the team hasn’t gone through a ton of roster changes over the years either and they don’t have any major needs to fill in free agency. Save the loss of Bob Sanders and it will be just about the same squad entering the 2011 season.

3. Pass Protection — This has some to do with Manning just being really, really good, but the Colts offensive line is a great pass protecting unit that keeps their MVP quarterback on his feet to destroy defenses. Even when they lose a key cog to free agency or retirement, they are able to fill the hole with a talented player that produces right out of the gate.

TEAM NEEDS

1. Better Running Game — The Colts led the league in passing yards last season, but their running game left a lot to be desired. They finished tied for a horrific 25th in yards per carry and 29th in total yards on ground mostly due to injury problems for Joseph Addai and disappointing play from Donald Brown. Addai is a free agent this offseason, and if the team doesn’t resign him they will need Brown to step up big and prove his poor his first two seasons in the NFL were a fluke.

2. Get Healthy — As discussed in the intro, the Colts had a ton of problems with injuries, as many of the team’s biggest weapons ended up on injured reserve. It doesn’t sound overly complicated and the team doesn’t exactly have a lot of control over it, but getting healthy will be key to the Colts winning yet another division title and making another Super Bowl run.

3. Better Kick Returners - As if Manning needed any more help, their kick return game was awful this year, averaging only 19.6 yards a return, ranked 29th in the NFL. If there is any addition the Colts need to make, it’s an adequate return man that can help take some pressure off Manning to move the ball the entire distance of the field.

**Note: All Offseason Needs Articles Were Written Before the 2011 NFL Draft**

AFC SOUTH NEEDS BY TEAM:  HOU  |  IND  |  JAC  |  TEN   (click to view)

AFC NORTH NEEDS BY TEAM:  BAL  |  CIN  |  CLE  |  PIT  (click to view)

AFC WEST NEEDS BY TEAM:  DEN  |  KC  |  OAK  |  SD  (click to view)

NFC EAST NEEDS BY TEAM:  DAL  |  NYG  |  PHI  |  WAS    (click to view)

NFC SOUTH NEEDS BY TEAM:  ATL  |  CAR  |  NO  |  TB    (click to view)

NFC NORTH NEEDS BY TEAM:  CHI  |  DET  |  GB  |  MIN    (click to view)

NFC WEST NEEDS BY TEAM:  ARI  |  STL  |  SF  |  SEA    (click to view)

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