Tennessee picked to win its division.
By The Associated Press

When the Pro Bowl votes were announced last December, the Tennessee Titans were in the midst of a streak of 10 wins in 11 games that gave them the AFC South title.

Yet they had no one voted to the NFL’s all-star game, not even quarterback Steve McNair, who ended up third in league MVP voting.

“I’m quite sure a lot of players on this team deserved it, but that’s how it works,” McNair said at the time. “It’s a team thing now for us. To solve all this, we just got to go to the Super Bowl and win it.”

They didn’t, but they came close, losing 41-24 in the AFC championship game in Oakland.

Now they’re trying one more time to reach the game they almost won four years ago when Kevin Dyson was stopped a yard short of the tying touchdown against St. Louis.

The Titans should win the division again. Only Indianapolis seems equipped to challenge in a division that also includes schizophrenic Jacksonville and Houston, in its second season back in the league.

With McNair, perhaps the NFL’s best combination runner-passer at quarterback – sorry, Michael Vick and Donovan McNabb – the Titans have a shot at the title. In fact, the whole offense seems solid, unusual for a team whose success has been built on defense.

Running back Eddie George, hampered by injuries the past few years, has looked better in camp, although he’s slowed a bit. But his eventual successor might be on hand: rookie Chris Brown, who’s been hampered by a hamstring problem, but has the speed that George has lost.

Wide receivers Derrick Mason and Drew Bennett and tight end Frank Wycheck provide talented targets for McNair, who passed for 3,387 yards and 22 TDs last season and ran for 440 more, second behind George. But Wycheck is dealing with a concussion.

With all that, the key may be the health of defensive end Jevon Kearse. He set a rookie record for sacks in 1999, the Super Bowl season, but hasn’t been completely healthy since. This year, he’s had a sprained ankle, but if he can shake that off, he and the up-and-down Kevin Carter should put the kind of pressure on opposing quarterbacks the Titans haven’t had for a while.

The linebacking corps is deep, led by Keith Bulluck, another Titan who should have been a Pro Bowler.

And the much-exploited secondary also seems set with oft-injured Samari Rolle healthy and strong safety Tank Williams coming on in his second year.

On to Houston on Feb. 1?

“We’ve accomplished what we needed to accomplish in camp,” coach Jeff Fisher said. “This in a lot of ways is a defining moment for us.”

The defining moment for the Colts came last January when, after earning a wild-card spot at 10-6, they were embarrassed 41-0 by the Jets in the playoffs. The defense, which went from 29th in the NFL in yards allowed to eighth, had a problem with New York teams – two weeks earlier, it allowed 44 points to the Giants.

But offense the Colts’ strength, especially with Edgerrin James in his second season back from major knee surgery and seemingly the same player who led the NFL in rushing his first two seasons. Add in Marvin Harrison, whose 143 receptions last year shattered the NFL record and, of course, Peyton Manning throwing, and the offense is one of the league’s best.

Ah, but that defense.

Dwight Freeney, last year’s top draft pick, came on and finished with 13 sacks, although he still has to work on his run defense. And when general manager Bill Polian says: “We can challenge if none of our top five guys get hurt,” Freeney is the only defensive guy he lists in his top five.

This year’s most impressive new defender may be strong safety Michael Doss, the second-round draft pick.

Jacksonville (6-10 last season) seems to be starting anew with Jack Del Rio replacing Tom Coughlin, the only coach the Jaguars had since they entered the league in 1995. Among the signs: use of their first-round draft pick on quarterback Byron Leftwich, who will replace Mark Brunell in the next year or two.

But how then to explain the signing of the likes of Hugh Douglas and J.J. Stokes?

Douglas, one of the best pass rushers in the NFL over the last eight years, had 121/2 sacks for Philadelphia last year.

But neither the Eagles nor other contenders were willing to meet the price of the 32-year-old defensive end with bad knees, and he landed with the Jaguars. So did wide receiver Stokes after being cut by San Francisco for salary cap reasons.

Two negatives early: Jimmy Smith, the top receiver, has been suspended four games for testing positive for an illegal substance, and running back Fred Taylor’s knee is bothering him.

Houston had a respectable first season back, winning four games, including an opening-night victory over neighboring Dallas and wins over two playoff teams in Pittsburgh and the New York Giants.

The Texans also found a long-term quarterback in David Carr, the first overall pick in last year’s draft. But how much of a pounding can Carr take, even at age 24? Last season, he was sacked a league-record 76 times and the offensive line could be even worse this season.

The Texans’ strength is defense, befitting a team coached by Dom Capers, who got Carolina to the NFC championship game in its second season. Cornerback Aaron Glenn and defensive tackle Gary Walker were Pro Bowlers last season.

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Prediction: Tennessee (11-5); Indianapolis (10-6); Houston (4-12); Jacksonville (4-12).