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Which side of the coin do you pick?
In this, part two of our NFL Preview, the focus will be on the AFC South. Are the Jags ready to knock of Peyton and the gang or will Houston come out and shock everybody by replacing both teams as the King of the AFC North Hill? Will Peyton’s knee be ready by opening night? Does David Gerrard have anyone to throw the ball to? Is Vince Young ready to become an NFL quarterback? Will his front office ever give him any weapons to find out?
These are just some of the questions facing members of the AFC South, which is probably the class of the AFC this season. I’ll lead things off in a familiar place when talking about this division:
Indianapolis Colts
Outlook
When it comes to the Indianpolis Colts, the two things on the minds of fans and coaches alike is “injury” and “recovery.” Can their team recover from their various injuries to: Jeff Saturday, Dwight Freeney, Bob Sanders, Marvin Harrison, and some guy called “Manning?” If these players are healthy and, more importantly, capable of playing at 100%, there’s no reason the Colts can’t continue their reign as one of the three best teams in the AFC, if not all of football.
Of course, injury recovery is never a given in a league as violent as the NFL.
While last season was disappointing for the then defending Super Bowl champs, there were a lot of bright spots as well. First, the emergence of Reggie Wayne as a top-flight receiver. It was widely speculated this would be the case but once Harrison went down, Wayne proved he belonged by finishing the season with 104 receptions and 10 touchdown catches; however, Wayne wasn’t the only offensive player to shine for the Colts. Dallas Clark contributed mightily to Colts successes, establishing himself as one of the top tight ends in the NFL.
Because of how the offense continued to produce after the injuries, the idea is, once the injured players got back into the rotation, the Colts should be as good as their Super Bowl-winning team, provided Manning fully recovers from his surgery. The health of Jeff Saturday (out at least six weeks) is an important story to keep an eye on as well because of how important he is the offensive line and Manning’s comfort level.
With a healthy team, the Colts look like a lock for 12-4, maybe even 13-3. However, if Manning is still being nagged by his knee and the offensive line can’t recover from Saturday’s potential absence, it could be a long season. As it stands, I betting on the Colts bouncing back, finishing 12-4 and winning the AFC South.
Hottest Colts Cheerleader
Introducing Tatyana. As you can see from her pictures, she’s a wise choice among a sea of cheerleading goodness. Judging from her pictures, she looks like a lot of fun.
I’ll say.
The other Jones, in this case Matt, was arrested early today for what is being listed as possession of controlled substance. Further reports indicate the substance was in fact the subject of both songs I linked to in the above paragraph: cocaine (and marijuana). The receiver was arrested in Washington County, Arkansas, which I’m sure is just great news for a Jacksonville team preparing to begin training camp in a couple of weeks.
In other news, I don’t think being arrested with such cargo the best way to begin your run-up to said training camp, is it?
Like I hinted at over at EC, apparently, the NFL Playoffs gives folks a heightened-but-false idea that since their team has to “turn it up a notch,” their affection/defense for their team needs to be increased as well. What else can explain some of the outlandish crap that’s been going on since the Packers and Seahawks kicked off last Saturday?
By now, most of you have probably heard about the group of young adults who beat a bartender to death over an argument that started during the Green Bay game. Well, we have another log for that fire: in New Jersey, a 31-year old Jacksonville Jaguars fan allegedly shot a 17-year old New England Patriots game last Saturday because the Pats fan wouldn’t stop rooting for Tom Brady and company.
Apparently, the 17-year old had been warned by the shooter to stop rooting and apparently, he didn’t comply. However, in defense of the victim (he was treated at the hospital and released), Tom Brady was 26-28 passing the ball.
“The victim was rooting for the Patriots, and the suspect, apparently rooting for the Jaguars, had forewarned the victim not to root for the Patriots anymore,” (Detective Andrew) DiElmo said. “The victim challenged him on it, the suspect pulled out a handgun, shot him in the left thigh and then fled the scene.”
Adding insult to injury, the victim was charged with possession of marijuana. The shooter, Tomajj Coleman, is awaiting arraignment for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. He too was charged with possession of marijuana.
It’s almost kick-off time folks and to celebrate the weekend festivities, I figured celebrating the some of the cheerleaders from each team would be a good way to go. Of course, there are no cheerleaders for the Packers and the Giants, but I think I’ve found a suitable substitution. Since Saturday and Sunday will be devoted to the Playoffs, it would be only right if I gave you my picks as well:
Cowboys/Giants – Cowpokes
Packers/Seahawks – The Pack
Colts/Bolts – Colts (although, I think LT is going to have a big game)
Pats/Jags – As much as it pains me to say, Patriots
I’m feeling Jacksonville, but I think they’ll fall just short like the Eagles and the Ravens during the regular season. Although, I do agree with Housh when it comes to seeing the New England go undefeated. Anyway, enough football. There’s plenty of time for that tomorrow and Sunday.
On with the cheerleaders:
Cowboys/Giants
Kandi of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders. More here.
She has a cute smile. 
Packers/Seahawks
No explanation necessary.
Sea Gal Tessa. Love them redheads.
Colts/Bolts
Jessica of the Colts Cheerleaders
Carly of the Charger Girls (who, incidentally, have the best cheerleader bio pages. EVER.)
Pats/Jags
Jessica of the New England Patriots Cheerleaders
Danielle of the ROAR of the Jaguars
Well folks, that concludes this week’s IEC. I hope we’ve given a nice appetizer before the weekend feast gets here. Happy NFL Playoff viewing!!!
PS: Over at Busted Coverage, they are taking this idea one step further by pairing the cheerleaders from each team against each to let voters decide whose team has the hotter spirit squad. If you’d like your voice to be heard, mosey on over and let it.
As a former resident of Lexington, Kentucky, I am fully aware how passionate Pittsburgh Steelers fans are about their team. Because of the Bengals ineptitude, over the years, Lexington has seen a serious increase in the amount of Terrible Towel wavers and a lot of them root for the Steelers like they would a UK team (I’m talking to you, Hodge).
So when I come across stories about Steelers fans and the extremes they’ve gone to (or experienced), I’m not that surprised any more. One thing’s for sure, Steelers fans are not afraid to let their allegiance show, even in death. In fact, a lot of Steelers fans make a point to show everyone who they rooted for after they’ve passed on.
Such is the case with Richard Desrosiers, whose wife took her late husband’s ashes to Heinz Field to watch the game between the Steelers and the Jacksonville Jaguars, fulfilling his dying wish:
Though he lived in Exeter, N.H., Richard Desrosiers adopted the Steelers at an early age and followed them closely. He named his dog Steeler and his wardrobe, by his widow’s estimate, was 95 percent Steelers gear.
Braving the biting cold and the Steelers’ disappointing 29-22 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, Desrosiers waved her new Terrible Towel, showed off her painted face and warmed her head with a Steelers hat.
She called it “an overwhelming experience.”
How would you describe such a dying wish? Fanatical? Or are you the type of fan that identifies with Desrosiers’ desires?
