Indianapolis: Our friends to the north dismantled the Denver Broncos on Sunday. Not only did they make Denver look bad, but they did so while surviving a lot of key injuries. Whatever Bill Polian gave up to Lucifer was worth the price of the amazing resistance the Colts have to injury. That being said, Strong Safety Bob Sanders suffered a rib injury, and we all know how the Colts defense looks without Colonel Sanders stuffing the run.
Of course Big Blue Shoe is far less concerned:
This is the difference between a team like Philly, who does not seem to have good depth, and the Colts. Injuries are part of the game, and injuries can certainly affect the game. But one of my constant criticisms of Philly is how bad a general manager Andy Reid is. He's a great coach, but like Mike Shanahan he is horrible at addressing weakness on his team. He's also terrible at the draft, just terrible. Because of this lack of depth, Philly is now starting out 1-3, losing two division games already. Meanwhile, the Colts (who have played a comparable level of talent as the Eagles) have also battled injuries but have started out 4-0. A major reason for that is their great depth which is a result of excellent drafts and smart signings.
Houston: Our friends to the West have fallen back to earth after a 2 and 0 start. Back to back losses against the Colts and Falcons have them in their usual Texans form. That being said, I really thought they had a chance to surprise Indy, and perhaps if Andre Johnson had played they could of found a way to pull it out. Of course, losing to the wingless Falcons is a serious reality check. You know I'm getting pretty nervous though, the Texans are two weeks away for the Jaguars and we know how well we do against the Battle Red. I'm going to be honest with you, the Texans Defense has some amazing players. I'd be pretty happy to have Amobi Okoye, DeMeco Ryans, and Mario Williams on the Jaguars. Tim at Battle Red Blog puts it into perspective:
That said, we need to keep the loss, as wretched as it undoubtedly was, in perspective. It's only one game. The Texans were riddled with injuries. Before the season began, had you told the vast majority of NFL fans that your Texans would be .500 after the first four (4) games, you would likely have been dismissed as a fool. Not around BRB, mind you, but nationally...there wasn't widespread belief that the Texans were anywhere close to legit. Notwithstanding yesterday's pathetic result, the Texans are legit; a threat to win every time they take the field. So there is a silver lining.
Tennessee: Yes, I intentionally slight the Titans by putting them at the bottom of this list. Call it what you will. The Titans enjoyed a bye week on Sunday, hopefully spending it in better places than Reggie Nelson. The Titans go against the Falcons this week, which makes me feel really bad for the folks in the Dirty Dirty. I mean, having to play the entire AFC South in the first few weeks is a pretty terrible thing when you're arguably the worst team in the NFL. (Actually, that's the Rams, but that's neither here nor there). Anyhow, Tim at Music City Miracles is happy about a lack of injuries:
Hentrich punted yesterday morning and is day to day. Assuming his back doesn't tighten up on him today he should be good to go this weekend. Fisher said they will keep Josh Miller around until they know if Hentrich will be able to go or not. If Miller is released, Biren Ealy will probably be brought back to the active roster from the practice squad.
And that's your weekly look at what's happening in the AFC South. Do yourselves a favor and check in at what our foes are saying. Knowing the enemy makes for more fun!
-Chris