Jack Del Rio was asked by members of the media if David Garrard would be the starter week 1 of the regular season. Here's Del Rio's exact answer:

""Yeah. David's our starter. I said that all spring,''"

I'm not usually in favor of declarations concerning very tight battles so early in the pre-season, especially at the team's most important position, but I also think we're blowing this out of proportion. What I took from the quote is this:

"Yeah. David's our starter [as of now]. I said that all spring, [but this is football, things can turn on a dime]"

Tennessee Titans fans must be hanging their heads in shame. They should be sitting on a bench, crying over this huge mess of a team.  This once proud team has been torn apart, beaten down & basically become an embarrassment.  A team that was just a few yards away from winning a superbowl not so long ago, has self-imploded.  Not only have the Titans lost their long-time leader & head coach Jeff Fisher,  but they have simply lost their way.  That brutal, punishing defense is long gone.  The offense is in shambles.  The team needs to be completely rebuilt & mistakes from top to bottom have taken the fight out of this team.

For some reason Matt Schuab and the Texans can't seem to get of the same page.  sometimes it seems like Maybe Schuab doesn't get it, but they should be contending for the AFC title.  They have an all-pro WR in Andre Johnson, the best rusher in the NFL (not to mention the top pick in evry fantasy football league) and an improving 3-4 defense under Wade Phillips.  The Texans should be in the playoffs, but keep falling short of that goal every year.  maybe this is the year that they get it done.

It's time for everyone's favorite game.....Peyton's pick of the week.  As you may know, Peyton Manning has been rehabbing a neck injury for some time now.  He hasn't played at all in the first 2 preseason games and has been ruled out for the remaining 2 games as well.  Manning could also miss regular season games, which would leave the AFC South division wide open & would give the Jaguars a huge advantage if they were to start fast and get some wins early...thus putting the Colts in a hole they'd have a tough time digging out of (pun intended).  It could also result in a new division champion if the Colts can't pull it out again (pun intended again).  It would also hurt Peyton's fantasy football draft selection....if he can't play then no one will want to pick him. (sorry, had to say it).

I don't know about you, but I love hard-hitting, blitz-crazy, knock the QB on his ass football.  I really miss the days were defenses buried QBs in the backfield & weren't flagged for unnesessary roughness.  I like to see QBs get crushed from their blindside, or when he gets his helment riped off his head as he's thrown to the turf by a linebacker or DT.  I miss watching defensive players knock a QB flat on his back & then step on his chest on the way back to the line of scrimmage.  I enjoy seeing a QB picked up by a DE and pile-drived into the turf.  I look forward to seeing Peyton, Schuab, Hasselback, Locker or any other QB in a Titan, Colt or Texan uniform being treated this way.  

The Jacksonville Jaguars have played 2 preseason games so far & have tried many tactics to improve their pass rush.  They have used a heavy rotation at the DE position, which has resulted in more pressure on QBs.  They have also gotten a huge push up front by DT Tyson Alualu, who's power & speed has caused increased chaos in the backfield.  Running backs have been stuffed at or behind the line of scrimmage.  OBs have be flushed from the pocket or had passed knocked down at the line.  The added pressure up front has also resulted in more passes being hurried & off target, thus helping the secondary in pass coverage.  Linebackers are laying the wood on receivers as well.  Turnover opportunities are up as well. So with all this added pressure, why have the Jaguars registered zero sacks?

Even Peyton Manning may not be invincible this season.

It's usually at this time of the year that we start talking about the possibility of a team in the AFC South de-throning the Indianapolis Colts. This year should be different. Sure, a different champion would be considered a "de-throning," but it wouldn't necessarily be a shocking development. Here's what Nate Dunlevy, writer of 18to88.com, had to say about the Colts this year:

"The article posed certain problems for me. On one hand, I don't necessarily disagree with Macey's assessment of the 2011 Colts as a whole. I think they are likely a 10 win team saddled with what could be a horrible defense. Obviously, if Manning doesn't play early in the year or is severely limited, that projection will drop."

To keep the quote in context, Dunlevy was talking about Football Outsiders' football almanac, which was critical of the Colts, especially their defense.