[GTripp0012]

I agree with you hagams, and I'll go a step further. Jacksonville was probably the better of the two teams during the regular season last year. Don't forget what they did to the Colts in Week 13 (14?) last year. A lot of people got turned off by their "regression" to 8-8, but don't be fooled by record, JAX improved as a team from 05 to 06.

In 2005 they had a 12-4 record that was heavily inflated by a weak schedule. They lost big to a few good teams. In 2006 though, they played a lot of good teams and dominanted most if not all of them. They kinda screwed themselves by getting poor QB play against weak opponents like Houston, but remember this team lost it's QB for the year a week after we played them.

I say that Jacksonville is the team to beat full well knowing that Peyton Manning is at the pinnical of what just might be the greatest career ever by a QB now. But it's just not about one guy. While the Indy front has been good for years, their offensive personel is really being stretched to it's max. Dallas Clark is reportedly going to take Brandon Stokely's role in the offense. Joseph Addai has no competent backfield parter as of right now. That defense is still in dire straights versus the outside run. A pair of DEs that average 255 between them and corners who aren't espicially built for tackling is a recipe for disaster. Seems if opposing offenses can get the TE out on Bob Sanders, they should have the corner for a first down 9 out of 10 times.

Indy's certainly going to win some games next year, but the formula they used this year won't even get them to the playoffs. As good as Peyton Manning is, and we could very well see the best year ever by a QB this year, he just can't score everytime down.