Jags to take over AFC South?

In a Fox Sports article, the question is raised whether the upstart Jacksonville Jaguars can overtake the Indianapolis Colts as the new bully in the AFC South. Well, when you figure that since the AFC South was created, the Colts have never lost the crown, and the fact that coach Tony Dungy has said that next year will be his last, the Jags will be hard-pressed to overtake the Hoosier team.

But it certainly is doable. When you consider that the team struggled a little bit early trying to find its identity in the post-Byron Leftwich era, and the fact that they finished so strongly in facing the juggernaut New England Patriots in the AFC Division Championships, David Garrard and company may just be getting started. Of course, their strength lies in their running game, and the emergence of soon-to-be household name Maurice Jones-Drew was directly parallel to the Jags success. The X factor in the equation is Fred Taylor, who seems to have been playing for like....ever...and his injuries have an even longer history. But if he is healthy--he is so effective in so many ways.

Some will argue that the defense will suffer indelibly after Mike Smith left for Atlanta. However, you have to take into consideration that Jacksonville quickly snatched up, who will probably be a head coach someday in the near future. Williams is an aggressive coach, and if the Jags can shore up their secondary a bit, this may be the premier defensive team in 2008-09.

But can they overtake the Colts? It may not even be up to them, regardless of how good they are. The fact is that Jacksonville is definitely on the way up, though, and even if they can't overtake Indy in the AFC South standings, their presence in the AFC Playoffs is eminent and they could even go farther next year.

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Jags to take over AFC South?

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