A Reason to Love and Hate Every NFL Team This Season: AFC South Edition

In Part 3 of my pre-season punditry, we take  look at reasons to love and hate every team in the AFC South:

Indianapolis Colts
Love - All Eyes on Andrew Luck
Will he be the next Peyton Manning or the next Ryan Leaf?  Can he reanimate a pitiful DOA squad that went 2 - 12 last year?  The lights will be shining bright this fall on Andrew Luck as the most anticipated draft pick since his Indy predecessor, and I don't mean Curtis Painter.  America's appetite for triumph is there, especially with I'll Have Another's disappointing Triple Crown anti-climax.

Hate - Putting a Band-Aid on a Bullet Wound
As much as we would like to see Andrew Luck succeed, Petyon Manning's absence last season revealed a more troubling situation in Indianapolis than a mere quarterback deficit.  I get the sneaking suspicion that without a dynamic running game, pass rush or secondary, this team's problems are much deeper than a one-man revival can cure.

Jacksonville Jaguars
Love - Blackmon's Potential
Finally, we hope.  Jacksonville acquires a high-potential WR in Justin Blackmon (recent legal troubles aside) that could help this team move up in a pretty ho-hum division.  It'll be up to ex-Falcons OC Mike Mularkey to mold the Gabbert-Blackmon passing game into some semblance of what he achieved in Matt Ryan and Roddy White before.

Hate - Gabbert's Ineptitude
Still, there's the man himself, Blaine Gabbert.  He has been one head-scratcher of an early QB draft pick last year who nudged out middling-to-decent David Garrard just before the start of the 2011 season.  Gabbert has yet to show he has the chops to make it in the big leagues, and this may be his last chance to prove otherwise.

Houston Texans
Love - The Emergence of a New AFC Leader
Provided these guys can stay healthy and fill the [minor] defensive gaps that resulted from free agency, the Texans look poised to become a truly elite AFC team for the long haul.  Cheering for them now still gives you a chance to be a smug early adopter of "I knew them when."

Hate - A Team That Lacks History and Soul
I don't mean the Texans are soulless-- they're probably mostly stand up guys, save for juicehead Brian Cushing.  But they're still a young franchise without much to show for it.  They've made the playoffs only once, have a pretty interchangeable fanbase of not-Cowboys post-Oilers followers, and let's not even dwell on how uninspired the mascot choice of "Texans" is for the other 92% of the U.S. population.

Tennessee Titans
Love - Secret Weapon Karl Klug
Much fanfare (if you consider the Titans having "fanfare") will be paid to the Hasselbeck-Locker showdown for starting QB position this year and/or Chris Johnson's attempt to reclaim dominance as a running back.  But outside of the limelight, defensive tackle Karl Klug had a quietly impressive rookie year in 2011 (20 tackles, 2 forced fumbles, 7 sacks) that I project will serve him and the team well this season.  He's definitely a buyer's prospect if DTs mattered whatsoever in fantasy football.

Hate - CJ2K's Regression
Like Ryan Fitzpatrick and many, many others, Chris Johnson's performance this past year demonstrates just how little a massive new contract can boost or even maintain prior performance.  Another underwhelming year of rushing could surely sink the Titans' playoffs hopes again.