What if you took the all-time best players from each of the 8 NFL divisions and paired them up against each other on a neutral field? Just imagine: Brett Favre and Calvin Johnson taking on Elway and Marcus Allen; Brady and Moss vs Ray Lewis and Mean Joe Greene. Don't think about it any longer, because we are doing it! In this first installment of the Battle of the NFL Divisions, we introduce the all-time AFC South roster.
Division Teams: Indianapolis Colts, Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, Tennessee Titans
2 Super Bowls Titles, 5 AFC Championships, 28 Hall of Famers (all from Indianapolis and Tennessee)
So, we will soon begin the painful procedure of dissecting this division down into its not-so-illustrious units. As evidenced by the numbers above, the Texans and Jaguars have not added much to this comparatively young division. It's going to be absolutely fun discussing names like Manning and Unitas, and not so much fun getting down and deep in the more obscure ones.
Pride of the Division: Aerial Dominance
Division Scar They Can Never Remove: The Tragedy of Steve McNair
"Steve McNair had it all. He was a NFL quarterback who came from humble beginnings. He was regarded as one of the toughest men to play the game. He was married, had four children and he donated his time and money to help those in need. He was named sportsman of the year by the league and severed as a mentor for other young, black quarterbacks coming into the league.
Then there’s the other McNair: The cheater who died from four gunshot wounds from his 20-year-old mistress. She shot McNair after she discovered that he was seeing another young lady and that he was not planning on divorcing his wife. The 9mm semiautomatic pistol Sahel Kazemi used to kill McNair and herself was found on the floor of the condo McNair shared with a friend.
This cheating story ended tragically. McNair never got the opportunity to cry at a press conference and admit the errors of his ways, like Laker great Kobe Bryant several years ago. His children will forever know that their father was killed by his lover. And McNair’s wife was kept in the dark, too, telling police she did not know her husband was having an affair until the former quarterback was found dead. Kazemi was taken advantaged of by an older man with millions of dollars. She believed in him and reacted violently when he deceived her too. Now her family has to make sense of this tragedy.
McNair possessed the perfect blend of confidence and athleticism on the field. It’s too bad that deceit and vanity contributed to his death off the field."
-James Causey
Team Captain: Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts
Honestly, if scientists found another equally-civilized planet who wanted to get together for a Football Bowl for the ages, wouldn't Earth select Manning as the Captain of the team? By the time this guy's eulogy is read, he just might go down as the most knowledgeable footballer ever, player or coach. His passion, ambition, and tenacity are beyond compare. This is all before we even look at his skills, which are just stupid.
God's Perfect AFC South Athlete: Jevon Kearse
They called him "the Freak." He was 6'5", 262 pounds, had an amazing 86" wingspan, a 38-inch vertical leap, and ran a 4.43 40. Perhaps the most impressive physical attribute he has is his giant hands. He can hold the ends of a 12-inch ruler in one hand, from little finger to thumb. Think about that, then imagine what he did to opposing linemen for 10 years.
Division Bad Boy: Marvin Harrison
Let's just cut through all the BS and get to the facts here:
-The FBI joined forces with the Philadelphia Police Department to investigate Marvin Harrison for 2 separate shootings-- one fatal.
-Dwight Dixon, a convicted drug dealer with ties to Harrison, was in the middle of a civil lawsuit against Harrison, claiming the future Hall of Famer shot him in the chest, stomach, and arm while they were at Harrison's Philadelphia car wash.
-During the process of this months-long suit, Dixon was shot and killed by an unknown man who wore a hooded sweatshirt, jeans, and white shoes.
-The murder took place just blocks away from Harrison's car wash.
-Dixon told police first responders that he believed the 2 shootings were linked before he fell into a coma and eventually died. He never was able to give a formal police interview.
-Ballistics shows that Harrison's gun was indeed used as the murder weapon; however, Harrison denies any knowledge, says he did not even have access to that weapon on that day, and police have never proven that he is a liar.
-A second witness, Robert Nixon, also told police that he saw Harrison fire a gun. Nixon, who was wounded in the back by stray gunfire, filed a civil suit against Harrison last July, claiming that the ex-wide receiver "continued shooting at the other person ... as [he] drove past plaintiff. In doing so, a bullet from defendant's handgun struck plaintiff in the back with great force and violence." After an investigation, the Philadelphia district attorney's office announced that it was not bringing charges in connection with that incident.
-The reputations of both witnesses roadblocked the entire case: "I'm pretty comfortable I know who fired the gun," District Attorney Lynn Abraham, who has since left the job, said at the time. But she added that she was could not go forward with just the statements of Nixon and Dixon. "With these witnesses, I don't think so," she said.
-Harrison was never charged, and the case is as dead as a doornail.
Best Owner: Bud Adams, Tennessee Titans/Houston Oilers
Houston hates him, but he landed them on the sports map and kept them there for a few decades before turning the city over to the new Texans and moving to upgrade Nashville. Besides literally helping build and shape the NFL, Adams' greatest singular accomplishment is, no doubt, the Eighth Wonder of the World: The Astrodome.
Best Stadium: Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis Colts
The House That Peyton Manning Built
Best Fans: Indianapolis Colts
Stadium Rank: 6
Television Rank: 12
Merchandise Rank: 15
Social Media Rank: 5
Fan Club Rank: 3
Biggest "Could Have Been" in AFC SouthHistory: The Colts Draft Ryan Leaf.
Brass tacks: The Colts always had the #1 overall pick in the 1998 NFL Draft, and Manning was pretty much "their guy" from the very beginning of the process. But let's pretend like the choice was a bit more difficult and that they had drafted Leaf instead. How would things have been different?
First, Leaf would not have been a bust (at least not as much of one). When the Chargers drafted Leaf, they threw him into Game 1 with no legendary quarterback to study under. Craig Whelihan, in fact, was the ONLY other quarterback on the roster! Ever hear of him? Me neither. Add to this that the Chargers brought absolutely no help at RB or receivers, and they also had a lame duck in unsuccessful head coach Kevin Gilbride and his final season. Leaf never had a chance. Under Leaf, the Chargers' record was 3-6 and his career was doomed from the start. Had he been drafted by Indianapolis, he would have inherited experienced head coach, Jim Mora, and future Hall of Famers Marshall Faulk an Marvin Harrison to work with.
Second, Peyton Manning still would have been Peyton Manning. If there is one thing we have learned, it's that this dude does the impossible. He would have found a way to transform San Diego into a Super Bowl winner. Imagine him with Tomlinson and eventually Antonio Gates.
Third, the Chargers most definitely do NOT draft Drew Brees later. Instead, the Cowboys or Raiders pick Brees, since San Diego is not there to get him. Like Manning, Brees also overcomes negative elements and leads his team to new heights. Drew Brees, a Texas guy leading the Dallas Cowboys to more Super Bowl Championships...
MVP: Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts
Who else would it be? NFL records
Manning holds a number of individual career records:
Regular season
Most seasons with at least 4,000 passing yards: 13 (1999–2004, 2006–2010, 2012–2013)
Most passing yards, season: 5477 (2013)
Most games with 40+ pass attempts in a season: 10 (2010)
Most consecutive seasons with at least 20 touchdown passes: 13 (1998–2010)
Most consecutive seasons with at least 25 touchdown passes: 13 (1998–2010)
Most games with a perfect passer rating, career: 4 (includes 1 playoff game)
Most consecutive games started to open a career: 208
Most touchdown passes, season: 55 (2013)
Most consecutive games with at least 2 touchdown passes: 13 (games 1–13, 2004)
Most consecutive games with at least 4 touchdown passes: 5 (games 7–11, 2004)
Most games with at least 4 touchdown passes, season: 8 (2013)
Most regular season games with at least 4 touchdown passes, career: 25
Most games with at least 5 touchdown passes, career: 8 (includes 1 playoff game)
Most games with at least 5 touchdown passes and no interceptions, career: 5
One of only seven QBs with at least 6 touchdown passes in two games (tied with Sammy Baugh, Y. A. Tittle, Daryle Lamonica, Tom Brady, Charley Johnson and George Blanda)
One of only two QBs with at least 6 touchdown passes and no interceptions in two games (tied with Tom Brady)
One of only seven QBs with at least 7 touchdown passes, game (tied with Sid Luckman, Adrian Burk, George Blanda, Y.A. Tittle, Joe Kapp and Nick Foles)
One of only three QBs with at least 7 touchdown passes and no interceptions, game (tied with Y.A. Tittle and Nick Foles)
Most regular season games with at least 300 passing yards: 84
Most regular and postseason games with at least 300 passing yards: 93
Most games with at least 400 yards passing and no interceptions: 6
Most career touchdown passes in Thursday games: 32
Most touchdown passes on a Thursday game: 7
Largest career TD-INT differential: 272
Highest career passing TDs/game average (min. 150 TD passes): 2.046 TDs/game
Second-Highest career passing yards/game average: 263.6 (Drew Brees, 263.7)
Second-Highest career completions/game average (min. 100 games played): 22.5 (Drew Brees, 23.4)
Highest completion percentage by a QB in one month in NFL history (min. 75 attempts): 81.8% (December 2008)
Most career games with a completion percentage of 70% or higher (min. 10 attempts): 66
Most consecutive regular season wins as a starter: 23 (2008–2009)
Most seasons with 10+ wins as a starter (regular season only): 13 (1999–2000, 2002–2010, 2012–2013)
Most seasons with 12+ wins as a starter (regular season only): 10 (1999, 2003–2009, 2012-2013)
Only QB with seven straight seasons of 12+ wins as a starter(2003–2009)
Only QB with nine straight seasons of 10+ wins as a starter (2002–2010)
Only QB to lead five consecutive 4th quarter comeback wins (games 7–11, 2009)
Most fourth quarter comeback wins in one season: 7 (2009)
First QB to defeat the other 31 teams in the regular season (Tom Brady did this later the same day, and Brett Favre did it the following week)
Most wins as a starting QB in a decade, regular season only: 115 (2000s)
Most wins as a starting QB in a decade, regular & postseason: 124 (2000s)
Most AP NFL MVP Awards: 5 (2003, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2013)
Most Touchdown Passes in a decade: 314 (2000–2009)
Most Passing Yards in a decade: 42,254 (2000–2009)
Most Completions in a decade: 3,575 (2000–2009)
Playoff records
Most 300+ yard passing games: 8
Most yards passing, 1st half of game: 360 vs. Denver Broncos, 1/9/05
Led the biggest comeback in conference championship game history (18 pts), 1/21/07 vs. New England
One of only four QBs to post a perfect 158.3 passer rating in a game (Don Meredith, Terry Bradshaw, Dave Krieg)
Most games with 20+ completions: 14 (surpassed by Tom Brady in 2011)
Most games with 30+ completions: 4 (surpassed by Drew Brees in 2011)
Most games with 30+ attempts: 17
Most games with 40+ attempts: 8 (tied by Tom Brady in 2011)
Most completions and attempts in a single postseason: 97/153 (2006)
One of only 2 quarterbacks to complete 80% of his passes in two playoff games (tied with Kurt Warner)
Most consecutive postseasons with at least one start: 9 (2002–2010)
Most postseason losses by a quarterback: 12
Most first-round postseason losses by a quarterback: 8
Rookie records
Most touchdown passes: 26 (tied by Russell Wilson in 2012)
Most interceptions thrown: 28
Most consecutive games with a touchdown pass (games 4–16): 13
Most games with at least one touchdown pass: 15
Most games with 300+ yards passing: 4
With Marvin Harrison
Manning and former Colts wide receiver Marvin Harrison hold a number of QB-WR tandem records:
Most completions/receptions (career): 953
Most passing/receiving yards (career): 12,756
Most passing/receiving touchdowns (career): 112
Most completions/receptions in a season, QB-to-WR duo: 143 (2002)
Most passing/receiving yards in a season, QB-to-WR duo: 1,722 (2002)
Pro Bowl records
Most Pro Bowl selections for a QB: 13
Most consecutive Pro Bowl selections for a QB: 9 (during the 2002–2010 seasons)
Most passing attempts (career): 150
Most passing attempts (game): 41 (2004)
Most completions (career): 92
Most completions (game): 22 (2004)
Most passing yards (career): 1,278
Most passing yards (game): 342 (2004)
Most passing touchdowns (career): 13
AFC South Head Coach: Tony Dungy, Indianapolis Colts
Dungy had already essentially been suckered out of his Super Bowl Championship he earned in Tampa Bay, and he built up a solid defense that enabled the Colts to fine polish and mold their team into a winner. He led the Colts to an amazing 85-27 record before trading his clipboard for a microphone. Perhaps even more importantly, Dungy has been a huge role model to countless individuals while overcoming a great deal of personal tragedies.
AFC South Defensive Coordinator: Don Shula, Indianapolis (Baltimore) Colts
Shula took over the Colts' gig at age 33, making him the youngest coach in league history up until that point. In his 7 years in Baltimore, they went 71-23. Under his leadership, they won the NFL Championship, lost 2 more, and lost a heart-breaking Super Bowl to the New York Jets. The Colts also won a Super Bowl the year after he left.
AFC South Offensive Coordinator: Tom Moore, Indianapolis Colts
Somebody has to coach Peyton Manning, and it's this genius. He has been coaching offense in various places since 1965. This includes a long stint working under Coach Chuck Noll during the dynasty years. He is currently the Assistant Head Coach and Offensive Consultant for the Arizona Cardinals.
An Open Letter to: The guys who did not make the list
Dear Steve McNair and Maurice Jones-Drew, I am sorry I had to leave you off the AFC South roster. Steve, you were great-- you won NFL MVP in '03, and you came very close to leading the Titans to glory; however, you just couldn't quite break the Manning/Unitas/Moon hold. Maurice, had to go with Freddy Taylor. He's got your numbers beat, and now you have gone to Oakland to watch your career get euthanized.
As far as you, J.J. and Andrew, you will be cracking this lineup in a few years as long as you stay healthy, so I will certainly be updating this roster as needed. Arian, I have a sneaking suspicion that your career is Terrell Davising, but I am a huge fan of yours, so I hope I am very wrong about this.
Click HERE to see the next series of roster announcements for the All-Time AFC South!
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