I will analyze each team's free agency gains & losses, recap their 2008 draft & examine their overall needs.

Jacksonville:

The Jags cleaned house to an extent, gone are the guys who can't stay out of trouble, the overpaid & the underachievers. Three very big disappointments at WR, Reggie Williams, Matt Jones & Jerry Porter were released.  Jones & Williams, both first round draft picks, have had drug & off-field problems plus neither ever played up to their draft position. Jerry Porter snagged a $10 million free agent contract, then caught a less than impressive 11 passes in 12 games. The cupboard is bare at wide receiver.  The five O-line starters were either injured or played poorly. OT Khalif Barnes wasn't resigned, C Brad Meester missed 6 games to injury  & took a pay cut to stay with Jax.  Fred Taylor, a 10,000 yard rusher in his Jaguar career, was released in a cap move & signed with New England.  Some big name veterans on defense were sent packing too. DE Paul Spicer, ILB Mike Peterson, CB Drayton Florence & S Pierson Prioleau have departed.  The Jags signed 2 Eagle starters, S Sean Considine & LOT Tra Thomas & that was the extent of their free agent signings.

The 2008 draft had almost zero impact last season. First pick DE Derrick Harvey missed the preseason & managed only 19 tackles & 3 sacks. Quentin Groves, 2nd round DE, didn't miss the preseason, but he  fared no better with 13 tackles & 2.5 sacks. LB Thomas Williams & RB Chauncey Washington contributed nothing but 4 special teams tackles & 9 yards rushing.  Harvey & Groves could redeem themselves in '09, but so far, this was a miserable draft class.

Jack Del Rio finds himself in unfamiliar territory having compiled a 4-season record of 40-24 before limping in with a 5-11 record in '08. His teams were known for their punishing, physical defense & a power running game with Fred Taylor & Maurice Jones-Drew. The Jags had little pass rush, putting too much pressure on the secondary, the offensive line was in shambles & the receiving corp was terrible. The word is Del Rio wants to trade out of the 8th spot in the first round. If it's not about money, I think they ought to stay right where they are & pick DT B.J. Raji, DE Brian Orapko or WR Jeremy Maclin. In round two, DL Jarron Gilbert, WR Brian Robiskie or CB Alphonso Smith would make sense with their needs. Finally, in round 3, WR Louis Murphy, WR Mike Thomas or DT Fili Moala would make a fine selection for a team that suddenly needs a lot of help.


Tennessee:

The Titans took an enormous hit in free agency, losing DT Albert Haynesworth, who signed for $100 million of Washington Redskin money. Three contributors from the secondary were not resigned, Tyronne Poole, Eric King & Reynaldo Hill left a unit that fortunately has depth to spare. Justin McCareins & Brandon Jones, wide receivers who caught 71 passes between them, are gone from an already thin receiving corp. TE Bo Scaife was franchised & PK Rob Bironas, P Craig Hentrich, nickel back Vincent Fuller & QB Kerry Collins were all resigned. Ex-Steeler speedster, WR Nate Washington was signed, but he has never started. Ex-Panther WR Mark Jones was also signed. The oft-injured Jovan Haye, formerly of the Bucs & CB DeMarcus Faggins joined the Titans. They lost 3rd string QB Chris Simms, to Denver, then signed the Broncos 3rd QB, Patrick Ramsey.

Tennessee has done a pretty decent job drafting in the last 5 years, with the exception of wide receiver. Number one pick, Chris Johnson, rushed for 1,228 yards splitting time in the backfield with LenDale White. Jason Jones, their 2nd round selection, had a good rookie campaign & should move into Haynesworth's old spot at DT. Third rounder, TE Craig Stevens, played a lot as the blocking TE. Williams Hayes, 4th rounder, should see more playing time in the defensive end rotation. Cal wideout, Lavelle Hawkins, could get on the field more if he can become a better blocker in the running game, a must playing for the Titans. Linebacker Stanford Kegler was excelling on special teams by season's end.

Despite the free agent signings, the Titans need help at wide receiver in a big way. I expect them to pick at least two. With Jones moving into the starting lineup, more depth at DT is also a need. Look for them to select a defensive back or two to replace the ones lost in free agency.  This is a pretty solid team, but their running game would be even better if they could back opposing defenses off the line of scrimmage. The only way to do that is to have the ability to throw the ball down the field to receivers who can get open. This team blitzes very little, depending on the front four to pressure the passer.  Getting Kyle Vanden Bosch back from injury should help offset the loss of Haynesworth, he hardly played last season. I could see the Titans selecting DE/OLB Larry English of N. Illinois in round one, Penn State's WR Derrick Williams in round two & S Chip Vaughn of Wake Forest or WR Johnny Knox of Abilene Christian in the third.

Next up: The Denver Broncos & Kansas City Chiefs