Britt was recently arrested for a DUI in Kentucky.

While seeing NFL players suspended and having a negative impact on the game is never fun, Kenny Britt’s removal from (some) games will make the job of defenses playing the Titans a whole lot easier.  Britt has physical tools that Nate Washington simply does not have.  He also has the mental abilities that Kendall Wright has yet to develop and has yet to display in a game.  After Wright, the drop-off in production (while the receivers will be in more familiar 3-5 receivers) is highly noticeable.

Britt helps to make Chris Johnson a more legitimate threat by presenting a threatening target for Matt Hasselbeck/Jake Locker and draws the defense away from stacking the box.  CJ2K is good, but he is no Maurice Jones-Drew and won’t be winning a rushing title against nine-man fronts.  Without Britt, Washington and Wright need to outperform their potential, break through their respective ceilings and become legitimate threats in order for the focus of head coach Mike Munchak to actually have an impact.  The loss of the top receiving threat (who missed games past game three last season) will be difficult if Jake Locker does step past Hasselbeck and begins starting.

While there has been no action on Britt yet (And I don’t doubt Justin Blackmon will be in trouble as well), the potential loss in production for the Titans offense while he is away could be spirit-breaking for the team and could help the opponents to take advantage of the Titans early in the year.

- Luke N. Sims

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We start the series off with the quarterbacks.

1. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers: Rodgers is the most efficient quarterback the Jaguars will face during the season.  The guy deserves another ring and has the firepower to go out and get it.  If the Packers even remotely have a running game then the efficiency of Rodgers becomes even more formidable.
2. Tom Brady, New England Patriots: The Jags draw the Patriots, of course.  If Rodgers if the model of efficiency, then Brady is the legend that helped form the mold that Rodgers fits in.  It doesn’t seem to matter who Brady is throwing to, because someone will catch the ball (unless it’s Wes Welker in the Super Bowl).  The guy makes people look good.
3. Matt Schaub, Houston Texans (x2): The Jags play Schaub twice each season – barring injury – and will wish that T.J. Yates was starting again.  Schaub is a big time quarterback with a big time target in Andre Johnson.  He can light it up or dink and dunk you for whatever yardage best fits the offense for the day.
4. 

   Matt Stafford has a serious opportunity to break Drew Brees' single season yards record. Why not this season? Source: Andrew Weber-US PRESSWIRE

   Matt Stafford, Detroit Lions: The Lions rely entirely on Stafford’s arm.  The guy is the youngest to break 5,000 passing yards.  He is a formidable quarterback who is not afraid to sling it.

5. Jay Cutler, Chicago Bears: Like Stafford, Cutler is not afraid to sling the football.  His 26 interceptions two years ago were a problem, but his career high outside of 2009 was 18 (and he only had 7 in 10 games last season).  Cutler will do even better than usual in an offense not designed by Mike Martz.
6. Ryan Fitzpatrick, Buffalo Bills: Fitzpatrick should not be underestimated.  The rifle for Buffalo can thread the needle when he wants to and has talent that far surpasses his win-loss ratio.
7. Matt Hasselbeck, Tennessee Titans (x2): Hasselbeck is an ex-Super Bowl quarterback.  While he may lose the job to Jake Locker, I expect he’ll be able to fend off the younger guy and may even surpass expectations.  His 61.6 completion percentage and his 3,700 yards last year were the highest in four seasons and the highest since the Seahawks went 10-6 under his arm.
8. Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals: I have been an Andy Dalton fan since his days at TCU, but I he is not as good as the other quarterbacks on this list.  He probably won’t be torching any defenses this season (especially if he gets a sophomore slump), but he has the skills to get that good.
9. Mark Sanchez, New York Jets: Sanchez is a winner, somehow he gets his team to the playoffs and succeeds.  The bad news?  He is only 27-20 in his three seasons and is coming off an 8-8 campaign.  The good news?  He threw 26 touchdowns last season.
10. Carson Palmer, Oakland Raiders: I believe that Palmer can turn his game around in Oakland.  Unfortunately, his statistics from last year don’t affirm my faith.  16 interceptions in 10 games doesn’t bode well for him next year.
11. Blaine Gabbert, Jacksonville Jaguars: The Jags have their hands full getting Gabbert to be the best he can be.  Fortunately, his TD-Int ratio isn’t bad.  It just isn’t great either.  He should benefit from a full offseason and hopefully won’t succumb to checkdown syndrome.
12. Christian Ponder, Minnesota Vikings: Christian Ponder does not get the same attention as Blaine Gabbert does for being supremely underwhelming in his rookie year.  Like Gabbert, he was supposed to play behind a veteran quarterback for the season but was pressed into service for 11 games – starting 10.  His 13 touchdowns and 13 interceptions are not impressive and neither is his 1,853 yards.
13. Andrew Luck, Indianapolis Colts: I would put Andre Luck higher, but I am expecting gains from the two second year players above him.  Luck could have a good year but we ultimately won’t know until the season starts.  If he has a rookie season like Peyton Manning, then Luck shouldn’t be any trouble for defenses in 2012.
14. Ryan Tannehill, Miami Dolphins: I do not have a definitive opinion of Tannehill just yet.  I do not think he was worth the eighth overall pick though and I do not think he will have a great time in Miami during his first season, especially when Chad Ochocinco is the top man on his receiving depth chart.

- Luke N. Sims

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You can also find me on Twitter @LukeNSims

               All 32 NFL teams consider themselves Super Bowl contenders in June.  The sun is shining, injuries are minimal, and holes have been filled from last year’s rosters that are the missing pieces in everyone’s journey to the big game.  Every playoff team is poised to go further and those that missed the playoffs have the pieces in place to make a charge at the division title.

The reason all teams have this outlook is that every season follows the same script.  There are always a few teams that ascend from the cellar to the penthouse and one or two unfortunate franchises whose heavenly expectations come crashing back to Earth.  This repetitive nature of the NFL is what makes it so great, because it isn’t what is going to happen but who it is going to happen to that piques so much interest.

Among the many roles that are filled by teams each season, the “picked to go 5-11 team that finishes 11-5” is one that should interest the Jacksonville Jaguars this year.  There are countless reasons why “experts” have and will continue to predict the Jaguars to have a season similar to 2011.  Having been ESPN’s punching bag for the past few seasons, the Jaguars will certainly continue to receive the same criticism until consistent results take place on the field.  That being said, and in honor of Speculation Season 2012, I believe the Jaguars will emulate the 49ers from a year ago and take the division by storm.

This time last year, the San Francisco 49ers had a new head coach at the helm. hell-bent on changing the culture of the team.  Jim Harbaugh had brief but significant history of developing young quarterbacks and arrived in San Fran with a rocky quarterback situation.  The incumbent, Alex Smith, had yet to play to expectations and had the fan base debating on whether he was the guy that could lead their team to the Promised Land.

Elsewhere on the team, the 49ers defense was coming off an excellent performance the previous season and strengthened their pass rush in the draft.  They had Pro Bowl-caliber running back Frank Gore returning and upgraded the position by bringing in Kendall Hunter to share carries and contrast Gore’s hard-running style.

The 49ers’ division, the NFC West, was in flux.  The Cardinals brought in an overhyped, unproven quarterback in Kevin Kolb to fill the hole left by departed hall of famer Kurt Warner.  The young and inexperienced Rams scared no one and the 2010 division-winning Seahawks were consistently inconsistent, as they had been for many seasons prior.

The similarities between the 2011 49ers and the 2012 Jacksonville Jaguars are hard to ignore.  Mularkey is coming from a situation where he worked first hand with promising young quarterback Matt Ryan and is entering one with struggling young quarterback Blaine Gabbert who has yet to have the influence and expertise of a quarterback-focused head coach.  He is changing the culture in Jacksonville, recently cancelling the Oklahoma Drill that was a staple during the Jack Del Rio era.  Maurice Jones-Drew is returning stronger than ever and a healthy Rashad Jennings will help add depth to the running game.  The Jaguars defense is coming off a top 10 performance and only got stronger by adding pass-rushing threat Andre Branch through the draft and retaining the starters from 2011.

The AFC South is as wide open as it has been in a decade.  The Colts bring in golden boy Andrew Luck to fill in for departed legend Peyton Manning and expect the unproven rookie to somehow improve a disastrous team on both sides of the ball.  The Titans are a legitimate wild card, still having to decide to go with young and inexperienced Jake Locker or 120 year old Matt Hasselbeck.  Their defense lost All Pro defensive back Cortland Finnegan and wide receiver Kenny Britt is poised to injure himself on every snap.  2011 division champion Texans finally put together a consistent season on both sides of the ball and made the playoffs.  They follow that up by losing their two best defensive playmakers in Mario Williams and DeMeco Ryans.  Replacing that kind of production is a real gamble and with Andre Johnson coming off multiple leg injuries, Matt Schaub returning from season-ending foot surgery, and the potential for Arian Foster to become a complacent runner now that he has his big contract a la Chris Johnson, there is not much to rest easy on with Houston.

Then come the Jaguars.  A top 10 defense that is returning all starters and adding two-time Super Bowl champion Aaron Ross and pass-rushing blue chipper Andre Branch.  Maurice Jones-Drew returns as the current top running back in the game with his young ward Rashad Jennings back to add depth.  The flawed passing game upgrades with the addition of wide receivers Laurent Robinson, Lee Evans, and Jack Daniel… I mean Justin Blackmon.  The hungry new coaching staff paired with a full offseason should almost certainly improve Blaine Gabbert’s performance from his forgettable rookie year.

I may have teal blinders on, but when I look at the 2012 Jaguars and their division, I find it hard to argue that they won’t compete for the division title.  The pieces are in place for Gene Smith’s “Master Plan” to finally gain traction and deliver results in its fourth year.  The Jaguars are the only team in the AFC South that isn’t trying to fill glaring needs left from free agency.   The Jaguars are the only team in the division with no more excuses.  Like the 49ers from a year ago, this Jaguars team is ready to buckle up their chin straps and hit teams in the mouth, blow up the scoreboard, and shift the power of the division to northeast Florida.

- Lionel Joel