Here's a look at each AFC South team (in order of finish in 2002):

	Head coach Jeff Fisher
	2002 record 11-5
	2002 finish AFC runners up

Tennessee Titans
Overview: Jeff Fisher has the Titans back where he wants them. They have returned among the elite teams in the AFC. It shouldn't have been a surprise. Fisher took advantage of a division that had an expansion team -- the Texans -- and a former contender -- the Jaguars. The Titans went 6-0 in the division; finished 11-5; and advance to the AFC championship game against the Raiders.

Fisher fixed a defense that was the worst stopping the pass in 2001 and improved the unit to 10th overall in the league. He will continue to improve the pass defense, which finished 25th last season. A lot of positive things came together last season. Kevin Carter played like the defensive end who cost the team two first-rounders a couple of years ago. Eddie George bounced back with an 1,165-yard season, but he still needs to improve a 3.4-yard average. Young linebackers Keith Bulluck and Peter Sirmon developed into mainstays on the defense. Though the team didn't get as much as they wanted out of first-round choice Albert Haynesworth, he should become more of a star this season. More than anything else, though, the present and the future of the Titans fell upon the amazing skills of quarterback Steve McNair. He carried the squad back from a 1-4 start and battled numerous injuries to win football games. He's one of the best leaders and most underrated superstars in the league.

Fisher's mission next season will be getting off to a better start. A 1-4 beginning put the team in a hole all season. The division will be a little tougher. The schedule toughens because the AFC South plays the rugged, competitive AFC East and the surprisingly difficult NFC South. One of the biggest stories of the offseason will be how Jevon Kearse bounces back from two surgeries to fix a broken leg. He missed most of the season after breaking his leg in the opener.

Biggest Needs: The Titans have to find more receiving threats. With Kevin Dyson expected to leave through free agency, the Titans don't have a solid receiver on the other side of Derrick Mason. The Titans will always be looking for improvements in their nickel package because they play so many games against three-receiver offenses. The Titans need to re-sign guard Zach Piller, who is a free agent. They don't want to get too thin along the offensive line.

Biggest Decisions: The biggest decision involves the backfield. George is coming off two subpar seasons even though he showed some of his old flashes last season. He's approaching that dangerous age of 30 for a halfback, and he's taken a lot of hits. The Titans offense depends on having a running back who can pound the ball in the fourth quarter when they have the lead, and the team needs to improve George's yard-per-carry average or begin the process of deciding if they need a long-term replacement.

Cap Room: $10 million over the $74.8 million cap.

	Head coach Tony Dungy
	2002 record 10-6
	2002 finish Wild-card loser

Indianapolis Colts
Overview: Bill Polian's strategy was simple. He wanted to hire a Tony Dungy-like coach who could bring in a "Cover 2" scheme to turn around a defense that was the worst in football in 2001. If Dungy could cut eight points a game from the 31 they gave up in 2001, the Colts' offense was good enough to carry them into the playoffs. That's pretty much what happened. The Colts finished eighth on defense and gave up 19.6 points a game.

The Colts finished 10-6, but quarterback Peyton Manning is still looking for that elusive first playoff victory. Most of the salary-cap resources and money is on offense, so Dungy has to make due with young players and lower-salaried free-agent acquisitions on defense. He's fine with that. That's what he did in Tampa Bay in turning the Bucs into a contender. Some tweaking might be needed on the offense, though.

The Colts' three-receiver offense may be getting a little stale and needs some strategical adjustments. Of course, Manning didn't get a full season from Edgerrin James, who performed admirably coming back from his 2001 knee reconstruction. Manning works his best using a play-action offense that has an explosive threat. James wasn't expected to be as explosive as in past years. He finished with 989 yards and a 3.8-yard-per-carry average. Defenses didn't commit that eighth player to stopping the run, which helped put more pressure on the passer.

Manning works his best in a comfort zone. He knows he can get the ball to Marvin Harrison on virtually any play. Harrison set an NFL record with 143 catches. If James bounces back next season, and the team should also have Dominic Rhodes back from major knee surgery, the running game should be more potent. Tight end Marcus Pollard might be more utilized in the passing game than last season. He caught only 43 balls last year.

Biggest Needs: Defense. Defense. Defense. The plan is to try to keep their top free agents, linebacker Mike Peterson and defensive end Brad Scioli. Polian will continue to draft to improve the defensive line and linebacking corps. They could improve at the cornerback position too, but Dungy's scheme keeps things manageable even though consistent man-to-man assignments may not be the strength of the cornerbacks. If the Colts lose center Jeff Saturday, they will be in need of an interior offensive lineman.

Biggest Decisions: Manning is entering the final year of his contract, and the Colts certainly aren't going to lose him to free agency. Still, the Colts need to address a long-term contract. He's scheduled to make $11.3 million this season, and he eats up an incredible $15.4 million of the $75 million cap. They will have to pay record numbers to keep him, but the only options for the future would be placing the franchise tag on him, which would eat up more of the cap.

Cap Room: $662,261 under the cap

	Head coach Jack Del Rio
	2002 record 6-10
	2002 finish 3rd in AFC South

Jacksonville Jaguars
Overview: The Jaguars finally emerged from two years of salary-cap hell, but the turmoil cost Tom Coughlin his job. Years of excess spending to try and win a championship finally caught up with the Jaguars. They hired energetic Jack Del Rio, but he takes over a team that is a shell of what it used to be. The defense is slow. The offense is getting older with Mark Brunell at 32 and Jimmy Smith at 33. Still, there will be a positive energy among the veterans.

Coughlin was a disciplinarian who made everyone work harder than they would like. That wore on the players' emotions. Fans started leaving empty seats, so a 6-10 season left Coughlin vulnerable to a firing. Del Rio did an amazing job with the Panthers, turning a defense that lacked quality cornerbacks into the league's No. 2 unit statistically. The Jaguars finished 20th on defense in what was not considered a pass-happy division, one in which they finished 1-5.

Del Rio's biggest worry is trying to stay ahead of a rapidly improving Texans team, which will be enriched by 14 draft choices next season. Coughlin had to do a lot of patching to fill out needs because of the tight salary cap the past two seasons. The offensive line is thin. Coughlin never came up with a consistent receiving threat on the other side of Smith after releasing Keenan McCardell last June.

Biggest Needs: Just about everything. Defensive end Tony Brackens may be a June 1 cap casualty, so the Jags need a pass-rusher. They need to find faster linebackers and players in the secondary. On offense, they need an impact wide receiver, interior offensive line help, a backup quarterback and a pass-catching tight end.

Biggest Decisions: Del Rio's biggest thoughts have to go to the quarterback position. Brunell is still a franchise quarterback, but he can no longer carry a team. His completion percentage was 58.9, the only sub 60 percent thrower among the AFC's 12 best quarterback. Backup quarterback David Garrard has good mobility, but he hasn't shown the accuracy to indicate he is the quarterback of the future.

Salary Cap: $16.28 million under

	Head coach Dom Capers
	2002 record 4-12
	2002 finish 4th in AFC South

Houston Texans
Overview: Dom Capers is the best expansion coach in all of sports. He turned the Panthers into a winner by his second season, and he will do his best to put the Texans close to the .500 mark this year. Capers knows how to put together a 3-4 defense that can keep the Texans in most games. He assembled a veteran group that finished 16th on defense, but spent a good portion of the season ranked in the top 10.

Aaron Glenn had a Pro Bowl season at cornerback. Punter Chad Stanley helped the defense win the field-position battle. More than anything, though, quarterback David Carr survived his rookie season with four wins and a reasonably healthy body. For Carr, 2002 was a matter of survival. Tony Boselli's chronic shoulder problems and unexpected injuries to right tackle Ryan Young left Carr as a target in the backfield. Carr was sacked an NFL-record 76 times, but he didn't miss a play. His leadership was outstanding. General manager Charley Casserley's biggest job is getting Carr more weapons.

The Texans aren't expected to be big players in free agency, so they will try to help Carr through the draft. With 14 draft choices, that shouldn't be hard. Carr has one solid receiver in Jabar Gaffney, who caught 41 passes for 483 yards. Help is needed in the backfield. James Allen was a one-year veteran fix, but he averaged only 3.3 yards a carry. Powerful rookie Jonathan Wells led the team with 529 yards, but he averaged only 2.7 yards a carry. The Texans need an impact runner. And plenty of help is still needed along the offensive line. Nevertheless, the Texans are well-managed and well-coached. Coming off a 4-12 season that was better than expected, they will only get better.

Biggest Needs: Second-year expansion teams need about everything, but the biggest emphasis will be along the offensive line. Can Boselli help them at left tackle? Doctors say that Boselli may be cleared to play by May or June, and they need a pass protector and leader on the left side of the line. Capers will be always looking to upgrade the front seven of the defense. Receiving help is needed along with a solid running threat.

Biggest Decisions: What to do at left tackle? The Texans have until the draft to decide whether or not to trade down from the third pick in the first round and use that choice on Utah left tackle Jordan Gross. If they know that Boselli will be fine, they can concentrate on other positions. Decisions to improve the offensive line will determine how quickly the offense will grow.

Salary Cap: $15.48 million under

John Clayton is a senior writer for ESPN.com.