I am fully aware of that folks, but right now that seems to be where some of the more notable/interesting things are happening.

Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Mike Mularkey has given sophomore quarterback Blaine Gabbert a public vote of confidence by stating that there is no QB controversy; that Gabbert is the team's starter.

Making this statement was a great idea. Gabbert looked awful last year; no one would have faulted Mularkey if he had said the opposite and given Chad Henne a chance to earn the starter's role. Some would say that the competition should push one of the two to excel making it easy to say who the starter is. It could also backfire if neither impresses making it unclear who really should start.

On the other hand, by giving Gabbert the vote of confidence it helps give him (Gabbert) something every quarterback must have in order to succeed--the belief he can do the job. Not all guys would say this--or admit it--but coaches are typically looked upon as guys that know better. If coach says it is so, than it is so. When coach says you're the starter he must see something in you that makes you starter-material.

Naming Gabbert the starter now also sends a bolt of confidence through the rest of the offense. If coach believes this is the guy, then he's the guy (that is, unless you think coach is an idiot).

Gabbert did not have much help last year, so it is almost understandable that he performed poorly. This year that is not going to be the case. Via the draft and free agent the Jags have added some talent at wide receiver so there is no excuse for not being able to develop some sort of passing game.

Of course, if Gabbert does fail Henne will be waiting in the wings. If he's half the professional he thinks he is (and/or if Mularkey is smart) he'll be preparing as if he's going to be the starter anyway.

At this point in the off-season it becomes necessary to dig a little deeper in order to find something truly football-oriented to write about sometimes (especially if there is no one on any of the teams your covering getting in trouble with the law). With mini-camps there is something going on--glorified touch football (yawn).

So basically, without a trade or an injury there just isn't a whole lot going on. However, in times like this I think it is an opportune time to draw attention to some of the things that teams do that would otherwise not get any attention--like what Shahid Khan of the Jacksonville Jaguars did recently.

Locals probably already know this, but the man has committed himself and his team to making a difference in the local community. According to reports in the media on Friday the team donated $1 million to help local veterans make the transition from active duty back into the civilian realm when they return home.

"In my short time in Jacksonville I have seen the impact and the importance of the military here in this community," Khan said.  "We're honored to be able to help support and assist members of the military upon their return.  We owe them a debt of gratitude for their loyal and selfless service to protect us and our freedoms, and we hope this commitment will benefit many veterans in their pursuit of training, jobs, housing and quality of life with their families."

Now professional sports team owners donating money is nothing new. They do it all the time as do the players. What I like about this guy is that he donated a cool $1 million; not $10,000 or $5000 or anything in the low range five figures like what owners and athletes normally donate. He donated a million dollars.

To him it is likely nothing; a literal drop in the bucket. To many players in the NFL it would be nothing as well. Yet more often than not you see these folks making donations that while useful and great barely scratch the surface of what they could really do.

Don't get me wrong. I am very glad that so may athletes do as much as they do--time and money--for the many charities that are lucky to have them involved. Many charities could do little without the help that many of these guys do give. I just think they could do so much more while still barely scratching the surface of their bank accounts. With as much as the fans do for them...

So Mr. Khan, thank you for making a difference. The men and women of the armed forces deserve the help that your donation will give them. 

Awesome mustache by the way.

Recently I read this quote from Jaguars director of player personnel Terry McDonough concerning the team taking a punter with the 70th pick in the draft (in the third round):

"If you believe in what you see and how to construct a team, you pick the players that can help the Jaguars win a championship and whatever anyone else says doesn't matter."

He is right about one thing. What anyone says does not matter. That being said, he's likely saying that because he's tired of hearing. His team screwed up.

Now he is right about one thing. Bryan Anger is a great punter and I'm sure that he will help the defense out immensely by backing opponents up deep into their own territory. That being said, talents like Anger could have easily been had in the 6th or 7th round if not in free agency.

The guy is going to play less than 10 plays a game. Jacksonville could have gotten a quality player in the third round that will make just as much of a contribution if not more in 45-60 plays a game.

The best move for the Jags in this case is to quit acknowledging the pick. Quit trying to justify it and people will quit asking about it; at least until he shanks his first punt when the team plays the Giants in their first preseason game August 10.

Just like the Colts had to find a way to move on after Peyton Manning, the Houston Texans will have to one day move on after Matt Schaub decides to call it a day. When that day comes the brain trust in Houston will have to decides who the best man for the job of leading the team will be.

After last season's playoff push, the popular choice would be T.J. Yates. After all, he did lead the team to its first playoff victory and had them in the hunt against the Baltimore Ravens for their second. However, he could also be cited as the reason they lost that game with a few bad choices towards the end of the game.

In all fairness though, he was a rookie that was thrust into a pretty tough situation. It wasn't as if the team asked much of them in the few weeks where he was lining up behind center. He ended up throwing a lot against Cincinnati and Carolina, but that was because the team was behind and had no choice.

Have we seen what he can really do? Probably not. Does that mean he gets to assume the position of leader in waiting? Not when you have the NCAA career passing record holder in hometown hero Case Keenum from the University of Houston (Cougars).

Those that are aware of their Houston history are likely thinking this notion is crazy. Andre Ware was a gunslinger and flopped in the NFL. David Klinger was as well; he too had minimal success. Kevin Kolb looked good for two spot games a couple of seasons ago, but since becoming a starter he's fizzled as well.

The guys in Houston, whoever they end up being, seem to have a knack for finding guys that can rack up the yards, but none have been able to transfer those abilities into the NFL. An argument could be made that the other guys didn't have a whole lot to work with (Ware never really had a great shot with the Lions who featured Barry Sanders at the time; Klinger had a crappy team; Kolb has Fitzgerald in Arizona, but since he's double and triple covered most of the time that doesn't matter).

The Texans were gunslingers at one time, but with the emergence of one nasty running game the need is not there anymore. They are a team with talent, although not much at the wide receiver spot (unless the draft picks work out; with the exception of Andre Johnson of course).

Should Keenum get the chance with the current group than he would get an honest shot. The talent is solid all around with good blocking and a strong running game--a quarterbacks' two best friends. Although I'd love to call him the future of the Texans, I just can't with the history that Houston Cougar QBs have had in the NFL.

Wow! What a weekend! I think it is safe to say that all four of the AFC South teams made some pretty good moves along with some not so good moves. When it was all said and done though I think it is safe to say that each team did get better.

So with no further ado I'm just going to jump right into some draft analysis. Today it will be more of an overview with some closer looks to come for each team in the days to come.

Houston Texans: I dig some of these moves, but some of them make me wonder what they were thinking. I can understand wanting to draft the nation's leading sacker in the first round. I'm sure he will be without mercy when it comes to QBs in the NFL as well, but I think the team had bigger needs that could have been filled in the first round. I'm glad they got some help for Andre Johnson, but it will not be DeVier Posey (OSU has not had a quality passing game in years). I have high hopes for what Keshawn Martin will do; sleeper fantasy material here. Drafting Ben Jones does not make sense since the team made a big deal out of resigning Chris Meyers. Great late round pick nabbing kicker Randy Bullock from Texas A&M.

Indianapolis Colts: It was kind of hard for these guys to go wrong with all the holes they have to fill. I'm more of an RG3 fan, but Andrew Luck will do fine. Taking his tight end, Coby Fleener, was a brilliant move since these guys already have an established relationship. Taking Dwayne Allen makes me think the Colts might look to have an offense much like the Patriots had last year (featuring two TEs). I'm not real excited about their middle round picks, but time will tell who could pan out. Enough of the late round running backs! Nice job with the final pick; Harnish has an incredible resume. It's a shame he will not play much, if ever. At least he has Mr. Irrelevant Week at Newport Beach and that chick from YouTube to enjoy.

Jacksonville Jaguars: I was so proud of these guys after the first round. Blackmon will give Blaine Gabbert a solid target; hopefully their free agent additions will help too. Than it went all down hill. Branch is okay, but will likely only play on passing downs, and I'm not so sure the AFC South is going to be pass happy next season like it has been in years pass. Taking a punter  with a 3rd round pick--come on man! That move was so dumb the idiocy of it spilled over and affected the remaining three picks they had. At least the weather is nice in Jacksonville.

Tennessee Titans: I'm a Kendall Wright fan, but I don't think the team needed to go with a wide receiver this early. They should have gone with an offensive lineman; there were plenty first round worthy choices available at that time. That being said, he will be one heck of a weapon for Matt Hasselbeck now and in the future Jake Locker. I hear Zach Brown being referred to as a top=notch natural talent that the coaches need to instill toughness in. Isn't that the same as saying here's a Ferrari, an open road, but no keys--what's the use? Martin will give them a solid guy on the defensive line, and Coty Sensabaugh will be a player too. As for the last three, well, these guys didn't need to be drafted because they would have been available as free agents for a lot less money.

Well, in case you haven't heard yet the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft was last night. Commissioner Roger Goodell got just what he wanted--a little more suspense--with eight trades taking place, many affecting who went where in the top 10. I'm sure he'll like that and in some way will take credit for it too.

Anyway...here are the picks for the AFC South teams from last night along with my thoughts on them:

Indianapolis Colts: Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford--real shocker here. Luck's name has been tied to the Colts since word broke that Peyton Manning was going to miss the 2011 season. The team sucked and they got just what they wanted--Luck. While this pick was imperative (I still think RG3 would have been better) for the future of the franchise, the Colts will need to be savvy with their next few rounds in order to fill some of the many holes the team has.

Houston Texans: Whitney Mercilus, DE/LB, Illinois--Mercilus (my new favorite name) was a one hit wonder that very smartly decided to enter the draft this year. After two ho-hum years Mercilus exploded onto the college football scene last year by leading the nation with 16 sacks (as well as anywhere from 8-11 forced fumbles depending on whose report you read and 22 1/2 tackles for a loss). He is a tremendous athlete and looks like he could be a difference maker against the pass. His run stop ability is in question, but that doesn't matter since the Texans have already talked about him being used more in pass scenarios.

Some will say that the team needed to replace Mario Williams, but the Texans defense did absolutely fine without him last season. I think that the Texans could have done better here by picking someone to go on the right side of the offensive line (since they lost it to free agency this off-season). Mercilus looks like a great player, but the team had bigger needs.

Tennessee Titans: Kendall Wright, WR, Baylor--Someone had to catch all those passes that RG3 was throwing in Waco; Kendall Wright was that guy. His stock took a hit with a slow 40 at the combine and the perception that he had gained weight, but not so much that the Titans did not want to take him here.

Like the Texans did with Mercilus, I think they got a tremendous player that will do well on the professional level. However, I have to wonder if they could have gone with someone they needed more instead. They already have a pair of talented wideouts in Kenny Britt and Nate Washington. Britt has had injury issues not to mention a few too many run ins with the law, so that could explain their desire for another playmaker. After the loss of Cortland Finnegan I would have thought they'd take Janoris Jenkins to fill the void.

Jacksonville Jaguars: Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State-- I am excited to see what the Jags can do next year. They already have a tough defense. They already have one of the best running backs in the league in Maurice Jones-Drew. Now they have a trio of talented wide receivers for Blaine Gabbert to throw to in Laurent Robinson, Lee Evans, and now Justin Blackmon. If Blaine Gabbert ends up being half as good as the team thought when they handed the reigns to him last year we may have a new contender for the division crown.