Q: Is this the year the Colts are dethroned atop the AFC South? Please say the Titans or Jags can finally KO Manning's smug butt.
--Carl, Knoxville, Tenn.

A: And you're from Knoxville? Although the Colts aren't going to stay on top forever, I still think it would be an upset if anybody from the AFC South beat them this season. I think Joseph Addai will only get better, and I think the rookie slot receiver, Anthony Gonzalez, will give Manning another reliable target. The Jaguars have the kind of defense that can give anybody trouble, especially if rookie safety Roger Nelson plays as well as they hope. The Titans' defense isn't anywhere close yet. And when you get down to the basics and look at the most important quarterback positions, Manning is still head and shoulders above either Byron Leftwich or the promising kid, Vince Young.

Q: Is anyone going to take a chance on Ricky Williams?
--Dave, Austin, Texas

A: It would be hard for me to see why. A team would have to be extremely desperate to give him another shot, because the downside outweighs the upside. Ricky just turned 30. His main problem is no longer the drugs or the lackadaisical lifestyle. His problem is no different from the problem of every 30-year-old running back. He's simply not going to get better with age. A team would be better off taking a chance on a young, unproven back than to try to reclaim damaged goods.

Q: What's the most underappreciated position? I go with punter. Every team wants a good one, but nobody really knows what they have until their good punter is gone.
--Ronnie, Los Angeles

A: Along those lines, how about long snapper? You're right. A good punter helps the offense and defense because he can single-handedly (single-footedly) affect field position so dramatically. Good directional punting is also an underappreciated art. Some teams don't even want their punters to go for the corners because of the risk of shanks. It's amazing to me that Chris Gardocki got released by Pittsburgh this offseason after a career in which he has never had a single punt blocked. Some smart team will pick him up.

Q: First the USFL, then the XFL, now the UFL (not to mention the Arena League and NFL Europe). With the obvious excess of professional football players around the world, why hasn't the NFL formed a developmental league yet? Wouldn't they be better served by canning all of the other leagues and just creating a giant farm system for their teams?
--Stephen, Knoxville, Tenn.

A: You forgot the World Football League from the 1970s. NFL Europe is the NFL's developmental league. Although a more widespread minor league based in the U.S. might work, the NFL basically doesn't need to spend the money so long as it has the built-in minor league of the great college system. Not only do the colleges develop talent, they are also so popular that the NFL inherits players that are already well-known stars. This puts football far ahead of baseball because most young baseball players aren't nearly so well known.

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