An early look at the AFC West

An early look at the AFC West

Can anyone in the AFC West give the San Diego Chargers a run for their money for the division title? J J Pesavento takes an early look at the West and weighs in with his opinion on what the teams look like.

SAN DIEGO CHARGERS

How close are the Chargers to getting to the Super Bowl? Probably a lot closer than many people think. LaDanian Tomlinson remains the best running back in the NFL. With L.T, teams may be able to contain him, but the only thing that really stopped him after a slow start was a knee injury last year in the playoffs. For the Bolts offense, it begins and ends with Tomlinson. Quarterback Philip Rivers was down in terms of production from 2006, but during the Bolts six-game winning streak to close out the regular season, he threw 10 touchdown passes and only three picks. And he did well in the postseason until facing the Pats at far less than 100 percent with a knee injury. With Tomlinson, Chris Chambers and a healthy Antonio Gates as his weapons, Rivers just has to stay healthy to help the offense. The O-line is very solid. Rivers absorbed only 24 sacks in 19 games total. It would be an understatement to say the defense is loaded. Shawne Merriman (12.5 sacks) and Shaun Phillips (8.5 sacks) create havoc rushing the passer.  Jamal Williams is the best nose tackle in the game and Igor Olshansky continues to improve. Then add breakout cornerback Antonio Cromartie, who led the defense with 10 picks a year ago along with Quentin Jammer and Eric Weddle in the secondary and it should come as no surprise the Chargers led the NFL in interceptions (30) in 2007. The Chargers are hands down the best in the West and should once again walk off with the division crown.

DENVER BRONCOS

The Broncos are a team in transition right now. Jay Cutler is the quarterback, and now that he is being treated for Type 1 diabetes, that will no longer be a concern. But Cutler and the Broncos will have many new faces on offense. Travis Henry remains the featured back, but it won't take much for Selvin Young to step in.  Brandon Marshall will be the No. 1 receiver but the Broncos have also added Keary Colbert, Darrell Jackson, and Samie Parker and drafted Eddie Royal to shore up the position. Matt Lepsis is retired from the O-line. Ryan Clady was drafted in the first round to help fill the void.  Casey Wiegmann was also added from the Chiefs. There is a lot of youth on the line, but the Broncos have always been able to adapt. The defense will have even more new faces. Linebacker Boss Bailey comes over from the Lions and the Broncos traded for defensive tackle Dewayne Robertson (Jets). They also added linebacker Niko Koutouvides and safeties Marlon McCree and Marquand Manuel. Nick Ferguson, Ian Gold and Warrick Holdman are gone. Denver ranked 30th in the NFL against the run in 2007 and aren't all that bad at defensive end with John Engelberger, Jarvis Moss, Ebenezer Ekuban and Elvis Dumervil, but they need help from the guys in the middle of the line. The Broncos seem to be very high on Marcus Thomas and he'll need to live up to expectations. With Dre Bly and Champ Bailey at the corners, Denver has two of the best in the NFL. John Lynch and Hamza Abdullah look to be the safeties and the Broncos added some depth there as well. For Denver to make any kind of a run at the playoffs, they'll have to get much more consistent, especially on defense.

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

The Chiefs 2007 season basically ended when Larry Johnson was injured in the loss to the Packers. Johnson didn't see action again and the Chiefs dropped their last nine games en route to a disappointing 4-12 mark. But there has to be optimism in Kansas City after the recent draft. The Chiefs got a gift when LSU defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey fell to them in the first round. Their luck didn't end there as they also picked up offensive lineman Brandon Albert later in the round. They shored up the corner spot with Brandon Flowers (Virginia Tech), got themselves some real depth behind Johnson by picking up Jamaal Charles from Texas and even got another athletic tight end in Brad Cottam from Tennessee. They even added a pair of receivers. For the Chiefs to succeed on offense, Johnson has to be 100 percent. Quarterback Brodie Croyle cannot carry the offense, but Johnson can and has at times. There are a lot of 'ifs' but if Johnson can stay healthy, the Chiefs still have Pro Bowl tight end Tony Gonzalez and now possess a real top flight receiver in Dwayne Bowe, which may bode well for the offense. The keys are how the offensive line comes together and if Brodie Croyle can progress at quarterback. The Chiefs traded defensive end Jared Allen to the Vikings, a move that may hurt them some in terms of pass rushing, but with Dorsey at tackle, it will make life easier for everyone else on the line. Who will step up and take over as sack specialist only time will tell. Derrick Johnson has become a solid linebacker. Donnie Edwards and Napoleon Harris both played at a high level a year ago and both Keyaron Fox and Kendrell Bell have departed so both will play a big role once again. The secondary will be minus Ty Law and Benny Sapp and the consensus is that it's only a matter of time before Greg Wesley is also gone. Patrick Surtain has one corner spot nailed down, but nothing is etched in stone on the opposite side. The Chiefs have a lot of promise, but they also have a lot of questions that need to be answered.

OAKLAND RAIDERS

The Raiders have an awful lot riding on two young players. The future at quarterback is in the hands of Jamarcus Russell. Russell held out last year and ended up starting just one game. Now he will be asked to live up to his draft status. The Raiders, to the surprise to no one, added a big play threat when they drafted running back Darren McFadden of Arkansas. The Raiders were in dire need of help up front after their defense was pounded week after week on the ground by opposing offenses. But Al Davis chose to add a player to give the Raiders the type of playmaker that they haven't had since the days of Bo Jackson. For all practical purposes, the future of the offense hinges on Russell and McFadden. Justin Fargas was re-signed and may be penciled in as the starter, but McFadden won't be on the sidelines for long. Dominic Rhodes was already released and next to go will be LaMont Jordan. Jerry Porter has also left. The Raiders added Javon Walker and Drew Carter to fill the void. Barry Sims is no longer a Raider, but the team picked up John Wade and Kwame Harris and re-signed Cornell Green. There will likely be some shuffling up front, and only time will tell if the Raiders have the right personnel. On defense, Warren Sapp has retired and both Chris Clemons and Tyler Brayton have moved on. For their part, the Raiders appear to have subscribed to the strategy of strength through numbers. The team re-signed Tommy Kelly and has added defensive linemen Kalimba Edwards, William Joseph, and Greg Spires. The team also traded away cornerback Fabian Washington and added cornerback DeAngelo Hall and safety Gibril Wilson. The back seven should be solid with Hall playing opposite Nnamdi Asomugha and Wilson playing in the deep secondary with Michael Huff. The linebacking corps should also be solid but the defensive line has to be a concern after last season until they prove they can do the job. One would like to think the Raiders will be improved this season, but there are too many question marks on both sides of the ball. Add the tense relationship between owner Al Davis and Lane Kiffin into the mix, and there's no way of knowing what to expect from the Raiders.

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