Besides traditional division rivalries in the AFC West, is there any reason these four teams exist in the same division? Yes, the Dolphins and Cowboys are geographically nowhere near their division rivals, but the AFC West has only two teams: the Chargers and the Raiders, who are within a scud-missile attack from each other. The division spreads across three time zones and more than 1,800 miles separate Oakland and Kansas City-but can anyone go an NFL season without a double-dose of Broncos-Chiefs?
Even though the Broncos were the only team out of the division to make the playoffs, Kansas City and San Diego were no slouches. Kansas City reached double-digits in the wins column and San Diego finished a respectable 9-7, but the big question will be: Can anyone knock off the Broncos for division supremacy this year?
1. Kansas City Chiefs (11-5)
So I am a little biased-it has been my favorite team since I was 6, but I still have reason for concern.
Do the Chiefs know what a good receiver looks like? Since Tony Gonzalez doesn’t count as one, this makes it six-straight years that Trent Green hasn’t had a wide receiver to throw to. Green will have to rely on a guy the Broncos didn’t even want and a guy named Sammy Parker, who is faster than the onset of diarrhea, but who has yet to prove he can consistently catch a ball.
Ty Law is an excellent addition to a revamped defense, but people in Kansas City are still wondering why they wasted a draft pick on Herm Edwards without giving offensive-genius Al Saunders a shot. Well, Saunders is gone, along with Dick Vermeil, but the Chiefs have a more pressing issue-trying to fill the gaping hole left by Pro Bowl tackle Willie Roaf. The Chiefs still have a more-than-capable line to block for Larry Johnson, who will gain 4,210 yards, doubling Dickerson’s single-season rushing mark.
K.C.’s defense will be much improved, helping it make the playoffs en route to another disappointing exit from the postseason and extending its playoff losing streak to six games.
2. Denver Broncos (9-7)
The Broncos have always had a tough defense and a tough stadium to play in, making them good for eight or nine wins a season. With Jake Plummer at the helm, the Broncos will be in for a roller-coaster season, featuring wins in games they should have lost and losses in games they should have won. Jake the Snake is just too erratic and mistake-prone for the Broncos to make a serious run.
In theory, the running-back-by-committee system should work. Any back should be able to run behind that chop-blocking offensive line, but in the end, the committee hurts the Broncos. Every player likes to know his role on the team, and not even Mike Shanahan knows his running backs’ roles. He’s like a football player at a buffet who can’t decide if he wants more -ribs or Jell-O salad. In the end, he takes a healthy portion of both, but ends up eating only half the meal because part of the ribs have mixed with the Jell-O.
Javon Walker will be the bright spot on the team and he should be fun to watch, but overall, this season will be a minor disappointment compared with years past.
3. San Diego Chargers (8-8)
Who doesn’t want the Chargers to do well? They have lightning bolts on their helmets, for goodness sake. They also have the nastiest, do-all running back in the game. LaDainian Tomlinson has Barry Sanders’ moves, Randy Moss’ hands and he has even been known to have glimpses of Elway in his arm. The Chargers also have Antonio Gates, who is quickly becoming the best tight end in the league.
The Chargers have fast and tough defenders, even if some of them are busy getting shot by off-duty cops. Donnie Edwards is a multi-faceted linebacker, and the Chargers have one of the most talented young studs with Shawn Merrimen.
With all this talent, the Chargers are the biggest wild card pick in the AFC West this year because their hopes rest on a young quarterback’s shoulders. The Chargers obviously feel that Phillip Rivers is capable of picking up where Drew Brees left off, but there are very few examples of quarterbacks who don’t experience growing pains in their first years at the helm.
If Rivers comes in without missing a beat, then the Chargers’ schedule is in their favor.
4. Oakland Raiders (3-13)
Although he was cut this weekend, Jeff George signed with the Raiders last week. You read that right-Jeff George. This guy hasn’t played for five years, and that says everything about what the Raiders can expect this year.
This season will not end soon enough for the Raiders. From week one, the Raiders will be in official competition with their bay-area neighbors for the first pick in the 2007 draft.
It’s hard to believe that with the likes of Randy Moss and Jerry Porter, the Raiders can be as bad as they are. It seems like that phantom fumble in the 2001 season against the Patriots permanently destroyed the Raiders for years to come. It probably serves Al Davis right?if only the same would happen to a guy named Steinbrenner.
