by Patrick and Pete
San Diego Chargers
Patrick Says: The Chargers didn’t make a huge splash in the draft or free agency, but they have the best QB in the division and they’ll have both Vincent Jackson and Antonio Gates back and hopefully healthy. I don’t know much about their defense, but lets be serious, someone has to win this division.
Pete Says: Too often the Chargers have had to just get out of their own way to win the division and failed to do so. With health on their side and some improvement at the running back position (could Ryan Mathews be a post-hype prospect?) San Diego should not only win the West but I actually have them finishing as the #1 seed in the AFC. Philip Rivers has quietly been a top-5 NFL quarterback and if he can finally develop a rapport with his skill position players the Chargers could be a quite formidable opponent. Patrick is absolutely right when he says he doesn’t know much about their defense, and with Ron River gone to lead Carolina the Bolts will have to rely on their offense more than usual. And that could be quite an experience.
Kansas City Chiefs
Patrick Says: KC put a nice season together last year. They managed some early season upsets, and with the overall horribleness of the division, and San Diego’s injury/not really giving a crap problems they managed to win the division. They have a lot of young talent on the team, and I think they could be a legitimate playoff te
am in a couple years, provided Matt Cassel improves as a QB. He is serviceable, but anyone who saw that playoff game vs. Baltimore last year cannot seriously consider him to be in the upper echelon. But they’re a team that overachieved last year and they won’t get the needed lucky breaks this year.
Pete Says: If Kansas City can solve the inconsistencies of their offensive skill positions they should have no problem winning 8 games. The 5-year contract the Chiefs just gave to Tamba Hali helped lock up their defensive anchor. Hali is accompanied by defensive lineman Glenn Dorsey and Kelly Gregg, fellow linebacker Derrick Johnson, and defensive backs Brandon Flowers and Eric Barry. The quality and experience of the Kansas City defense will help make up for the luck that helped the Chiefs to a 10-6 record last year, but if Jamaal Charles has the same trouble finding the endzone the Chiefs will be pretty mediocre.
Oakland Raiders
Patrick Says: Another new coach in Oakland, the player friendly Hue Jackson. They actually seemed to have a decent draft, not reaching for any “project players.” Of course not even having a first round pick makes that impossible I suppose. They lost Nnamdi Asomugha to free agency, which was expected, and gave way too much money to Michael Huff, but they do seem to have some direction. But I just don’t see them being a serious contender in the West because of the QB situation. Pop Quiz: Who is the Raiders’ starting QB? Exactly.
Pete Says: Oh Raiders. Somehow they manage to sell to their fans that it’s oaky to pick project players (JaMarcus Russell, Derrius Hayward-Bey) or go after proven mediocre free agents (Jason Campbell). No wonder they’re so happy to kick the shit out of 49er fans. Against my better judgement I’m guessing that the Raiders luck into a few wins this year an finish in the middle of the pack. Their QB situation is complicated, the timeshare
between Darren McFadden and Michael Bush never seems to play out the way it should, and it’s quite possible that they have the worst receiving core in the AFC.[1] Moreover, the signing of Kevin Boss fills a need with the loss of Zach Miller, but Boss is hardly as good as Miller was. Finally, the loss of Asomugha severely weakens an already suspect Raider defense. The Raiders schedule holds a bit of luck, however, as they face two divisions (the AFC East and NFC North) not known for their passing prowess.
Denver Broncos
They have made some big changes to turn this franchise around. The brief McDaniels era is over. John Fox is in. John Elway is a high profile VP of football operations. The Broncos went heavy on the defensive side of the ball in the draft, with their first selection being Von Miller, an expected passing rushing stud who should go nicely with Elvis Dumervil.
To me, this will be a regrouping year in Denver, after a poor performance last year. The headline the media won’t shut up about is the Orton/Tebow situation, but in all reality, this should be a done deal. Orton is a proven NFL starter. No, he doesn’t light the world on fire, but he understands the offense and manages games well. Tebow is not an NFL QB, plain and simple. But looking at the schedule I see Denver possibly going 2-3 into their bye, and the call for Tebow will be coming hard from moronic fans and media. This is why I do not consider them a serious threat in the AFC West, and I would be shocked if they ended up going even 8-8.
Pete Says: Denver actually has the best running back corps in the West, but that’s about it. Kyle Orton has been above average the last couple years but the introduction of John Fox will increase the rushing load (and thus the value of Moreno and Willis McGahee) while reducing the chance for Orton to produce top QB numbers. I’m not sure what will go wrong first, but Brandon Lloyd will regress based on the fact that last year’s numbers were triple his career average or based on the fact that 2011 was only the third year of his 8 year career in which he played all 16 games. You’ve probably heard this enough already and are getting legitimately sick of it, but it’s tough to trust a new coach and new system to succeed after a locked out offseason. Denver and their shaky defense will bring up the rear in the AFC West.[1] Although, let’s be honest. That race is going to be a tight one between Oakland, Denver (yes, Denver), Cleveland, Buffalo, and Cincinnati.
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