This is still your father’s AFC Western Division. This division is
home to some of the best quarterbacks in football and it got better when
The Broncos signed Peyton Manning. The Broncos won this division last
year with Tim Tebow at quarterback and now they will look to repeat with
Manning. The Broncos and Chargers are both thinking Super Bowl while
The Cheifs and Raiders are rebuilding. With three teams finishing at 8-8
last season, The AFC West will once again be a highly contested
division.
Denver Broncos (10-6)
The Broncos will usher in a new
era this season. The team is going back to having orange as their
primary color for the home jersey as opposed to blue. Tebowmania is over
in Denver in favor of the four-time NFL Most Valuable Player Peyton
Manning. Broncos executive president of football operations John Elway
aka “Rachel Phelps” got his wish as he was able to get Tebow out of town
in favor of what he deems as a more polished quarterback. The grass
isn’t always greener on the other side of the fence and in this case
none of us will know how Manning’s body will respond to contact after he
missed the entire 2011 season after undergoing multiple neck
procedures.
If Manning is healthy, he will provide leadership to a team that is
looking to repeat as AFC West Champs. We saw the Manning effect on The
Indianapolis Colts when he was on the field and when he didn’t play last
season; now the show will take place in The Rocky Mountains.
The Broncos led The NFL in rushing last season and when you need to
protect your quarterback, there’s nothing better than a strong running
attack. Denver will rely on running backs Willis McGahee, Knowshon
Moreno, and Ronnie Hillman to tote the lumber. Manning has two up and
coming receivers to throw the ball to in Eric Decker and Demaryius
Thomas who etched his name in Bronco history when he caught a 80-yard
touchdown pass on the first play of overtime in Denver’s Wild Card
victory over The Pittsburgh Steelers.
Defensively The Broncos registered 42 sacks last year led by outside
linebacker Von Milller. Miller is the reigning NFL Defensive Rookie of
The Year as he tallied 11.5 sacks. Miller also has the ability to lineup
in multiple positions to challenge opposing offenses. Jack Del Rio is
The Broncos new defensive coordinator this season. Del Rio has a
defensive background that saw him as a star linebacker at The University
of Southern California before he enjoyed a 12-year career as a NFL
linebacker; most notably for The Dallas Cowboys and Minnesota Vikings.
Del Rio was a linebackers coach for The Baltimore Ravens in 2000 when
they won The Super Bowl and he was the head coach of The Jacksonville
Jaguars for nine seasons which saw the team make two playoff
appearances. Del Rio and Broncos head coach John Fox are on point for
what needs to be done defensively which should give fans memories of
“The Orange Crush” defense of the late 70s and early 80s. Excitement is
once again reigning supreme in Denver.
San Diego Chargers (9-7)
If you look up the
term enigma in a dictionary, you will see a picture of The San Diego
Chargers. The Chargers have everything that you need to win a Super Bowl
only to sit a home every February and watch the big game. Since 2006,
The Chargers have gone 14-2 twice in the regular season. In that time
they have made one AFC Championship Game. In 2010, The Chargers had the
top rated offense and defense in football, but they still could not
produce a winning record. Chargers Pro Bowl quarterback Philip Rivers
was a turnover machine last season with 20 interceptions last season. As
a team, San Diego was -13 in turnover margin which was a big part in
them finishing 8-8 last season. Running back Ryan Matthews is trying to
recover from a broken clavicle suffered in The Chargers first preseason
game. San Diego will need a better running attack to offset their
passing game. Pro Bowl tight end Antonio Gates is still the best in the
business. Gates comes into this season 62nd on The NFL’s all-time
reception list at 593 and he will look to add to his potential Hall of
Fame career this season.
Oakland Raiders (8-8)
2011 was indeed a roller coaster season for The Oakland Raiders. The
Raiders lost their longtime owner the iconic Al Davis in October.
Starting quarterback Jason Campbell suffered a season-ending injury
which saw the team make a mid-season trade with The Cincinnati Bengals
for Pro Bowl quarterback Carson Palmer. The Raiders were 7-4 before
losing four of their last five to finish the season at 8-8. Davis’ son
Mark is now the team’s majority owner while Reggie McKenzie is the new
general manager. Mckenzie’s first order of business was to relieve head
coach Hue Jackson of his duties while starting a new chapter in Raiders
football.
Dennis Allen is the new head coach for Oakland and he looks to get the
team back to the playoffs for the first time since 2002. Palmer will now
have a training camp under his belt going into this season with The
Raiders. The Raiders need running back Darren McFadden to stay healthy
as he has yet to make all 16 starts in a season since he was drafted in
2008. The Raiders did not select until the end of the fourth round in
April’s NFL Draft which means they will not have the luxury of having an
immediate impact player on the roster which will make the season very
long in The Bay Area.
Kansas City Chiefs (6-10)
Murphy’s law really struck The Kansas City Chiefs last season.
After winning The AFC West in 2010, The Chiefs stumbled out of the
blocks at 0-3. Head coach Todd Haley was fired during the season and
defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel aka Teddy Ruxpin took over. The
Chiefs showed life by finishing 7-9. This season, Kansas City will hope
that running back Jamaal Charles has recovered from an ACL injury which
cut his season short in 2011. The Chiefs signed running back Peyton
Hillis in the hopes of beefing up a running game that finished 15th in
The NFL last season. It will be an uphill battle in The AFC West as The
Chiefs will be competing three teams that all have Pro Bowl
quarterbacks under center.
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