An AFC West Comparison: Part 2

Last year, one of the more ineffective parts of the Raiders' overall game was their defensive line.

The Raiders had 32 sacks, good for 13th in the NFL. But the Raiders were run over, around and through all of 2008, giving up a horrendous 159.7 yards per game. This was 31st in the league, better only then the hapless Lions.

The Chargers, on the other hand, had only 28 sacks, good for a three-way tie for 22nd place in the NFL. In contrast, they were stout against the run, allowing just 102.6 yards per contest.

The departure of Igor Olshansky leaves San Diego with two very good linemen in Luis Castillo and Jamal Williams. Olshansky's departure shouldn't hurt the Chargers too much, as he slowly collapsed like a flan in a cupboard last season, and the team allowed him to walk off without a struggle.

The Raiders have recently acquired Greg Ellis to add some experience at defensive end. Ellis should be effective on obvious passing downs, but shouldn't factor into stopping the run as much.

That responsibility falls to Tommy Kelly and whoever wins the position battle for the second defensive tackle spot. Early indications suggest it will be Gerard Warren, but Terdell Sands has lost some weight and could compete for his old job.

Regardless of who wins the battle, the defensive tackles must improve or the Raiders will continue to be bludgeoned by opposing rushers.

That leaves us with Derrick Burgess. If he decides to play in Oakland and plays to his capability, the Raiders should have a more potent pass rush. With a decent pass rush and lock down corners, it will allow the Raiders to stack the box and hopefully stifle the run.

The Chargers will have to rely on their linebackers to step up in the pass rush as is dictated by the 3-4 scheme.

Edge: Comparable. With a Pro Bowler in Burgess and Sands at a manageable weight, the Raiders have the edge. If Burgess departs, then San Diego has the advantage.

OH JUST PICK ALREADY! Chargers.

This category has a sole determining factor.

Shawn Merriman.

If the 'roided out, insane asylum patient known as "Lights Out" reappears in 2009, then the Chargers have the clear advantage.

Merriman is a madman, and an X factor in any game.

If blown out knees, non 'roided out Merriman shows up in 2009, the the Chargers linebacking core will be mediocre.

For the Raiders, Kirk Morrison and Thomas Howard continue to be very good linebackers. Jon Alston, Ricky Brown, Slade Norris and Sam Williams will compete for the remaining spot, but none of these players really jumps out to me.

Edge: Depends. 'Roided Merriman will give the Chargers the key to the division. But the Chargers drafted Larry English, which could be a signal that they don't have faith in Merriman's full recovery.

Without him, the Raiders have it.

The Raiders have two excellent corners in Nnamdi Asomugha and Chris Johnson.

Asomugha cuts the field in half. Teams don't throw anywhere near him, and he is arguably the best cornerback in the league.

Chris Johnson came out of nowhere last year. After the Raiders axed DeAngelo Hall, Johnson burst onto the scene and became a dominant No. 2 corner. Johnson had 12 pass deflections and three interceptions in just seven starts.

Then there are the safeties. Tyvon Branch, Hiram Eugene, Michael Huff and potential wunderkind Michael Mitchell produce a resounding yawn from myself. None of these players will be above average this season, and the safety position should be a priority in the upcoming draft.

And yes, I've seen Mitchell's YouTube video. He's a hard hitter, but I'll wait until he actually puts on pads before I call him Jack Tatum.

The Chargers have a good corner in Quentin Jammer, who had a great season last year. On the other side however, Antonio Cromartie showed that DeAngelo Hall wasn't the only overpaid corner to get burned on a regular basis.

The Chargers were next to last in defending the pass last season, giving up 247.4 yards per game through the air.

Yikes.

If the Chargers pass rush cannot be resurrected, this number will not improve.

Edge: Raiders

This is where I will complain about media bias.

Lets take Jeremy Maclin, because he's a great punt returner.

Johnnie Lee Higgins was the best punt returner in the NFL last season, and no one outside of Oakland had any idea.

Higgins had 44 punt returns for 570 yards, averaging 13 yards per punt return. He also had three touchdowns, no fumbles and seven returns gaining 20 or more yards.

It doesn't stop there.

Justin Miller was also impressive, averaging 24.8 yards per return with two touchdowns.

San Diego's return game was good, but nowhere near as good as the Raiders. Sproles however, is dangerous and should not be discounted.

The rest of the special teams is more of the same.

Shane Lechler is the best punter in the league, averaging 48.8 yards per kick and booting 33 punts inside opponents 20-yard line.

Sebastian Janikowski also lined up for a 76-yard field goal. He didn't make it, but seems to have the leg for a field goal at the 70-yard range. His accuracy has also improved, finally breaking the 80 percent accuracy mark last season.

Kaeding blows big kicks. It has been his M.O. since that 2005 incident we all remember, he and went four straight playoff games without making a kick.

Edge: Raiders

Whatever it is, the Chargers seem to have it, beating the Raiders in 11 straight contests. The Raiders simply ran out of gas the last time they had the Chargers on the ropes, blowing a double digit lead in the fourth quarter.

The Raiders' X factor seems to be confidence and JaMarcus Russell. We saw these factors begin to emerge late in the season.

If Norv Turner keeps neglecting the defense and getting into shootouts with every team, the Chargers will have a short-term gain, long-term loss type of scenario. It's clear their offense is great, but without Merriman, their defense showed what it really was: Mediocre.

The Chargers are a better team.

Their offense is just overpowering, and when their defense is all the way healthy, they provide enough stopping power to allow the offense to score unhindered.

The Raiders are not without improvement, however. I wouldn't be shocked to see the Raiders finally get a win against the Chargers this year. The Raiders' years of being the NFL doormat are over.

Overall Grades:

Raiders Offense: C+
Raiders Defense: B
Raiders Special Teams: A

Chargers Offense: A+
Chargers Defense: C+
Chargers Special Teams: B

Overall Team Grades:
Chargers: B+
Raiders: C+