Harem of the Goddess: Walker Sports on AFC West

Football fiends, friend of the Gridiron Goddess Walker Sports is back to share his views on the AFC West with us.

Walker-Sports:AFC West Preview

NFL.gif">
Coming down the home stretch, we are almost done with our NFL preview. We are wrapping up our coverage out on the left coast and talking about the AFC West. This is by far one of my favorite divisions in football, got to love the 4 PM game on CBS with Jim Nance.

San Diego Chargers: The Chargers got off to a rocky start in 2007 but coming down the stretch they were as good as any team in football. Philip Rivers might be an ass, but he is a great quarterback. In fact his emergence as such a strong leader could lead to some dissent within the Chargers. Rivers is becoming the face of the team but L.T. is still there and after L.T.’s no show in the playoffs, the team has shifted even more into Rivers favor. And L.T. needs to have a redeeming moment. Even with this mini rivalry the Chargers are a very talented team. The one weakness would be at the wide out position, where the Chargers still lack a deep threat. Gates will be healthy at the T.E. spot and that will help to loosen up defenses and keep them from sticking 9 guys in the box. At the end of the day there is one looming factor that Charger fans have to aware of; Norv Turner. Norv is an interesting character, and he is good for 4 wins on his own as well as a 5 game losing streak.

Denver Broncos: The Broncos have been limping through the past 4 seasons and this year will be no different. This has to be considered a make or break year with Jay Cutler at the quarterback position. This is his team; Shannhan is letting the reigns go and giving him a chance to make it happen. I’ve always been a fan of Cutler, but the system he has played in has kept him from showcasing his ability. The Broncos have produced seemingly dozens of running backs and they are attempting to do that again, but in reality the talent well has run dry. Denver’s rushing attack just does not have the big play ability it did six seasons ago, and the rest of the offense will suffer as a result. The one thing Denver does have is the best pair of corners in the league. Bly and Bailey will lock down most any receiver duo in the league. That is important because it will give time to the D-Line when they are attacking the QB.

Kansas City Chiefs: Okay Okay, I cannot defend the guy any more. Herm Edwards just is not a good coach. At first I blamed it on Pennington’s arm and then on Larry Johnson’s holdout, but now I just think it’s his strategy. Edwards is very old school and likes to run his backs into the ground. Johnson already has a history of injury and a 400 plus carry season will ruin him. Brody Croyle is a good QB but nothing to get excited about. Dwayne Bowe was a great story last year. But as teams got used to him his numbers dropped and they will continue to drop this season. The Chiefs best asset will be their home field advantage, but that will not be enough to make the post season.

Oakland Raiders: Al Davis still owns this team and that’s all you really need to know. Russell is there to run the show, McFadden will carry to the load as a running back, but honestly I don’t think he will be half the talent that most expect. His vision was terrible in college and I doubt he has done anything to improve that in recent months. Expect another lackluster year and an early draft pick.