Hansen Hype: Must-Read AFC West Links, August 10 Edition

The wait is over. Football is back. The Chargers and Broncos got things started last night. The Chiefs play tonight and the Raiders take to the field Monday night. We are only a few short weeks away from the regular season and camp competitions will continue to heat up as coaches break down the film from the first set of preseason games.

There's a lot of news flying around the AFC West, so let's not delay your reading any longer.

Denver

Chris Trepasso breaks down five of the things we learned about Peyton Manning in his debut.

We also learned a few things about the rest of the team. Knowshon Moreno looks healthy and Derek Wolfe looks like a solid draft pick.

Via Jeff Legwold of The Denver Post:

"

"I think that's big, just feeling like you did," Moreno said. "You know, every day you come out in practice or whatever, you feel better, you try not to think about it much and try to do everything, make the moves you know you can."

"

You can also take a look at my rapid reaction piece from last night. 

San Diego

The Chargers should turn to Curtis Brinkley in the absence of Ryan Mathews, according to analyst Ian Philip. While I agree that Brinkley should be more heavily involved, this looks like a running back by committee until Mathews can get back onto the field. 

For the Chargers, their first preseason game might be defined more by who missed the game than the guys that played, according to Nick Canepa of the San Diego Union Tribune.

You can also read my reaction to the game from last night. 

Kansas City

It doesn't sound like Dontari Poe is coming along quickly for the Chiefs. He's not starting, and Romeo Crennel is saying Poe has a lot of work to do, according to Adam Teicher of The Kansas City Star. This is not how you want your first-round pick, who was considered a reach by pundits, to start his first year.

The Chiefs desperately need a cornerback to step up behind starters Brandon Flowers and Stanford Routt. Jalil Brown is turning the corner, according to Randy Covitz of The Kansas City Star. That's welcome news for a defense that is strong at every position but is grasping for depth at the cornerback position. 

Oakland

One of my favorite interviews during training camp was with veteran cornerback Shawntae Spencer. He's honest, professional and very quotable. Vic Tafur of The San Francisco Chronicle interviewed Spencer on Wednesday and the result was a couple of great quotes. 

"

"I get good feedback from the receivers and the other guys," Spencer said. "That's what I take. Sometimes the media and fans watching practice don't really understand the schemes. They see you line up over a guy and that guy catches the ball, they say that was your guy. But that's not our scheme."

"

It's true, the media, the fans and even other teams might not know who was responsible for coverage on a particular receiver without going back and reviewing 22 games' worth of footage. Despite a good camp performance from DeMarcus Van Dyke, Spencer is holding onto his starting spot. Don't expect that to change; Spencer seems to be finding his groove. 

The Raiders opted for the 85 percent threshold to declare a home game a sellout and be televised in the local market, according to Paul Gutierrez of Comcast Sports Net Bay Area. That's the lowest percentage allowed by the NFL and should ensure the Raiders can sell out every game in 2012.