dragondawg
07-02-2007, 01:46 AM
By Nate Ingle
Austin, Texas
I find it humorous that most "NFL Experts" in the major media outlets are predicting either the San Diego Chargers or the Denver Broncos to finish first in the AFC West. Most of these "Experts" are using the platform of how teams performed the prior season.
But they are forgetting a couple of things here that are going to play a vital role in these teams' success. Let's start with the San Diego Chargers.
The Chargers had a tremendous regular season last year, but again was lack uster in the postseason. They had an outstanding performance from LT (as always), and an equally impressive performance from their defense (which finished 10th in the League; 7 spots below the Raiders).
Their offense finished 4th in the League, but 16th overall in passing. Their top 3 receivers were Gates, Parker, and Tomlinson. They haven't really made a move in this area, and I think this is one area that could hurt them.
The other big thing that will hurt them this season is the coaching moves (or lack thereof). They had the opportunity to replace Schottenheimer with either Defensive Coordinator Wade Phillips, or Offensive Coordinator Cam Cameron. So what do the Chargers do? Right off the bat, the upper management makes a stance which indicates they may be keep Schottenheimer. So Cam Cameron was the first to go, he ended up in Miami.
Not too long after that, it was Wade Phillips who left, and he ended up in Dallas. After those two left, they axed Schottenheimer? That's not the surprising part to me yet. It's who they replaced Schottenheimer with. Again, keep in mind they could have had Phillips or Cameron, but no they let them go.
They bring in Norv Turner, who has a worse record in the regular season than Schottenheimer has in the postseason. But they are still predicted to top the AFC West? I think that's absurd.
Then you have the Broncos, who finished 3rd overall last season. They cut Jake Plummer, making Jay Cutler their No. 1. But they made some free agency moves, and spent big money to bring in guys that, well for all intent and purposes, the majority of them are overrated.
They did make some good moves though. Let's start with Dre Bly. He's quick, he lead the Lions in interceptions, and he is going to compliment Champ Bailey nicely. The othe move I liked that they made was the signing of Travis Henry. That should bring them some stability at RB. The problem I have with these 2 moves though, they didn't address their needs. They need a WR, LB, and some beef on the O-line and D-line.
They signed Sam Adams at DT to help stuff the run, but they don't have anyone to help take double teams off him in Denver. Not to mention Cutler as their QB, and not having a veteran to help him out more.
The Chiefs? Well the only thing they have going for them is they didn't change head coaches. They no longer have Trent Green, but seemed to fair better with Huard at the helm last season. Their defense is the big gaping hole, which finished 16th overall; so did their offense. They need some serious help at the WR position too, which could help them bolster their offensive numbers. Tony Gonzalez and Larry Johnson can only take you so far.
The Raiders? The biggest hole on this team is the offensive line. The success of their season will depend on how they play, as they have their fourth coach since Gruden left. But Kiffin seems to be the guy who can bring stability to the team. The offensive line had two coaches last year under Art Shell, who were telling them 2 different things; and I believe the coaching was the difference on the offense last year.
With Kiffin, I think he will bring a system that will work to the strengths of the players we have on the roster. No other team in the AFC did more to bolster their needs than the Raiders. The biggest moves to me were Dominic Rhodes coming in at RB. He will get some great playing time which he was losing to Joseph Addai in Indianapolis, and LaMont coming in off the bench to give him a breather, gives us the depth at RB that we need since Garner and Wheatley. Once Michael Bush is healthy and ready to run, we have an outstanding running game.
QB is still up in the air. JaMarcus was a great pick for us in the draft, but he will not be an immediate impact. McCown is a great move, and will fit Kiffin's system like Gannon did with Gruden.
The other impact player will be Zack Miller at TE, another position that has been vastly improved. It's hard to argue against success that the Raiders may/may not have. But what hurts them again is learning a new system for the 4th time in 5 years; the inexperience of their head coach (but he has surrounded himself with outstanding coaches with great experience); and the offensive line. The positives, they kept Rob Ryan and the defense in place.
They could improve that defense with the signing of a DT and signing Donovan Darius, and moving Stuart Schweigert out as starter. Schweigert's weakness is tackling, something Darius improves immediately in that position.
So with that here is my predicted standings. I base this, not on last season's performance, but on how the teams improved their weakness, the impact players will have, and potential weakness that still exsist.
1. Denver Broncos (10-6)-I think they win the division simply because of the moves they made in free agency. Dre Bly, Travis Henry, Daniel Graham are the biggest impacts, that will help Cutler out as he further develops. It's hard to pick anyone else here in this spot, as much as I hate it.
2. Oakland Raiders (9-7)-I think Kiffin makes an immediate impact here. His only 2 losses against the AFC West come from the Denver Broncos. Call it a "gut feeling" that I am going with.
3. San Diego Chargers (7-9)-Even with Tomlinson. Their offense will be okay, much like the Chiefs. An outstanding RB, but no receivers. Turner has proven as head coach that he does not understand the defensive side of the ball, so their defense will fall. As well, he has failed to do anything as head coach with an offense. The style he brings to San Diego is not much different than Marty Schottenheimer's, but he won't have the success Schottenheimer had. A head coach is only as good as his assistants, and Norv doesn't have the assistants that Marty had.
4. Kansas City Chiefs (7-9)-They tie with the Chargers, but have a worse Divisional record which is why they sit at the basement. Too many of the same problems that they've had for a long time. An aging mediocre defense and an aging mediocre offense. They have a lot of holes that haven't been filled on both sides of the ball, and they don't seem to be in a hurry to fill them.
http://www.ibabuzz.com/raidersblog/2007/07/01/calling-the-afc-west/
Austin, Texas
I find it humorous that most "NFL Experts" in the major media outlets are predicting either the San Diego Chargers or the Denver Broncos to finish first in the AFC West. Most of these "Experts" are using the platform of how teams performed the prior season.
But they are forgetting a couple of things here that are going to play a vital role in these teams' success. Let's start with the San Diego Chargers.
The Chargers had a tremendous regular season last year, but again was lack uster in the postseason. They had an outstanding performance from LT (as always), and an equally impressive performance from their defense (which finished 10th in the League; 7 spots below the Raiders).
Their offense finished 4th in the League, but 16th overall in passing. Their top 3 receivers were Gates, Parker, and Tomlinson. They haven't really made a move in this area, and I think this is one area that could hurt them.
The other big thing that will hurt them this season is the coaching moves (or lack thereof). They had the opportunity to replace Schottenheimer with either Defensive Coordinator Wade Phillips, or Offensive Coordinator Cam Cameron. So what do the Chargers do? Right off the bat, the upper management makes a stance which indicates they may be keep Schottenheimer. So Cam Cameron was the first to go, he ended up in Miami.
Not too long after that, it was Wade Phillips who left, and he ended up in Dallas. After those two left, they axed Schottenheimer? That's not the surprising part to me yet. It's who they replaced Schottenheimer with. Again, keep in mind they could have had Phillips or Cameron, but no they let them go.
They bring in Norv Turner, who has a worse record in the regular season than Schottenheimer has in the postseason. But they are still predicted to top the AFC West? I think that's absurd.
Then you have the Broncos, who finished 3rd overall last season. They cut Jake Plummer, making Jay Cutler their No. 1. But they made some free agency moves, and spent big money to bring in guys that, well for all intent and purposes, the majority of them are overrated.
They did make some good moves though. Let's start with Dre Bly. He's quick, he lead the Lions in interceptions, and he is going to compliment Champ Bailey nicely. The othe move I liked that they made was the signing of Travis Henry. That should bring them some stability at RB. The problem I have with these 2 moves though, they didn't address their needs. They need a WR, LB, and some beef on the O-line and D-line.
They signed Sam Adams at DT to help stuff the run, but they don't have anyone to help take double teams off him in Denver. Not to mention Cutler as their QB, and not having a veteran to help him out more.
The Chiefs? Well the only thing they have going for them is they didn't change head coaches. They no longer have Trent Green, but seemed to fair better with Huard at the helm last season. Their defense is the big gaping hole, which finished 16th overall; so did their offense. They need some serious help at the WR position too, which could help them bolster their offensive numbers. Tony Gonzalez and Larry Johnson can only take you so far.
The Raiders? The biggest hole on this team is the offensive line. The success of their season will depend on how they play, as they have their fourth coach since Gruden left. But Kiffin seems to be the guy who can bring stability to the team. The offensive line had two coaches last year under Art Shell, who were telling them 2 different things; and I believe the coaching was the difference on the offense last year.
With Kiffin, I think he will bring a system that will work to the strengths of the players we have on the roster. No other team in the AFC did more to bolster their needs than the Raiders. The biggest moves to me were Dominic Rhodes coming in at RB. He will get some great playing time which he was losing to Joseph Addai in Indianapolis, and LaMont coming in off the bench to give him a breather, gives us the depth at RB that we need since Garner and Wheatley. Once Michael Bush is healthy and ready to run, we have an outstanding running game.
QB is still up in the air. JaMarcus was a great pick for us in the draft, but he will not be an immediate impact. McCown is a great move, and will fit Kiffin's system like Gannon did with Gruden.
The other impact player will be Zack Miller at TE, another position that has been vastly improved. It's hard to argue against success that the Raiders may/may not have. But what hurts them again is learning a new system for the 4th time in 5 years; the inexperience of their head coach (but he has surrounded himself with outstanding coaches with great experience); and the offensive line. The positives, they kept Rob Ryan and the defense in place.
They could improve that defense with the signing of a DT and signing Donovan Darius, and moving Stuart Schweigert out as starter. Schweigert's weakness is tackling, something Darius improves immediately in that position.
So with that here is my predicted standings. I base this, not on last season's performance, but on how the teams improved their weakness, the impact players will have, and potential weakness that still exsist.
1. Denver Broncos (10-6)-I think they win the division simply because of the moves they made in free agency. Dre Bly, Travis Henry, Daniel Graham are the biggest impacts, that will help Cutler out as he further develops. It's hard to pick anyone else here in this spot, as much as I hate it.
2. Oakland Raiders (9-7)-I think Kiffin makes an immediate impact here. His only 2 losses against the AFC West come from the Denver Broncos. Call it a "gut feeling" that I am going with.
3. San Diego Chargers (7-9)-Even with Tomlinson. Their offense will be okay, much like the Chiefs. An outstanding RB, but no receivers. Turner has proven as head coach that he does not understand the defensive side of the ball, so their defense will fall. As well, he has failed to do anything as head coach with an offense. The style he brings to San Diego is not much different than Marty Schottenheimer's, but he won't have the success Schottenheimer had. A head coach is only as good as his assistants, and Norv doesn't have the assistants that Marty had.
4. Kansas City Chiefs (7-9)-They tie with the Chargers, but have a worse Divisional record which is why they sit at the basement. Too many of the same problems that they've had for a long time. An aging mediocre defense and an aging mediocre offense. They have a lot of holes that haven't been filled on both sides of the ball, and they don't seem to be in a hurry to fill them.
http://www.ibabuzz.com/raidersblog/2007/07/01/calling-the-afc-west/