2007-2008 NFL Picks (AFC West)
The Broncos will give the Chargers a scare this season
While the San Diego Chargers remain the favorite for the division title, the Broncos have upgraded in the backfield and will compete with the best in the league
AFC West:
1) San Diego Chargers (11-5) - The only reason it's 11 wins instead of 14 this year is because of Norv Turner. He replaced embattled veteran Marty Schottenheimer as the SD head coach and his professional coaching record isn't in the vicinity of Schottenheimer's. While there have been many knocks on Schottenheimer over the years, mostly referencing his inability to win the big one, he has been a very successful NFL coach. You cannot say the same for Turner. During the last two seasons with the Oakland Raiders, he went 5-11 and 4-12. While the situation wasn't ideal in the least, those are pretty bad records for a new hire to have on the resume. In Washington, Turner compiled a 57-66 overall record from 1994 to 2000. Not exactly a winning tradition. However, he certainly has the guns in San Diego. LaDainian Tomlinson, the NFL's top rusher last season, is returning, as is Phil Rivers, Antonio Gates and Shawn Merriman. So Turner will have some talent to work with; it'll be interesting to see how far he can get the Chargers in the postseason.
2) Denver Broncos (10-6) - The overall defense was not spectacular last season (7th against the run, 13th against the pass in the AFC), but the offense got a whole lot better with the acquisition of upstart Travis Henry at running back. Henry will run behind Denver's heralded offensive line and should put up even better numbers this season - he ran for 1,211 yards in Tennessee in 2006 - but Henry recently suffered a sprained knee in preseason camp, so who knows how Henry will recover and if he will be as effective post-injury. If all goes well, Mike Shanahan will be coaching a premier back, something he has not had since Terrell Davis. And while Henry isn't in that league quite yet, he provides the Denver offense with a tremendous weapon - again, barring further complications with the knee. Jay Cutler replaced Jake Plummer last season after The Snake encountered control problems again, and Cutler didn't disappoint. While his numbers weren't Marino-esque, he threw a bulky nine touchdown passes in five games with about a 60 percent completion rate in 137 attempts. It remains to be seen how much Cutler can actually improve, but all reports contend that he has a tremendous upside. If that's the case, then this season could be a coming out party for Cutler and the Denver offense.
3) Kansas City Chiefs (7-9) - For this team, it all depends on Larry Johnson. If you're in the KC front office, you don't want to bend over backwards for any athlete, but in this case they might have to. Johnson's impact on the Chiefs could be the biggest of any player on any team in the NFL. Without Johnson, the Chiefs are buried at the bottom of the division, perhaps in the company of the lowly Oakland Raiders. With Johnson, they have an outside shot at a playoff appearance. According to recent reports, the Johnson deal will probably get done and the Chiefs will have a top tier back running behind Damon Huard. However, the KC offense has other issues, mainly with their offensive line, which has been riddled with injuries. And while Johnson is good, he can't beat 11 guys on his own. All in all, given the frequent defensive woes and the new complications with the offense, it won't be a pretty year for the Chiefs.
4) Oakland Raiders (5-12) - What a certified mess. Even the new coach can't go for one preseason without coming down with something. Al Davis recently hired former USC offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin as the head coach of his beloved Raiders, and Kiffin came down with a viral infection about four days ago. The doctors told him not to exert a lot of energy or yell too loudly. That has to be difficult when you're coaching one of the worst teams in professional football and your highly coveted No. 1 draft pick is in bitter contract negotiations with management. Jemarcus Russell and the Raiders have not come to a consensus on his contract yet. According to a report in the San Francisco Chronicle, Russell is asking for $31 million in guaranteed money, which the Raiders are hesitant to give him, and Oakland also wants some clauses in the contract that include reparations if Russell violates any team rules or gets in trouble with the law. So it's been an ugly battle, and according to the report, Kiffin and Russell haven't spoken in over a week. For those not keeping track, training camp has ended and the regular season is right around the corner. That means Russell is behind not only with conditioning and the playbook, but also with relations in the locker room. Not good for Raider Nation.
Read more football articles by Rob Greenfield:
national-football-league-nfl.suite101.com/article.cfm/20072008_nfl_picks_afc_south
national-football-league-nfl.suite101.com/article.cfm/20072008_nfl_picks_afc_north
national-football-league-nfl.suite101.com/article.cfm/20072008_nfl_picks_afc_east
