I have been met with a lot of justified hate with my constant prediction that Denver does in fact have the best team in the division, and will win the division this year. So to that end I figured I would go ahead and rank unit by unit each team in the AFC West as they stand today. After doing this it might be the Chargers that should be the team to watch out for.
Quarterback
Easy one here, every AFC West QB is coming off of terrible showings in 2011, while there could be an argument for Phillip Rivers here Manning has to be the favorite. Yes, Manning is old, has only played on one other team his whole life, and is coming off of four neck surgeries, and no Manning will not be 100% and he won't have the "rocket" part of the laser rocket arm jig. However what didn't get injured is his brain, he'll still be able to sort through defenses at a high level.
Rivers would have been #1 on my list if not for his terrible play in 2011, will it persist? Rivers is accurate intelligent and the kind of guy you want leading your team (when you're winning) but we shall see. Still, even a Terrible Rivers is better than Palmer and Cassel on any day
You can't sell to me that Palmer is worse than Cassel. You just can't. Palmers highs are high enough that his lows are bearable. The Raiders better hope that Terrel Pryor develops into something because Palmer is just a bridge to him.
Cassel is among the worst starting QB's in the NFL. He can't read worth a damn, he has happy feet, and if by chance he ever finds an open man there is a 70-80% chance that he overthrows him and the ball lands right in the defenders hands. (Homer note: Secretly I think Quinn is going to revive his career here)
Running Backs
1) Kansas City Chiefs
Easy choice here. Jamaal Charles, Peyton Hillis, Dexter McCluster and Cyrus Gray complete a backfield that can do damn near anything you ask of them.
2) Oakland Raiders
I'm going to make something clear. I believe Darren McFadden is the better back between he and Charles. However you can't rely on McFadden for a whole season and the Raiders have Taiwan Jones and some chump they got from the Panthers after him while the Chiefs have several solid options. It was hard not to put the Broncos here, but losing Tebow is going to effect McGahee more than Bronco fans know.
3) Denver Broncos
Yeah Willis McGahee was one of the best in the league last year but it was in a gimmick offense. In college the leading rusher is almost always coming out of an option offense. McGahee is old, injury prone, and looks to be set for some regression starting this season. Fans will argue that Ronnie Hillman was selected in the third round and provised insurance, I say you reached for a sixth round back that isn't going to do much for your team.
4) San Diego Chargers
Ryan Matthews is in a make it or bust status season. I like that they added LeRon McClain but losing Mike Tolbert is going to hurt
Receivers (including TE's)
1) Kansas City Chiefs
I tried hard to look for a reason not to put the Chiefs here but I couldn't find a legitimate one. The Chiefs have three proven targets in Dwayne Bowe, Tony Moeaki, and Steve Breaston. They brought in Kevin Boss and Devon Wylie in the off season and still have the promising Jonathan Baldwin to boast. The Chiefs are stacked with receiving options, to say the least.
2) Oakland Raiders
Another tough one. Darius Heyward-Bey finally started to live up to his draft status last season, and Denarius Moore looks like he is going to be a star for a long time. Add in versatile man Marcel Reece and lightning bolt Jacoby Ford and you have a young formidable group of options. They lack a solid TE but the
3) Denver Broncos
Erick Decker and Demaryius Thomas are a solid 1 2 punch and Jacob Tamme has shown he can be effective with Manning at QB, but after that things get a little iffy. . There are no legitimate targets and replacing Eddie Royal with Brandon Stokely is a huge downgrade.
4) San Diego Chargers
Losing Vincent Jackson is going to be huge, I understand that Vincent Brown has looked like he's ready but this team looks like it will be lacking a true #1 and will be playing with a bunch of solid #2's. If Antonio Gates could stay on the field longer than one drive I would have easily put the Chargers at #2.
Offensive Line
1) Kansas City Chiefs
After all this time having a terrible O line it's weird to put the Chiefs here but it was pretty easy to. The Chiefs had solid starters across their offensive line with the addition of Eric Winson, then went ahead and spent two of their top three picks on the line to just overkill it.
2) San Diego Chargers
This was a hard one, the Chargers are solid everywhere except where it is most important. If Jared Gaither plays anything like he did last year they'll have an unspectacular but solid offensive line.
3) Denver Broncos
The interior line is a mess save Chris Kuper, but their OT's are both near elite, which saves them from a last place spot. Who would you take between Clady/Franklin and Albert/Winston? I'd say it's pretty close and the end result would be a 1a 1b kind of deal
4) Oakland Raiders
Wisnewski and Veldheer are the only above average starters on the team. After that is a whole bunch of mediocre, I respect that the Raiders brought in Brisel in Free Agency, I just think he gets way overrated.
Defensive Line
1) San Diego Chargers
The Chargers have absolutely no needs on their defensive line and have no questions regarding their starters. More than the rest of the division can say.
2) Denver Broncos
I'm putting the Broncos here based entirely on Elvis Dumberville and Von Miller (yes I am including him on the line) being part of that line. Derek Wolfe was a huge reach in the second and it will probably take a while for him to get to speed in the NFL, and while Broncos fans think the world of Robert Ayers he's only a marginal starter.
3) Oakland Raiders
Lamaar Houston and Richard Seymour are phenomenal players and Tommy Kelly is solid in his own right. Again fewest questions and solid starters.
4) Kansas City Chiefs
Not to say this defensive line is a mess just that they don't do anything spectacular. Dorsey could be replaced and there are a ton of questions about Poe and Powe. When Tyson Jackson is your best lineman, you shouldn't be too encouraged.
Linebackers
via www.jimrome.com
1) Kansas City Chiefs
Tamba Hali and Derrick Johnson have to be top three at their position, add in Justin Houston who was impressive as a rookie and Jovan Belcher who is a solid but unspectacular player and you have a special group of linebackers here.
2) San Diego Chargers
Solid across the board. The addition of Jarett Johson is going to be bigger than people think, meanwhile a rushing tandem of Shaun Phillips and Melvin Ingram should be dangerous. ILB's are solid yet unspectacular. A good group overall
3) Denver Broncos
Joe Mays is terrible and Wesley Woodyard is a solid starter. What puts the Broncos above the Raiders is D.J Williams, who when he isn't suspended is among the second tier of linebackers in the NFL.
4) Oakland Raiders
Aaron Curry will turn his career around in Oakland, he's in a pretty ideal situation to do so. Rolando McClain sucks and has been a huge bust, he has the physical part of the game down it's just that he is too stupid to play football. Raiders fans think Phillip Wheeler is the answer but I think they'll see why he lasted so long in free agency.
Secondary
1) Denver Broncos
WHAAT? Yeah I went there. Champ Bailey is still the man and they brought in a slew of talent in free agency. Tracy Porter, Drayton Florence and Kelvin Hayden should be more than solid across of Bailey while Omar Bolden has all sorts of potential to become a starting corner. Rahim Moore is a solid safety and while there is a hole across oh him at the other safety spot the Broncos have enough talent in the secondary to throw a corner there.
2) Kansas City Chiefs
The reason they are at #2 is because of Stanford Routt. We don't know how effective he will be in Crennel's defense. While Berry/Flowers/Lewis/Arenas is an elite group, a hole at #2 corner would destroy what could make this secondary special
3) San Diego Chargers
Anoine Cason and Quinten Jammer aren't what they used to be, but they are still decent. There is a hole at Safety too, Atari Bigby may be much akin to their Bob Sanders signing last year.
4) Oakland Raiders
They have question marks at every position in the secondary and while the players they have there are young, they all sucked last year. Plain and simple
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