AFC West

Bronco RB Travis Henry Wins Appeal

by Chris on Dec 4, 2007 4:57 PM CST in AFC West

Say man, can you pass the legal technicality?

Henry, who had been suspended for four games in September 2005 for violating the league's substance abuse policy while in Tennessee, was weeks away from cycling out of the drug program when a random test came back positive earlier in the season.

Henry sued the NFL to keep from being suspended for a year. He contended the league violated its substance abuse policy by not allowing his expert to be present for the testing of his urine sample.

Travis Henry famously claimed earlier in the season that his second positive test was the result of second-hand marijuana smoke and not from direct use. Also, Henry is so hungry all the time because he has a high metabolism.

The Chiefs will face a combination of Travis Henry and Selvin Young this weekend in Denver. Young rushed for 109 yards and a touchdown in his first meeting this season with the Chiefs.

Bronco fans aren't as excited about the decision as you'd think they'd be.

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AFC West Round Up

by Chris on Oct 30, 2007 10:32 AM CDT in AFC West

Oakland Raiders (2-5)

This past weekend, the Raiders lost to the Titans 13 to 9 in a game that featured Vince Young passing for 42 yards, 14 penalties by by the Raiders and a Mike Williams drop on 4th down at the end of the game that sealed the fate of Oakland.

The Raiders had two turnovers to the Titans none, which puts the Raiders at -6 for the season in the turnover ratio. Daunte Culpepper passed for 167 yards and threw one pick. How the Titans won this game with Vince Young only completing six passes is beyond me. Well, actually it isn't. I caught a good portion of this game and the Tennessee defensive line, DT Albert Haynesworth especially, were constantly in the backfield of the Raiders.

The Raiders had more first downs; a higher 3rd down conversion rate; held the ball for five minutes longer than the Titans; and gained more total yards than the Titans. But the Raiders could not get into the end zone. They settled for three Sebastian Janikowski field goals and the loss.

I'm getting very close to discounting the Raiders entirely this season. Their offense is worse than ours. Well, maybe not that bad but they've been unable to get into the red zone against good defenses this year. Ladies and gentlemen, I think we have our last place AFC West team right here.

Denver Broncos (3-4)

I must confess I didn't see this game but judging from what I read, it followed the Denver Bronco 2007 season plot line to a T in a 19 to 13 loss to the Packers last night.

Yet again, the fate of the Broncos rested on a Jason Elam kick with time expiring. Yet again, Elam hit the kick but this time it was for the tie, not the win. Elam's kick sent the game to overtime where, on the first play from scrimmage, Brett Favre hit Greg Jennings for an 82 yard touchdown pass for the Green Bay win.

The Packers committed thirteen penalties and unlike the Raiders, were actually able to pull out a win. The Packers win is easily summed up by Brett Favre's two touchdown passes of 79 and 82 yards respectfully. If the Broncos don't give up just one of those bombs, the outcome of the game is probably different. Also, if the Broncos don't fumble the ball on the Green bay one-yard line in the second quarter, they also stand a much better chance of winning last night's game. The Packers did not turn the ball over and there you go. Green Bay wins.

The wolves are already descending on the Denver Broncos. Faced with a sub .500 season through seven games, many Bronco fans have already justified the results of 2007 as a "rebuilding" year. Injuries and age have not been kind to the 2007 Broncos. The Broncos really do have trouble finishing games, don't they?

San Diego Chargers (4-3)

Welcome to the party, San Diego. After starting the season 1-3, the Chargers have won three games to sit tied atop the AFC West with our beloved Chiefs.

The Chargers fourth win of the season came at the brutal expense of the Houston Texans, who the Chargers walloped 35 to 10 on Sunday. A rather unimpressive offense day numbers-wise from the Chargers was offset by the Texans' five turnovers, with Matt Schaub and Sage Rosenfels both throwing two interceptions a piece.

Philip Rivers passed for three touchdowns, two of them to Antonio Gates and one to the newly minted Charger Chris Chambers. The Chargers also scored two defensive touchdowns, one on a botched Texan punt and the other on a 70-yard INT return for a touchdown.

The things went the Chargers way this week and they were still able to sit back and relax in the second half. San Diego is back in the rhythm I expected them to be in all season long. They have a tough go of it over the next three weeks, as they play the Vikings (great run defense), the Colts and the Jags. Expect the Chargers to be the only serious competitors for the Chiefs in the AFC West.

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The AFC West Round Up

by Chris on Oct 24, 2007 8:07 AM CDT in AFC West

Team	W	L	PF	PA
Kansas City Chiefs	4	3	102	113
San Diego Chargers	3	3	137	119
Denver Broncos	3	3	106	164
Oakland Raiders	2	4	126	140

NFL.com

The San Diego Chargers

Since the Chargers lost to the Chiefs in Week 4, they've played the Broncos and the Raiders. And pretty much stomped them both.

The Chargers' Week 5 match up against the Broncos was their breakout game if you will. The Chargers garnered 484 total yards, forced three Bronco turnovers while not allowing one themselves. RB Michael Turner and LaDainian Tomlinson combined for over 200 yards rushing on 31 attempts. Philip Rivers, in only 18 pass attempts, completed 13 of them for 270 yards and 2 touchdowns. The Broncos had a decent game in the air but couldn't get much going on the ground. You could certainly say that the Chargers were back to their 2006 selves against the Broncos.

The Chargers were never seriously challenged in the second half of their 28 to 14 win over the Raiders in Week 6. LT ran for nearly 200 yards by himself and Philip Rivers was again asked to be a caretaker, only passing the ball 21 times.

The biggest news for the Chargers since our last AFC West round up was the signing of former Miami Dolphin WR Chris Chambers. Here is what Rob from BoltHype has to say about it:

"In Chambers, the Chargers are getting a proven veteran wide out who has great size and experience. Eric Parker's current injury may have been a factor in AJ Smith's decision to make a trade. It looks like Parker might miss even more time, and with no real veteran leadership at the wide receiver position, the Bolts feel Chambers can help them.

Personally, I have always liked Chris Chambers. I like how he attacks the ball and is physical after contact. His skill set is going to fit into our offensive philosophy under Norv Turner, who coached Chambers in Miami."

Chris Chambers doesn't possess the skill level to single-handedly catapult the Chargers to the post season but he will be a much bigger threat than the Chargers have now.

In the next three weeks, the Chargers play the Texans at home, go on the road against Minnesota and host Indianapolis on Sunday night football in Week 10. They play the Chiefs again, at Arrowhead, in Week 13. Right now, they are beginning to look like the 14-2 team of a year ago but I wouldn't hold your breath just yet.

The Denver Broncos

NFL.com

What does it mean when all three of a team's wins have come on game-winning field goals? It means the line between sitting at .500 and being winless is an extremely fine one.

In case you hadn't heard, the Broncos are terrible, awful, unspeakably bad at defending the run. They rank last in the league in terms of rush defense, giving up an average of 176 yards a game. The Miami Dolphins are #31 in the league against the rush and they give up twenty yards less a game on average than the Broncos.

Now, to the Broncos credit, they have played a difficult schedule to date. After squeaking by with wins against the Bills and the Raiders in Weeks 1 and 2, the Broncos have played Jacksonville, Indianapolis, San Diego and the Pittsburgh Steelers. The only team they beat in that stretch was the Steelers, with, you guessed it, a last-second field goal by Jason Elam.

The Broncos are averaging 17.7 points a game, which is good for the no. 26 spot in the league. The Chiefs are right behind them at the no. 27 spot at 14.4 points a game.

Here is what one of the commenters at Mile High Report had to say following the win against the Steelers:

"We obviously still need to concentrate on our run defense, 3rd down D, and goaline. We were subpar in all three of those areas last night and that won't win us many games down the road. We absolutely MUST figure out a way to close games on defense. We got "lucky" again because we have a strong armed competitor at QB who saved our defense's ass last night...again. Not since John Elway have I seen a Bronco QB able to put a team on his shoulders to victory.

As for Cutler, the interceptions do not bother me that much. Everyone forgets how many INTs Elway threw in his first couple of years. The fact is this kid likes to compete and to win.

My feeling long term is that we will continue to struggle to improve on Defense and the victories we do get will be close, heartstopping moments. Yet, I also see a few more big losses in our future. The Broncos D needs to prove to me that they are stable before I commit to saying we are going to be a force to be reckoned with."

With the AFC West rife with parity this year, a .500 record nearing the halfway point of the season isn't too shabby. I don't think the Broncos have the defense to string together enough wins to keep them in contention but I wouldn't count them out either.

NFL.com

The Oakland Raiders

I don't want to spend much time going over the Raiders because we gathered some great current info on them last week leading up to the game. The Raiders are about as middle of the road as you can get in the AFC. They are ranked 15th in points; 21st in offensive yards, 29th in passing yards and 4th in rushing yards.

Through the rest of the season, the Raiders will play the Jaguars, the Colts and the stingy run defense of the Minnesota Vikings. The Raiders will not be able to have enough wins towards the end of the season to be taken seriously as a division competitor. Their greatest role, more than likely, will be as a spoiler for an AFC West team.

Here is what saint had to say at Silver and Black Pride right before the game against the Chiefs:

"Whoever loses tomorrow can say Good-Bye to the season.

I know it is early, but with Jacksonville, Green Bay, Tennessee, Chicago AND Indy left on the schedule, that would mean that the Raiders would have to sweep the second round against their division after this, to even have a shot at winning the AFC West.

A Win tomorrow would end a streak for futility that dates back to the pre-merger days...Perhaps.

For nearly three entire seasons the Raiders have not beaten one Divisional foe.

As Raider fans we do not need to relive the specifics again, we just need to HOPE that our team wins tomorrow."

The Raiders inability to beat anyone in the AFC West pretty much seals their fate as cellar dwellers.

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Checking in On the AFC West

by Chris on Oct 2, 2007 9:59 AM CDT in AFC West

AFC WEST	W	L	PF	PA	STRK
Kansas City	2	2	56	66	Won 2
Oakland	2	2	102	100	Won 2
Denver	2	2	72	95	Lost 2
San Diego	1	3	68	102	Lost 3

The Broncos

Denver had the unfortunate task of trying to take down the defending Super Bowl champion Indianapolis Colts this past week. The Broncos committed two turnovers and gave up three passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown to lose 38 to 20. The Sports Guru gives us his take:

What is there to say after an 18-point loss, especially when you have 223 yards rushing and give up 226? I said all last week that I was not going to be devastated if we lost to the World Champs in their building, and I'm not. If that makes me something less of a fan than those of you out there getting ready to jump ship than I guess I am. I like to think it makes me more of a realist. Don't take this as not having confidence in the Broncos, or think that I didn't swear at the television with any less vigor with each yard Joseph Addai churned out. It's the knowledge that the two teams on the field yesterday are in two different places, and what we saw was a direct result of that.

Guru goes on to cite the absence of safety John Lynch, poor special teams play and an athletically challenged defense for the loss.

The Raiders

The Raiders, with Daunte Culpepper at the helm, ran all over the Miami Dolphins on Sunday. Culpepper alone accounted for all five Oakland touchdowns as he passed for two and ran for three. The Raiders had 299 yards rushing in a 35 to 17 win. You know something? The Raiders may not be half bad this year. Wait. Only 65 yards passing on Sunday? Nevermind. They will be that bad this year. saint fills us in:

Daunte being Daunte, high touchdown to turnover rates and third best running QB of All-Time performances, makes the defense play honestly against the deep ball/passing game in general and let's Tom Cable's offensive line, Zack Miller and Griffith open up holes big enough for Cable Cars to drive through them. Thus, the Cable Car Offense which is currently the #1 rushing attack in the NFL with a 194.2 yards rushing per game average. That is more than double the average from 2006 when the Raiders managed a meager 94.9 yards per game.

Oakland is a missed field goal away from being 3-1 but they're also another missed field goal away from being 1-3. One word to describe the Raiders this year- fiesty.

The Chargers

Not going to spend more time than we already have on the Chargers. Their team is in disarray. They have no heart. Nobody believes in their head coach. And they have one of the most fair weathered fan bases I've seen in a long time. Rob delivers the eulogy:

Taking care of he football was one of Marty Schottenheimer's biggest mantra. So far this year, the Chargers have seemed to forget about that mentality. Losing the football at the most inopportune times have killed the Chargers this year. Having opposing defenses score on you after you cough up the football is an almost guaranteed way to lose a game. The Patriots did it to the Chargers and the Chiefs did it to them as well. That took those team's point total up into the thirties, and with the way the Chargers' offense has been playing, scoring 30+ points seems to be too much to ask.

You have to love the NFL. Parity reigns and makes each week that much more exciting. The AFC West is up for grabs people. You have to like the Chiefs position right now, with six out of the next eight at home.

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Checking in on the Rest of the AFC West

by Chris on Sep 26, 2007 8:37 AM CDT in AFC West

Time for our weekly look at our divisional rivals. The AFC West sure is taking a beating so far this year. Don't forget to participate in the first (and hopefully only) Brodie Croyle Pick 'Em Contest.

Team	W	L	T	Pct.	PF	A
Denver Broncos	2	1	0	.667	52	57
San Diego Chargers	1	2	0	.333	52	72
Oakland Raiders	1	2	0	.333	67	83
Kansas City Chiefs	1	2	0	.333	26	50

The Denver Broncos

After winning their first two games by a combined four points, the Broncos dropped their third game to the Jacksonville Jaguars 23 to 14. In Denver no less. The Broncos were able to accomplish little rushing the ball. RB Travis Henry only had 35 yards rushing but only carried the ball eleven times. The Broncos as a team only rushed the ball eighteen time for a total of 47 yards. Conversely, the Jaguars rushed the ball 47 times for 186 yards. The Sports Guru from Mile High Report gives us a quick overview:

I don't like losing in any form or fashion, but I really hate losing when a team comes into our house and is simply a tougher group of men. Football, at it's core, is still a game about who wants it more, who can hit harder, and who wins the physical battles. The Jags did all of those things and that, to me, is disheartening. The Jags didn't really do anything that special on offense and the Broncos simply didn't have an answer.

The Broncos are a soft 2-1 in my opinion and are only two missed field goals away from being 0-3.

The Oakland Raiders

Last week against the Browns, the Raiders were leading the Browns 26 to 24 when the Browns' lined up for a 40 yard field goal with three seconds left. I'll let saint from Silver and Black Pride sum up the ending:

When "Son of Monte" called the time-out I began to pray.

I closed my eyes and hoped, beyond all hope that the Raiders would win.

I looked down and noticed the holder knocking away the divot in the dirt as the ball was about to be snapped. And then it happened...

THE BALL IS SNAPPED...THE KICK IS ON IT'S...NO IT's NOT!!! THE KICK HAS BEEN BLOCKED!!! THE KICK HAS BEEN BLOCKED!!! THE RAIDERS WIN...THE RAIDERS WINNNNN!!!

The only thing we need to be concerned about with the Raiders is what LaMont Jordan is doing for your fantasy leagues. And he's doing pretty damn well so far this season. He's rushed for 350 yards on 69 carries for a robust 5.1 yard/carry average. It's nice to know that even a down year for the Kansas City Chiefs, we'll still have someone to look down on in the basement of the AFC West.

The Chargers

The Chargers have offensive woes much like the Chiefs. LT can't get anything going this season. He's averaging 2.3 yards/carry which is exactly a half yard worse than our own powerhouse back, Larry Johnson. In the final 2:18 of the game, the Chargers gave up two touchdowns to the Packers, one of which was a 57 yard touchdown pass from Brett Favre to WR Greg Jennings. Rob from BoltHype fills us in:

As the Chargers fall to 1-2 following a heart-breaking loss at Green Bay, a couple of trends seem to be emerging. One of those trends is a poor ability to run the ball, especially on first down. Ladainian Tomlinson carried the ball 22 times and for 62 yards - his highest rushing total on the season thus far.

While Tomlinson has not shown to be the runner fans have come to appreciate, blame cannot fall on LT's shoulders. No, the problem does not lie in Tomlinson's abilities, but rather the culprit is an unimaginative offensive coordination on the part of the Chargers coaching staff.

Sound familiar?

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The AFC West After Week 1

by Chris on Sep 11, 2007 12:45 PM CDT in AFC West

News and notes from around the AFC West blogosphere...

The Broncos pulled out a squeaker against the Bills, winning the game 15 to 14 on the sure foot of Jason Elam. Check out the last 25 seconds below.

Here are some stats for that game as well as commentary from the Sports Guru.

The Broncos are 1-0. That's all that matters. It was ugly at times, it was unwatchable at times, and at times it looked hopeless, but the Broncos found a way, a way to get the W, a way to gut out a tough road win.

The Lions pounced (Like that?) all over the still hapless Raiders, beating the silver and black 36 to 21. This is what Saint had to say, on Silver and Black Pride:

It was so bad after the game that Al Davis left before half of the team and was sitting in the front seat of a Lincoln with clear windows and not his limo.

His face carried with it immense anger and he was so steamed that I'm sure you could have boiled an egg on his forehead.

This is the countenance one should carry after losing your opening game in such a sickening manner.

Yet, the only players who "wore" the loss were Daunte and Newberry. The others were smiling, including McCown and Kiffin. That really disgusted me.

Sounds like more of the same in Oakland.

Rob from Bolt Hype fills us in on the Chargers 14 to 3 win over the Chicago Bears.

The offensive playbook has certainly expanded, and if you were seeing the Chargers run plays that you never saw in years past, you weren’t alone. Its not too early to see why Norv Turner carries to reputation for being an offensive mastermind. The way the Bears defense was playing on Sunday, it’s a marvel the Chargers scored at all, let along two touchdowns in the second half. Its going to be awesome watching the Bolts run more of these new plays throughout the year. I’d expect a reverse play for next week’s matchup against New England.

The Chargers are still cream of the crop of the AFC West but they won't go anywhere if LT remains their second leading rusher. He won't, of course. Look for Tomlinson to blow up again and again throughout the season. He's just too good.

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Oakland Raiders Reach Agreement with Jamarcus Russell

by Chris on Sep 11, 2007 8:01 AM CDT in AFC West

ESPN is reporting that a deal between Jamarcus Russell and the Raiders has been reached in principal.

There is still considerable work to be done, however, in terms of drawing up the contract, and a source close to the negotiations said late Monday that the two sides could still be working "very late into the night and maybe into [Tuesday] morning" to craft the precise language of the deal. ESPN.com has learned that Russell is still not in the Bay Area and will not fly to Oakland until his representatives feel comfortable with all the details of the contract.

Russell should be on the practice field tomorrow in Oakland. I don't see Russell as an immediate threat to the Chiefs, but the LSU QB undoubtedly has a lot of potential. Might as well throw one more QB into that carousel they have going now in Oakland.

Silver and Black Pride will have the latest information.

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Smile Kansas City Chiefs Fans: You're the Class of the AFC West

by Chris on Aug 8, 2007 7:50 AM CDT in AFC West

Once in a while, a video comes along that while violent, makes you happy to be a Kansas City Chiefs fan. Or something to that effect. To get your adrenaline pumping this morning, check out this clip of Raiders and Chargers fans going at it in the stands. I'm not sure who started the fight but the Raider fans definitely come off as the most vicious. Its almost as if that guy is Randy Moss...

Hat tip to Kissing Suzy Kolber via The Fanhouse via Arrowhead Addict.

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Schottenheimer Fired

by Chris on Feb 13, 2007 7:02 AM CST in AFC West

Won't get fooled again.

In a moved that surprised me, the San Diego Chargers fired head coach Marty Schottenheimer. Behind the Steel Curtain has a story on it too.

Am I shocked by the fact that Schottenheimer was actually fired? Not really. Kansas City fans know he has that intangible that bars him from winning playoff games. I'm more suprised by the timing. Late Monday night? I'm sure there will be more to come on this later.

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