Thursday Edition
August 16th, 2012
Talkin Football
The
Best in the West
Should
Denver be the Favorite?
If you were to ask this Broncos’ fan
you might be surprised by the answer. Even with the addition of Peyton Manning
and as good as he has looked thus far in camp, it’s far too early to start
crowning, boasting, or bragging about any changing of the guard. There are
still 17 weeks of regular season football, none of which Manning has seen in
over a year.
There wasn’t a lot of separation in
the division a year ago and even with the addition of Manning to Denver, it’s
too early to see the difference. Manning offers the Broncos a potential upgrade
on the offensive side, but we’ll need to see his durability following all of
those neck surgeries he underwent.
The Raiders and Chiefs will have many
questions to answer this season with a number of key players (Charles, McFadden)
returning from injury and a number of new faces finding their fit, but don’t
count either out. Last season the Silver and Black showed some promise with Carson
Palmer in the huddle and with a full training camp and preseason under their
belt, they figure to once again be a factor if they can keep key folks healthy.
With both Jamaal Charles and Matt
Cassel returning from injury, the Chiefs will do their best to figure into the AFC
West Division equation. Always tough at Arrowhead, Kansas City will provide a
stiff test for the division foes.
When you talk about the AFC West you
can not discount the San Diego Chargers. They still have Philip Rivers, Antonio
Gates, plenty of complimentary pieces on offense and a tough defense. Denver
may have made what looks like the biggest move this off-season, but the
Chargers have owned the West for the past several seasons and they have not
gone away.
It’s too soon to pick a favorite, but
if Denver is going to claim any stakes in the west they will have to prove
their worth when they meet the Chargers on Monday night in week 6,
Does
Moss Run Deep or is there Gold in the Bay?
Yeah, I may be a little confused by
that title as well, but simply put should Randy Moss be considered a difference
maker in San Francisco. And with or without Moss, do the Niners have any real
threats within their own division?
Last season with a ball-control
offense and a ferocious in your face defense, the Niners came one game from returning
to the Super Bowl. With much of their core defense in place and second year head
coach Jim Harbaugh at the helm, the Niners will enter the 2012 season as the
perennial favorites.
They have made some notable additions
on offense that include ex-Giant receiver Mario Manningham and ex-retired
receiver Randy Moss, but are these changes going to make a huge impact? The offense
is ball control and run heavy (ranked 3rd in attempts last season)
and with Alex Smith under center, it does not figure to change much, even with
the new additions.
Both the Rams and Cardinals are teams
in repair looking for their identity and don’t figure to make much of a push
for the division. With a new head coach and a young arm under center in St.
Louis the Rams will be hoping to build quickly in 2011. Even with an improving
defense the Cards seem less of a threat in the hunt for the division as they
are still in search of their starting quarterback.
The Seahawks are an improving squad
under the direction of head coach Pete Carroll and should all their pieces fall
into place this season they could conceivably make this division interesting. On
paper the Seahawks would appear to be a formidable opponent, but fortunately
for the Niners they must take their case to the field.
A strong run game and stout defense
figure to be the correct recipe to stay atop the division, and the Niners should
once again fit that mold.
By David Ortega
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