AFC West

[Broncosr0k]

I was wondering how you all think the AFC West is doing and if there is something to worry about in 2015.

I think the chargers are quietly putting together a good team that can be a playoff contender for the next few years. If they can dodge the injury bug and some players perform as hyped they could push the broncos for the division. This year could be interesting.

The chiefs are a bit of an enigma. It seems to be a 2 steps forward 1 step back for them. I think Alex smith stunts them but they have picked up a few pieces to keep them interesting. I can never tell if they are turning the page for the better or for the worse.

I like what the raiders are doing (I threw up a little with that thought). They are getting away from the decade of terrible drafts and starting to put together a team. If they can keep the growth going they will be decent in a few years but right now they still lack talent to push for the division.

I still see the broncos as top dogs. I think they have answers to talent they have lost. It will be interesting to see the new defense and offense out there. After this year though, I am not sure. I think Manning retires and we could see D. Thomas and a few more guys leave in FA. I hope Elway is planning ahead a little. 2015 and 2016 will be some interesting seasons.

What are your thoughts? Rival fans, do you care to share?

 

[TDs3nOut]

Interesting topic. In particular, what has SD done that makes them a contender?

 

[Shield-Thread Killa]

If all goes well...

RAIDERS
BRONCOS
CHIEFS
BOLTS

 

[Broncosr0k]

Interesting topic. In particular, what has SD done that makes them a contender?

Their team seems to be solid (not bad or great in any area) and I think McCoy can scheme a couple of wins with his coaching style. Last year one of their biggest issues was getting a healthy, stable run game. if Melvin Gordon lives up to his hype then they can take pressure off Rivers and play McCoy's style. Rivers is a good QB between the whine-episodes. They seem to have an offense that can keep up and a defense that can keep up. If they can clean up some screw ups like losses to Oakland or blowouts to Miami I can see them making a go of it for the division, especially if our team struggles with new schemes for whatever reason.

I still think the broncos are the team to beat but I can see the chargers keeping it close.

 

[cdumler7]

At this point Broncos still have to be considered the top dog. While yes we lost a little this off season it was with the thought of allowing our young players we have drafted to get an opportunity. I've been hearing more and more about how players said Fox and his coaching staff just really could care less about player development. Players especially the young ones hated it. So I think we could see a rejuvenation among the young players to perform for this new coaching staff.

I also like some of the quiet moves we made this off season. We added to the DL depth with a great run stopper and a great pass rusher both from our rival teams so strengthening us while weakening them.

If anything I am excited to see our defense this year more so than our offense. Many of us on here have been screaming for the Broncos to run a more 3-4 scheme that fits Von Miller and Phillips is one of the best in the business at doing just that. He might have been my 2nd favorite hire behind that of Bill Kollar for the DL.

As for the rest of the AFC West. I can see the Chargers offense actually getting a nice boost now having Gordon running behind a pretty darn stout OL. My question is more on the defensive side of the ball. While I like Perryman as a player in the 2nd they already have 2 starter quality ILB's so not sure how he fits. Maybe he is more of a next year type player but then why extend Butler like they did? I'm also not seeing the secondary be anything that should scare us. The biggest thing is I just don't see the pass rush that should scare us one bit. It is why I see them as a 9-7 type team.

Kansas City falls in that same area of I just don't think they have done enough to close the gap. Alex Smith really is a hindrance. He is good enough to keep them relevant throughout most of the year but just not quite at that level you need to really make a run at supremacy.

Oakland is well Oakland. While I do like what they did in the draft for the most part I thought their FA was pretty much just like last year. They overpaid for a lot of very mediocre players.
I mean just going off PFF grades Crabtree finished as the 95th best receiver out of 110.
Dan williams--While he finished with a decent grade they are paying him top-8 money for his position. He also only played like 30% of the snaps on defense this past year. So top-8 money for a guy that most teams wouldn't consider a starter by playing time.
Curtis Lofton finished as the 57th ranked ILB this past year. He is being paid as a top-10 player at his position.
Nate Allen fnished about middle of the pack for Safeties yet is being paid like a quality starter player.

I could go on but you get the point in they spent a lot of money to bring in most very mediocre to terrible players. So the only way I see them winning 6 games this year is if their draft picks just play out of their mind.

 

[iknowftbll]

This is an interesting question. Now that the trade rumors for Rivers have slowed, I expect a few experts to pick the Chargers to win the division. Maybe a few will pick the Chiefs even, but for the most part the Broncos are still the class of this division.

The Chargers and Chiefs are neither good enough to overtake the Broncos, nor are either of them good enough to avoid an upset loss to a much improved Raiders team. I see one of them hitting 10-6 and getting a wild card spot and the other 9-7 and left out. The Raiders at 6-10 and in last place again, but trending in the right direction. And after a very glancing look at the schedule I think the Broncos can reach 12-4 again.

 

[cdumler7]

Yeah for the most part the schedule looks very manageable. Unless things have drastically changed from last year (which sometimes they do) a majority of our tougher games are at home. Typically Tom Brady has really struggled playing at Mile High so good to see him finally having to come here in the Peyton Manning era (I know he came for the playoff game and guess what we won!). Throw in then having Baltimore, Green Bay, and Cincinnati all coming to Denver is quite nice.

Now the road schedule definitely has a few toughies as well with Pitt, Indy, and our divisional games but it is still manageable. I actually see us going 13-3 again. Some of that depends on Manning and which quarterback we get. I dont' think that will matter as much this year as in the past as I do think we are going to run quite a bit more this upcoming season making Manning less of a factor of whether we win or lose. I also still trust that our defense is going to be lights out.

 

[iknowftbll]

Like you, I am really excited about our defense this year. I don't expect a huge dropoff on offense, but I think it's foreseeable the offense won't be as prolific as the 2012-2014 teams. It'll be close, though. But the potential this defense has...

But Phillips has GOT to be aggressive. At this time last year I was saying the same thing about the defense and JDR squandered a very talented, healthy unit. So we'll see.

 

[cdumler7]

Like you, I am really excited about our defense this year. I don't expect a huge dropoff on offense, but I think it's foreseeable the offense won't be as prolific as the 2012-2014 teams. It'll be close, though. But the potential this defense has...

But Phillips has GOT to be aggressive. At this time last year I was saying the same thing about the defense and JDR squandered a very talented, healthy unit. So we'll see.

From what I have seen in the past with him he is not afraid to be aggressive. I would say the big part of this would be this is probably his most talent defense that he has ever worked with. I mean he has had one great pass rusher but never two and possibly even a 3rd to work with while also having Harris and Talib on the outside who love that press-man coverage. I can't wait to see what they all cook up this year.

I also agree that JDR was so frustrating. I keep seeing Raiders fans bragging about how he was able to bring about a top-5 defense in Denver. To me it had a lot more to do with just the talent rising to the occasion than anything he actually did as a coach. All you have to do is look at what they did against the elite quarterbacks and see our stats were masked by feeding on the terrible quarterbacks we played. Against the Greats you actually have to do more than just show up with great talent.

 

[randymon]

I think Denver has the talent to walk away with this division again if they.as a group, finally play inspired football and have the desire to be great on both sides of the ball. With the hiring of Kubiak and Phillips I`am confident they will infuse that mentality thruout the team. If they play like they have under Fox and Rio, then the div is up for grabs except maybe for Raiders but I think their making good strides with that team also,esp if Carr is real deal. I`am just damn tired of watching this team come out flat, look like slow motion in 2nd half of games, and play terrible uninspired football in the big games. I think all that will change this yr and if so, nobody in AFC West will challenge them this yr. With their schedule and 4 qtrs of hard nose football, minimize they injury bug,14+ wins is really not out of possibility IMO. If in A.

 

[randymon]

PS. Don`t know alot about SD O-line but if their a good solid unit, Melvin is going to be a handful and could very well get rookie of the yr looking at their schedule too. Wish both he and Cooper would of stayed out the West. Both are going to help their respective teams alot for yrs to come. Two special talents for sure.

 

[DownSetHutch]

It looks to me like San Diego and Oakland both will take a step forward next season. I'm not sure about KC, and Denver may take a small step backward, at least initially. However, by playoff time they should be better prepared for postseason play than they have been since Peyton has been here. The defense and running game will be carrying the team by then.

I can see the Broncos doing as poorly as 9-7 and as good as 13-3. I would guess 11-5 and winning the AFC West over the Chargers by 1 game is about right. It will be a more competitive AFC West than we have seen in a while.

Predictions:

11-5 Broncos
10-6 Chargers
8-8 Chiefs
6-10 Raiders

 

[cdumler7]

It looks to me like San Diego and Oakland both will take a step forward next season. I'm not sure about KC, and Denver may take a small step backward, at least initially. However, by playoff time they should be better prepared for postseason play than they have been since Peyton has been here. The defense and running game will be carrying the team by then.

I can see the Broncos doing as poorly as 9-7 and as good as 13-3. I would guess 11-5 and winning the AFC West over the Chargers by 1 game is about right. It will be a more competitive AFC West than we have seen in a while.

Predictions:

11-5 Broncos
10-6 Chargers
8-8 Chiefs
6-10 Raiders

The one nice thing for the Broncos though is the easier part of the schedule does look like it is at the beginning of the season. So while they could lose one they should win early on I still think while they are figuring it out they will still be able to win against some of the "easier" teams on the schedule. I do worry that many of them are on the road though but Manning always seems to start out the season really strong so I think he can really keep things together while the rest of the team is figuring things out.

The other part of this is the players have been saying at least on defense that Phillips playbook is so much easier to grasp than Del Rio's. They said that it only took them about two weeks to really pick it up and feel comfortable with it even day 1 in voluntary camp.

 

[MileHigh64]

Until one of our AFC West opponents gives me reason to believe that they are on the full upswing, the division will be the Broncos to win or lose. The talent gap between this four teams still favors the Broncos with Manning under center. Even with the inevitable retirement of Peyton Manning, the Broncos are generally better positioned across the team than our AFCW opponents in my opinion. I think the others are getting stronger but the gap is still there. We can and should maintain a dominance similar to what New England has been able to achieve in the AFCE. Of course, much of that will depend on where we find ourselves at quarterback in the future.

MH64

 

[iknowftbll]

Until one of our AFC West opponents gives me reason to believe that they are on the full upswing, the division will be the Broncos to win or lose. The talent gap between this four teams still favors the Broncos with Manning under center. Even with the inevitable retirement of Peyton Manning, the Broncos are generally better positioned across the team than our AFCW opponents in my opinion. I think the others are getting stronger but the gap is still there. We can and should maintain a dominance similar to what New England has been able to achieve in the AFCE. Of course, much of that will depend on where we find ourselves at quarterback in the future.

MH64

This is true. They are building a defense that will keep them in games post-Manning. Assuming they address the DT issue, they are going to have an elite WR core for the new QB to work with. And CJ Anderson is poised to become one of the more dynamic backs in the league. People really seem to be expecting a significant drop off once Manning is gone. How many times have we heard, "One hit to Manning and the Broncos are done!" And now with the way the Broncos sort of faded last year the age arguments are becoming more and more frequent. The notion that Manning is the Broncos prevails in the minds of many fans who haven't taken a very close look at this roster.

I don't know if this is the year the Broncos add another Super Bowl win to their total, but it is certainly a likelihood. And post-2015, I think with Elway building this team, combining his football savvy with his business savvy, this team is going to be a contender for a very long time.

 

[xBxtxDx]

Like you, I am really excited about our defense this year. I don't expect a huge dropoff on offense, but I think it's foreseeable the offense won't be as prolific as the 2012-2014 teams. It'll be close, though. But the potential this defense has...

But Phillips has GOT to be aggressive. At this time last year I was saying the same thing about the defense and JDR squandered a very talented, healthy unit. So we'll see.

For the most part, Phillips has always been aggressive and employs a one gap, penetrating style of 3-4. JDR did not trust the LB corp once both Trevathan and Brandon Marshall got hurt and got extremely conservative down the stretch. The Colts playoff game was an enigma of what the D was built to do. Though, I really should not have been surprised, JDR let just about every mobile QB give him fits.

 

[cdumler7]

Anybody else see what Gase said about CJ Anderson this week? He pretty much said that he was too fat to be consistent and that he really appreciated working with Forte as he can trust him to stay more consistent in his durability. Sheesh the kid saves the run game and pretty much was our only offense the 2nd half of the season and that is how you treat him? Very disappointed in that. Anderson's response of course was him being a class act and saying he still respects Gase and that he can't wait until we play the Bears later in the season.

Anyway at this point I do think the Broncos have worked to try and build a team like that of the Ravens for so many years and that of the Seahawks of late in that if you can continue to have a strong defense you will always compete in this league. A HOF quarterback is never promised so building our defense for now and for the future is definitely a smart move by Elway. Throw in it does seem like the offense is easier to find top playmakers in later rounds where the defense you just don't see a ton of stars that come from later rounds.

I mean you have guys like Kuechley, Miller, Aldon Smith, JJ Watt, Matthews, Poe, and so many more who are all 1st round picks. The only few guys I can think of from later rounds that are true all stars are Sherman, Harris, Houston, and Dumervil.

You look to the offensive side of the ball and according to PFF the top players on the OL only 1 of the 5 was taken in the 1st round and I think 3 of them were taken in the 3rd round or later with 1 even being an undrafted guy who finished as the top tackle.

At TE you have Gronk who wasn't a 1st round pick. We found a star in the 4th round for the TE position.

QB seems to be the one position that for the most part needs a 1st round talent to have success. There are a few like Brees and Brady but for the most part that position is dominated by 1st round talent.

Anyway I actually do like what we look like moving forward. Obviously it all depends what we do with the quarterback position but I think even just a decent quarterback keeps us in contention if we can keep building up the OL and the defense can play to its potential.

 

[iknowftbll]

I did see that, CD. Anderson was probably the single greatest bright spot from the wasted campaign that was the 2014 season. As I recall, Anderson really emerged in the roadie against the Raiders. It's easy to look at the final score of 41-17 and chalk it up as another routine ass beating over the Raiders. But if you remember that game, the Broncos played like crap in the first half. That is, until within 3 minutes left in the half Manning dumped the ball off to Anderson, who in turn took it 51 yards to the endzone while pretty much running through the entire Raiders defense. That play sparked the Broncos, who incredibly enough got the ball back before the half was over and scored again. Playing like crap and leading 20-10 at the half was in my mind a result of Anderson's play really shocking the team out of its slow funk.

I'm not sure why Gase would feel the need to lob a verbal hand grenade at the Broncos, but it isn't the first time such a thing has happened. That is, a former Broncos man joining the Bears and then in an effort to play to the new audience, hurl insults toward the Broncos. All I can say is, have fun with Cutler, Adam!

In other news, the Broncos lost 3rd round pick Jeff Heuerman to an ACL injury. He was a TE and I believe they were going to use as a fullback at times. We should still be okay at the catching/blocking TE position, but if the system calls for a FB we may not have the right guy available right now.

 

[cdumler7]

I honestly can't wait to see our running game this year. I think I saw a stat that said Bronco RB's were hit in the backfield on 1 out of every 3 carries this past season. That is just down right terrible Run Blocking if that is the case.

 

[randymon]

I honestly can't wait to see our running game this year. I think I saw a stat that said Bronco RB's were hit in the backfield on 1 out of every 3 carries this past season. That is just down right terrible Run Blocking if that is the case.

That doesn`t surprise me but I think once they committed to the run game that stat improved quite a bit. Up till the Raider game I`d be surprised if it wasn`t 2-3 carries. Hopefully this yr it`ll be more like 1- 10 carries