AFC West Training Camp preview

a look at the AFC West Training Camp's




San Diego
Is there any other place to start than the Sand Diego SuperChargers?!?!  AFC Title contenders...certain Division winners...the class of the AFC West

Ryan Mattews

Face-of-the-Franchise LaDanian Tomlinson is now in New York...that leaves Training Camp as the stage for 2010 1st round draft pick RB Ryan Matthews (Fresno State) to show his stuff...Matthews has a great skill-set and will likely prove to be a more than adequate replacement for Tomlinson at RB...currently Matthews has not signed a contract, but that actually puts him in the majority as far as the 2010 first round draft picks go...only a few have signed so far, but those dominoes will start to fall and NFL franchises will begin their Training Camps with most, if not all of their pieces in place...when that happens for Matthews I think he is really going to excite the Chargers fan base...Training Camp will show if he is going to get 200 touches, or closer to 300 this season...

QB Philip Rivers has tall, skilled players to throw to with Vincent Jackson, Malcolm Floyd, and great TE Antonio Gates...add Buster Davis and Legedu Naanee to that list, they both will have to improve during this Training Camp to try to compete for playing time on this deep unit

On Defense the Chargers will be giving 2010 5th round draft pick Cam Thomas (North Carolina) a serious look as they hope he can fit in as a run-stuffing Defensive Tackle on this unit...

In the Secondary 4th rounder Darrell Stuckey (Kansas) will be given a chance to compete for a starting Strong Safety job in Training Camp...he will be competing with Steve Gregory and perhaps Paul Oliver

Denver Broncos
Training Camp #2 for Head Coach Josh McDaniels...since taking over the helm in early 2009 McDaniels has done everything under the sun to put his fingerprints on this franchise...gone are Top 10 QB Jay Cutler and Top Ten WR Brandon Marshall...gone is the once successful Broncos rushing game...all that led to the type of inconsistency that saw this team start 6-0 out of Training Camp, but the Broncos also suffered through a pair of 4-game losing streaks in 2009

Demaryius Thomas

2010 Broncos Training Camp will have a lot of eyes watching...McDaniels and management surprised everyone when they traded up in the draft to get QB Tim Tebow (Florida)...for me I understand the want to replace Cutler with a Franchise QB so I applaud the idea, but I am no fan of Tim Tebow's ability to lead an NFL offense...we will see in Training Camp Denver's version of the Wildcat offense and Tebow could certainly contribute to a specialized formation like that...I do however doubt his ability to be a drop back passer in this league...Denver also added WR's Demaryius Thomas (Ramblin' Wreck of Georgia Tech) and Eric Decker (Minnesota) through the 2010 draft...both will have a chance to play on this team going forward, and I like the potential that Thomas has...the Tebow surprise pick was 3 draft picks after Thomas, but Tebow got all the press

Knowshon Moreno had a decent rookie season but much will have to improve...he has the talent to be a 1,000 yard rusher with double-digit TD's in his second season...McDaniels has made strides to overhaul the Offensive Line...rookie 2nd round pick Zane Beadles (6'5" 310 pound Guard from Utah) and rookie 3rd rounder J.D. Walton (6'3" 300 pound Center out of Baylor) will get a chance to develop and earn playing time during this Training Camp...those 2 plus talent and beef like Tackle Ryan Clady (6'6" 325) and Ryan Harris (6'5" 300) are more along the lines of how McDaniels wants to operate his running game...less cut-back's and more straight ahead blocks - that is what McDaniels will try to have the running game look like

On Defense Denver will again have a new man at the Defensive Coordinator helm...Don Martindale replaces Mike Nolan and will have a veteran group to coach led by Elvis Dumervil and his new contract extension...Training Camp is an opportunity for young Cornerbacks like Alphonso Smith and Tony Carter, plus rookies like Perrish Cox and Syd'Quan Thompson to add depth along with veterans like Champ Bailey and Andre Goodman...Safeties Brian Dawkins and Renaldo Hill bring 25 years of NFL experience into Training Camp with them...

Special Teams is of interest in Training Camp for Denver as they have 2nd year punter Britton Colquitt hoping to prove that he is an NFL punter...as far as kick return players go this roster has a lot to try out and choose from in Training Camp...JJ Arrington, Eddie Royal, Alphonso Smith, Perrish Cox for example...

Kansas City
This team experienced serious growing pains last season...2nd year coach Todd Haley will be looking to improve this team in many areas...I am optimistic about the improvements this off-season...but this team went 1-7 in Kansas City last year, and overall endured two 5 game losing streaks (yikes)

Much to do in Training Camp...the 2009 Defense was as bad as any in the NFL...the Offense was bolstered by the emergence of RB Jamaal Charles (1,100 rushing yards with 8 overall TD's) and will add Thomas Jones from the Jets...Jones has rushed for over 1,100+ yards in 5 straight seasons...in 6 of the last 7 seasons he has averaged at least 4.0 yards per carry...plus 27 TD's in the last 2 seasons...he teamed with Shonn Greene to run all the way to the AFC Title game (a game the Jets led at halftime) but fell just short...in KC he gets a chance to duo with Jamaal Charles and this two-some has a lot of potential...Jones is very consistent and Charles is explosive...

Dexter McCluster

The Offense is lead in Training Camp for the first time by new Coordinator Charlie Weis...Weis will have the running backs plus other receiving weapons to work with...I am a big fan of WR Dwayne Bowe, and this is the first full season for WR Chris Chambers...those 2 plus RB/WR Dexter McCluster (#36 overall in 2010 draft out of Ole Miss) and veteran WR Jerheme Urban will give QB Matt Cassel, and Head Coach Todd Haley plus Weis, an opportunity to improve on the poor passing performance of the 2009 Chiefs...Training Camp will be the opportunity for 3rd round TE Tony Moeaki to show that he can contribute too...KC will also look at Leonard Pope and Brad Cottam to play TE

Defensively the 2009 Chiefs had no alibi - they u-g-l-y...new Defensive Coordinator Romeo Crennel will have Training Camp to begin to develop 2010 1st round draft pick Eric Berry (Safety from Tennessee) and Strong Safety Jarrad Page returns from injury to anchor the Secondary...

On Special Teams rookies Dexter McCluster and Javier Arenas are athletic enough to compete for the Kick Returner, and Punt Returner starting spots

Oakland
Where to start...the Raiders have lost at least 11 games in 7 straight seasons - an NFL record for futility...the Owner Al Davis looks like he died some time ago and no one has had the courtesy to tell him...the franchise decisions in the past several years with Davis ruling the organization have been brutal...the choice of Tom Cable as Head Coach is under whelming and poor...

First year Offensive Coordinator Hue Jackson will have new QB Jason Campbell (ex-Redskin)...Cable is an Offensive Line coach playing a Head Coach on TV yet the Offensive Line has struggled for multiple years...Coach Jackson will use Training Camp to try and get improved play from young WR's like Darrius Heyward-Bey, Johnnie Lee Higgins, Chaz Schilens, and rookie Jacoby Ford (Clemson)...

Rolando McClain attacks

On the other side of the ball the Raider Nation welcome rookie Rolando McClain (#8 overall from Alabama) and Training Camp should provide an opportunity for 2nd round pick Lamarr Houston (6'3" 305 pound from Texas - Defensive Tackle) to show his worth going forward...

One certain area of strength for Oakland is the Secondary...Nnamdi Asomugha (Cornerback) is a Top 3 CB in the entire NFL...Chris Johnson is good on the other side at CB...Michael Huff is solid at Free Safety...the Raiders need to add to the depth in the Secondary and will use Training Camp to get a look at rookies Walter McFadden (Auburn) and Jeremy Ware (Michigan State)

On the Defensive Line the 2010 Training Camp will have Raiders coaches looking at guys like Jay Richardson, Matt Shaughnessy, and Desmond Bryant

Oakland had a revolving door at Kick Returner in '09...Jacoby Ford should get a chance to join the fun in Training Camp...at a horrible 12 points per game last year the Raiders are in desperate need of their Special Teams to put immediate points on the board, and set up the offense in good field positions...

The AFC East Training Camp blog preceded this entry, and AFC North and AFC South will follow...check for them in the Blog Archive section...

craig.ballard@hotmail.com