1. San Diego Chargers: 10-6
Is management going to cost them a chance to succeed?
2. Kansas City Chiefs: 7-9
It appears that KC is looking like the New England Patriots of the West.
3. Oakland Raiders: 7-9
Is Jason Campbell all the Raiders need to get into contention?
4. Denver Broncos: 6-10
They took one step forward, but two steps back after a tumultuous offseason.

Coaches

Norv Turner – Chargers
Since Norv was hired in 2007, the Chargers have been prone to slow starts during the season.  Known for being an innovator on offense, San Diego has slowly turned the page on being a running team to being one of the elite passing teams in the NFL.  There was talk that Turner’s job was in jeopardy after the Chargers early exit in the playoffs at the hands of the Jets after a 13-3 finish to the season.  Instead, GM A.J. Smith gave Turner an extension.  A sign that Smith is willing to give Turner more time to get it right.  Something he didn’t do with Marty Schottenheimer.  Turner has been able to turn Philip Rivers into an elite quarterback.  The question is whether San Diego’s window of opportunity has closed.

Josh McDaniels – Broncos
Denver shocked the league with their 6-0 start to the season.  Unfortunately the original expectation for the Broncos came true with their 2-8 finish to the season and missing out on the playoffs.  As soon as McDaniels took over, he immediately butted heads with the teams quarterback Jay Cutler, thus resulting in his departure for Chicago.  It also happened with the teams star wide receiver Brandon Marshall and McDaniels.  Denver’s front office has given him their full support.  Now it is up to Josh McDaniels to make something of the Broncos in his image.  It could back fire this year, but Denver does have some pieces in place to make a run in the AFC West.  The problem is Kansas City and Oakland have improved upon last season.

Tom Cable – Raiders
He was brought in under some difficult circumstances in 2008.  He’s been given a chance to get Oakland over the 5 win threshold for the first time since 2002 (11-5).  He was close, but the team finished 5-11 once again.  Things looked to remain the same until a draft day trade for Redskins quarterback Jason Campbell.  That meant JaMarcus Russell was on his way out.  With the admitted failure of Oakland drafting Russell, it appears that owner Al Davis is letting someone else make decisions or he has come to his senses.  Either way, Oakland has promise.  With Cable running the ship, Oakland can focus on the personnel they have in place.  With stability at quarterback, the Raiders might be able to compete against most of the elite teams.

Todd Haley – Chiefs
Haley had a rough start to his rookie season.  He fired offensive coordinator Chan Gailey a week before the season started.  The offense struggled right out of the gate.  The defense was ineffective running the 3-4 system.  Both should be improved with new offensive coordinator Charlie Weis and defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel on board.  Haley is running a similar scheme like the one used in New England when Weis was there.  Crennel will immediately bring a calm, but firm leadership to a defense that ranked 30th in the NFL.  Haley has two former head coaches on the staff.  Should Kansas City stumble out of the gate like last year, GM Scott Pioli won’t hesitate to replace him with someone he knows from his New England days.

Best Acquisition: RB Thomas Jones – Kansas City Chiefs
He was ranked 3rd in rushing last year.  He has rushed for at least 1,100 yards the last five seasons now.  He was let go in Chicago and was released after a career year in New York.  He has past the prime age for running backs (age 32).  However, he is a motivated individual.  What’s to say he won’t have another 1,000 yard season?  Jamaal Charles is the all-purpose back for Kansas City, which they ranked 11th in rushing last year.  What’s to stop the Chiefs from improving on that number?  They add a Pro-Bowl player to help keep the pressure off their quarterback Matt Cassel. 

Quarterback – Grade
Chargers – A
Broncos – C
Raiders – C
Chiefs – C

Philip Rivers has put himself into the conversation as one of the best quarterbacks in the league.  His arm isn’t the strongest, but his accuracy is what makes him one of the best.  Having big targets to throw to doesn’t hurt either.  Rivers is in a class all by himself in the AFC West.  Since his biggest rival Jay Cutler is out of the picture, it’s his division to rule.
Denver got the best out of Kyle Orton (3,802 yards, 21 TD).  Problem with those numbers is that was with Brandon Marshall on the team.  Without the consistent receiver at Orton’s disposal, it will be harder to duplicate those numbers.  Should Orton struggle mightily, Brady Quinn and Tim Tebow are waiting in the wings.  Quinn will get the first shot at the job, but he is a bit of an unknown.  Cleveland was pretty much a replica of what Denver is now.  Tebow probably won’t see much playing time unless one or both quarterbacks go down.  He is a project, but an intriguing one at that.
Oakland hopes they’ve found their man at quarterback in Jason Campbell.  Al Davis compares him to Super Bowl champion Jim Plunkett.  Not a wise comparison, but there is reason to be optimistic in Oakland.  They have a good running game and plenty of weapons for Campbell to throw to.  The question is if Campbell can make the most of it?  He isn’t a terrible quarterback.  He has shown flashes of brilliance in his time in Washington.  Oakland’s season depends on this position.
Kansas City has invested a lot of money in Matt Cassel.  They haven’t gotten a just reward for their investment yet, but there is still time.  Cassel has only a handful of targets to throw to, but he did look more comfortable in the second half of last year.  If he wants to be considered an elite quarterback, he will have to prove his 2008 season was no fluke.  It will tough considering he had more weapons to throw to than in Kansas City.

Running Back – Grade
Chiefs – B
Chargers – B
Raiders – C
Broncos – C

Their rushing attack has gotten better now that they’ve added Thomas Jones to complement Jamaal Charles.  Charles had a career year for the Chiefs and Jones did for the Jets.  With both of them, Kansas City is hoping for a good mix of power and speed to help take pressure of the passing game.  The system is built for the pass, but Kansas City can’t ignore what they have in the running game. 
San Diego has a new feature back for the first time since 2000.  LaDainian Tomlinson is no longer with the Chargers and they drafted the best running back available in Ryan Mathews from Fresno State.  He’s a big physical back who will be the perfect complement to Darren Sproles who will still be a force on third down and passing situations.  Mathews will look to improve on San Diego’s 31st ranked rushing attack.
Oakland’s one lone bright spot has been their running game.  They no longer have the three headed monster since Justin Fargas was let go, but Michael Bush and Darren McFadden are still a good 1-2 combination.   Combined they ran for just under 1,000 yards.  If McFadden can remain healthy, he will be an excellent force in the passing game as well.  Oakland is hoping they won’t have to release another top 5 pick who couldn’t live up to expectations.
Denver had a nice balance to their offense.  It all fell apart though in the second half.  Their defense couldn’t keep games close and they had to abandon the run.  Knowshon Moreno was a pleasant surprise in the running game.  Not a bruising back, but he did impress in a couple of games.  Correll Buckhalter is a good change of pace back who was a big plus on third down and in the passing game.  Denver won’t wow anyone on the ground, but they can make a splash if they play the right opponent.

Wide Receiver – Grade
Chargers – B
Chiefs – C
Broncos – C
Raiders – D

The Chargers would get an A if Vincent Jackson were not holding out.  Nonetheless San Diego still has Antonio Gates, one of the best tight ends in the game.  Darren Sproles is a matchup nightmare for any defense out of the backfield.  Malcolm Floyd who is another big target for Philip Rivers will be looked to as the number one receiver.  Floyd had a career year last year (45 rec. 776 yards) as the number two receiver.  Look for those numbers to double if Jackson holds out the entire year.  Former 1st round pick Buster Davis and Legedu Naanee will have to step up with bigger roles.
One reason for Cassel’s improvement in the second half was the acquisition of Chris Chambers off waivers.  Chambers was a stable force as the possession receiver in crucial situations.  Dwyane Bowe’s stats dropped off a bit from Kansas City’s liking, but Bowe was constantly double covered.  That should change with Chambers around a full season.  Jerheme Urban was a good slot receiver in Arizona and Haley knows exactly where to put him in critical passing downs.  Rookie Dexter McCluster is a new weapon for the Chiefs not just as a receiver, but also out of the backfield.  He will see a majority of action on returns, but he will be used in multiple packages as a wideout and back. 
Without Brandon Marshall, Denver now has Eddie Royal as the default number one receiver.  He didn’t have a good sophomore season, but now that he’s healthy he should get back to form.  The Broncos will also need a good year from Jabar Gaffney.  He thrived in the system last year as the slot receiver.  He will be bumped to number two with Marshall gone.  First round pick Demaryius Thomas will be given all the time to get comfortable, but he will see plenty of action to get to a level of comfort.  Brandon Stokley and Brandon Lloyd will be the possession receivers on crucial third downs.

Defense – Grade
Chargers – C
Raiders – C
Broncos – C
Chiefs – D

The Chargers have always had an inconsistent defense.  One year they will be great against the run, the next great against the pass.  Never great against both in the same season.  They no longer have Jamal Williams to plug up the running lanes.  Instead they will rely on stopping the pass and go with what they have for the run.  Luis Castillo will be counted on to lead that attack on the defensive line.  The linebacking corps will consist of pass rushers and excellent coverage men.  Shawne Merriman will be given another chance at returning to his Pro-Bowl form.  Shaun Phillips has emerged as the pass rush specialist during Merriman’s absence.  Stephen Cooper and Kevin Burnett are excellent in coverage and are quick to the ball carrier.  Quentin Jammer and Antoine Cason are an underrated duo at cornerback.  Nathan Vasher is an excellent pickup as the nickel back from Chicago.  Safety is a weak spot, but Eric Weddle has shown steady improvement over his first four seasons. 
Oakland been known throughout their history as having a smash mouth defense that doesn’t care about the consequences of their actions.  Those days might be coming back sooner than you think.  Rolando McClain was drafted in the first round to be the new man at middle linebacker.  That sent shock waves through the league as a sign that the Raiders were starting to make the right decisions.  Kamerion Wimbley was acquired from Cleveland to help bring some added pressure on the quarterback and to help in coverage.  Nnamdi Asomugha is one of the best cover corners in the game.  He doesn’t get a chance at many interceptions anymore, but he is the biggest asset the Raiders defense has.  Michael Huff is only average in coverage, but a devastating tackler.  Tyvon Branch is an improved cover safety and is right there with Huff in the run defense.  Richard Seymour seems to be motivated to play for Oakland this year.  He showed up to all of the offseason workouts and was on time for training camp.  That’s good news for the Raiders as they look to see him improve on his sack total (4).  The Raiders have a lot of depth on the line, but they will need more from Tommy Kelly at tackle.
Denver was one of the best defensive units through the first 8 games last year.  They became one of the worst in the last 8 games.  Part of that was attributed to the emergence of linebacker Elvis Dumervil (17 sacks).  He was a constant force for Denver, but has suffered a pectoral injury that will probably cost him the entire season.  That means former first round picks Jarvis Moss and Robert Ayers will have shoulder the load left by Dumervil in the pass rush.  Champ Bailey is getting up there in age, but quarterbacks still don’t throw his way too often.  With Brian Dawkins brought into the mix last year, the defense saw a bit of improvement in their pass defense.  Denver went after experienced pieces on the defensive line in free agency adding, Justin Bannan (Baltimore), Jamal Williams (San Diego) and Jarvis Green (New England).  All three will look to improve Denver’s 26th ranked run defense.
Kansas City struggled mightily to get used to the 3-4 defense.  Most of their players had no experience in the system.  Their defensive lineman Tyson Jackson and Glenn Dorsey, both 1st round picks, were the biggest weaknesses.  Both should be much improved with new defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel putting them in the best position.  Mike Vrabel is back for his 14th season and will have some help from Crennel to pass on to the rest of the linebackers.  Derrick Johnson in particular.  He was lost and eventually benched.  He will be given one more chance to redeem himself.  Tamba Hali has shown he can thrive in the system as a pass rusher.  Crennel probably sees Hali as a Willie McGinest type who can rush, but also can be above average in coverage.  Drafting safety Eric Berry was the smart choice.  They needed someone who could help their cornerbacks Brandon Flowers and Brandon Carr on deep passes.  Rookie Javier Arenas is an excellent cover corner that will be utilized as a nickel back.  He will also be the primary punt returner.