In this edition we take a look at the AFC West, complete with two of the worst teams in football (Chiefs and Raiders) and one of the best (Chargers).  In addition to discussing these teams in depth, we make our playoff and Super Bowl predictions, and you don’t want to miss those.

Hosts: Kevin, Rich, Ryan, Sonny

 

 AFC West [46:32m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

A day after the Miami LOLphins officially signed offensive tackle Jake Long, another splash was made that could greatly impact what happens over the weekend. Jared Allen, the NFL leader in sacks in 2007, has been shipped off to Minnesota in exchange for a bounty of draft picks. By acquiring the Vikings’ first round pick (#17) and two additional third rounders, the Chiefs have officially entered rebuilding mode.

With the move, the Chiefs now possess few weapons on either side of the ball. However, they do have 6 of the NFL Draft’s top 100 selections in this weekend’s draft. What’s this mean? Rebuilding… and lots of it. Moving Allen hurts on the surface, but lets be realistic here. The Chiefs weren’t going anywhere with him, so why put up with an unhappy veteran with a huge price tag? It’s a deal that makes sense for the Chiefs. Expect the Chiefs to find a replacement for Allen with their 5th selection. Chris Long anyone?

For the Vikings, Allen fills a gaping hole in the defense. With the league’s best rush defense two years running (but little pass rush to speak of), Allen should make things a lot more difficult for NFC North quarterbacks. No longer will they have hours in the pocket because now, a drunken maniac will be there to knock them on their ass.

Does this move make the Vikings a contender in the weaker NFC? On the surface, it would appear so. We know the Vikings can stop the run and now, they have one of the league’s best defensive ends to harass guys like Aaron Rodgers, Jon Kitna and Rex Grossman. Unfortunately, the Vikings still have Tarvaris Jackson under center. That in itself forces me to take their newfound “contender status” with a grain of salt.

Hosts: Sonny, Ryan, and Rich.

In this episode, we discussed the AFC West. With Norv Turner now running the show in San Diego, can the Chargers get past last year’s chokejob and go all the way? Or will the rising Jay Cutler shift the balance of power in this division back towards the Rocky Mountains? We also sort out the bottom of this division. Can Larry Johnson survive another year of being overworked? Or will the Raiders’ improving defense keep them out of the cellar? All of this and more on our continuing coverage of the NFL.

You can find Episode 34 here. (Download mp3)

For the entire month of August, the Sportable Staff will look at one National Football League team a day. We?ll look at their offense, defense and in the end, assess their playoff chances. Previews will be done by division, starting with the NFC East. Each new division will also feature a new podcast devoted entirely to that division.

Chiefs Looking to LJ to Keep the Arrowhead Sharp in 2007. The Kansas City Chiefs have experienced a tremendous amount of turnover through the past few years. Herm Edwards is in swing for his second year at the helm of Big Red and the Trent Green era is officially over. With Larry Johnson finally in camp, the Chiefs will be looking to continue their offensive dominance of years past and make a serious run in the West.

Offense. A journeyman back-up quarterback or a guy who has seven career passing attempts. Those are the options that the Chiefs have at quarterback for this year. I’ll be honest about my lack of enthusiasm for either Damon Huard or Brodie Croyle as a starting quarterback. The Chiefs, who have dubbed Huard the opening day starter, seem to still think high of their young project Croyle. I, on the other hand, don’t. Croyle hasn’t done much to help his cause in the pre-season and it’s a little bit over the edge to put high expectations on a third round pick. This argument over who is the better quarterback will be mute as long as they can both hand the ball off to Larry Johnson 30 times a game. LJ Is an absolute monster. Don’t read too much into the whole “400 carries one year, career dive thereafter” theory because LJ is still young and he’s got all-world talent. He also benefits from running behind one of the league’s finest offensive lines. Even if Johnson goes down, the Chiefs have a nice insurance policy in Michael Bennett and Priest Holmes. Holmes is attempting to make a return to football after getting blasted by Shawne Merriman two years ago and suffering a concussion. Read the rest of this entry »

Dear Larry Johnson,

Let me be the first to congratulate you on your payday. Today, you ended your 25 day holdout and secured a five year extension worth $45 million, with $19 million of that guaranteed. It’s not LaDainian Tomlinson money, but it’s enough to make those sleepless, sore nights worth it. At this point in your carer, you’ve proved you’re worth the fat salary.

Last year was quite a year for you, wasn’t it Larry? You set the NFL record for most carries in a season with 416. Your name appears ahead of both Jamal Anderson and James Wilder in the NFL record books. What’s that mean? Well, let’s take a look at how Anderson and Wilder fared after their backbreaking groundbreaking seasons. Anderson, known affectionately as “The Dirty Bird,” carried the rock 410 times in 1998, helping the Falcons get all the way to the Super Bowl. The next year, he blew out his knee and never had more than 282 carries in a season again. As for Wilder, who carried the ball 407 times in 1984, it wasn’t much better. After another strenuous workload the following year, he faded into obscurity.

Let’s be honest, Larry. With Herm Edwards running the show in Kansas City, your chances of surviving this workload aren’t very good. Your 752 carries in consecutive years is another NFL record. And trust me, those two years were a lot easier than this one will be. Those teams had Willie Roaf and Will Shields, not to mention a veteran quarterback and elite tight end. This year’s Chiefs feature a rebuilt offensive line, no Trent Green, and a declining Tony Gonzalez. Yay!

Have a fun year, Larry! With that $19 million guaranteed, you’ll be able to afford all the ice your knees can handle.

Sincerely,

Ryan.

Finally, Dolphins and Chiefs fans, the day that we have waited for has come. Trent Green has packed his bags and is headed to Miami to play quarterback for the Dolphins in exchange for a conditional 2008 fifth round draft choice.

All I can say about this trade is ‘what the hell took so long?’ These trade talks have been floating around for three months now, and to think that the dispute was over a conditional draft pick in the fifth round is pretty outrageous. Amongst other things, it’s just not fair for Green to be stuck in limbo. Then again, that’s the story of his career.

Trent Green loves getting replaced. Brodie Croyle has been dubbed his successor in Kansas City, and I’m not exactly sure what kind of grass Chiefs management is puffing to believe that will work out. This isn’t the first time he’s been owned. There was that one guy who took his job in St Louis as well. And it’s not like he’s going to outright win the job in Miami. Daunte Culpepper likes to believe he still has enough talent to play, and if he’s healthy his fat contract will probably earn him the starting job. Either way, new head coach Cam Cameron (don’t you love the guys who have the same first and last name?) has to pick and choose which quarterback is going to throw less interceptions for his team. Both Culpepper and Green have that timely knack to get picked when the game is on the line.

Whatever happens in Miami this season will be an adventure. Cameron has comfort knowing that they have two “quality” quarterbacks who can fill in if necessary. At least Green will have someone to throw the ball to now, as Miami at least has a decent group of receivers. As for the Chiefs…well…they’re still looking for a go-to guy not named Tony Gonzalez.